There is a famous story about the Chofetz Chaim who was ready to move to Eretz Yisrael. He gave his goodbye sermon to his community in Radin on the Shabbos before his planned departure. Afterwards, a simple man came over to him and asked, “Why didn’t you say אם ירצה השם (G-d willing)?”
That Motzei Shabbos, the Chofetz Chaim’s wife suddenly became ill and the Chofetz Chaim never ended up going to Eretz Yisrael.
How important it is, when making plans, to always say אם ירצה השם
The yetzer hara (evil inclination) is misunderstood. Hashem is all goodness. Therefore, if He made a yetzer hara, it’s a tremendous chesed (kindness). But it’s a perilous form of chesed.
If you know how to utilize the yetzer hara, you can become great.
But if you don’t think about it, you can’t even try to protect yourself, and it’ll conquer you.
~ R’ Avigdor Miller zt”l
Here is the formula:
If you want to know how rich you are, count all the things you have that money can’t buy.
A man came to a Tzaddik – “My boss fired me – how will I get my Parnassah?!?”
The Tzaddik asked him – “Do you know who your mailman is?”
“No.”
“But you get your mail – right?
“Right.”
“So don’t worry who your boss was, is, or will be. Either way you’ll get your Parnassah from Hashem!”
~ R’ Elimelech Biderman Shlita
Hashem created two doors – one in Shamayim and one in the heart of man.
When one opens his heart for the needs of his fellow man, then the corresponding door in Shamayim is opened to hear his cry. ~ Vilna Gaon
A man is walking down the street. Suddenly, someone comes up from behind and gives him a big slap on the back. He turns around to see who it is.
If it is his enemy, he will be furious at him, but if it’s his friend he will greet him joyfully.
Sometimes we receive a “slap on the back,” but we have to realize that it’s all from Hashem, and Hashem loves us!
~ Divray Chaim of Sanz
My rosh yeshivah, Rav Moshe Chait, told us how, as a child, he went to the zoo and saw a massive lion, growling in its cage. It was frightening, and Rabbi Chait asked the zookeeper if the animal was able to break out of the cage.
“Yes,” said the zookeeper, “but don’t worry, because the lion doesn’t know it.”
Rabbi Chait said, “That’s every one of us.”
We don’t know what we can do. We settle for okay rather than exceptional, even in the most important areas of life. If we realize what we can do, how much more we’re capable of, then Mashiach is so close. Miracles are waiting to happen – and they’re in our hands.
~ R’ Dovid Orlofsky
Love is shown when a person does at least a little bit more than was expected or demanded of him. The surest sign that someone is doing something only because he has to and not because he loves to is when he does not do anything extra.
This applies to the good deeds that we do. When you take on more than the minimal requirements, it manifests your loving attitude.
~ R’ Yeruchem Levovitz zt”l
If a person wouldn’t run after his parnassah, the parnassah would run after him because before someone is formed in the womb, Hashem decrees whether he will be poor or wealthy (according to Hashem’s wisdom of each individual’s needs). Everything is decreed (other than whether he will be a tzaddik or a rasha, as that is up to each person’s free choice). It is decreed which utensils he will have, his clothing, his money. Whatever was decreed will occur. He won’t get more or less. The parnassah that is destined for him will run after him…”
~ The Meor Einayim (Va’eschanan)
Therefore, make sure to set aside time to learn Torah and serve Hashem as it won’t detract from your parnassah.
We, the Jewish people, are less than a quarter of a percent of the world’s population.
If I told you that we were ten percent, you’d say that makes sense, but we’re not even one percent. One percent is almost five times more than our number.
What does that mean to you?
Rare is special.
Rare is precious.
Rare is unique.
Do we think about this, what it means for each one of us? Do we embrace that uniqueness or do we try to hide it? Look at the numbers, look where we stand – then consider what that really tells us about who we are.
~ Rav Gav Friedman
