Early one morning, the Rebbe of Radishitz zt”l said “A special guest has arrived today. It’s his first visit. He won’t come again, so I want to honor him properly. The guest is ‘Today.’
It came today, and it will never come back…” because time wasted is gone forever.
The advice for a Jew who doesn’t want to lack anything and wants to be attached to Hashem is to accustom himself to pray to Hashem for important matters, as well as for trivial things.
Don’t think that you have to be in hisbodidus, all alone, wearing a tallis and tefillin, in order to pray. Wherever you are, even in the marketplace, you can pray to Hashem. And Hashem, Who hears all prayers will certainly answer your tefillos. ~ Rebbe Bunim of Pshischa zt’l
Hashem helps the moment a person doesn’t see any natural means for his salvation. ~ The Chazon Ish
One of the best techniques for preventing yourself from becoming angry when someone insults you is to say to yourself, “Thank you, Almighty, for sending me a relatively painless way for atoning for my wrongdoings. It is a great act of kindness on Your part to atone for my mistakes in this manner.”
Keep saying similar statements during the entire time someone insults you. ~ Erech Apayim as quoted by R’ Zellig Pliskin
Everyone suffers. But many do not take it to heart that the suffering comes as a punishment for transgressions, rather they consider it accidental.
The proper attitude is that suffering is an atonement. With this realization a person appreciates that suffering in this world saves him from suffering in the next. ~ Mussray Rabainu Yehonoson
When you do acts of kindness for people, show them that you personally derive pleasure from their acceptance of what you are giving. Do not boast or act in a conceited manner because you are helping someone.
We find in the Torah that Avraham conveyed to his guests that they were giving him a gift by consenting to be his guests. ~ Ralbag
Before a person gives up his portion in the next world for others, let’s see if he is willing to forgo some of his share in this world for others. ~ The Alter of Novardok
You are not stuck with this impulse or that. You were given free will. Use it. ~ The Kotzker Rebbe
Each day a person is given a new capacity for knowledge. This is a new creation which has been turned over to a person to be used for good. If he fails to do so, this knowledge goes up before Hashem and complains that it was mishandled on earth. ~ R’ Henoch of Aleksander zt”l
Each morning, in birchas haTorah we say, “Hashem gave us His Torah.” “In my opinion, birchas haTorah is a wonderful segulah for remembering Torah.
This might be the reason Reb Yehudah HaNasi called the first masechta of Shas – “Brachos.” Rebbe [Yehudah HaNasi] organized the Mishnayos so people shouldn’t forget them, but he was afraid that people might forget Torah, nonetheless. He named the first masechta “Brachos” to remind people to say birchas haTorah… and then the Torah will be given to them like a gift and it won’t be forgotten. Otherwise, it would be more fitting to call this first masechta “Kriyas Shema,” because Shema…is the first discussion of the masechta…”
We therefore see that success in Torah is solely after one says birchas haTorah. ~ The Tzlach (Brachos 64)
