R’ Moshe of Korbin zt”l

When Rabbi Moshe of Korbin was seven years old, there was a severe famine in Lithuania. Poor people wandered from village to village in search of food.  Many of them flocked to the home of Rav Moshe’s mother, who readily cooked and baked for them.

Once a very large number of the poor came to her home and she had to cook for them in shifts.  When some individuals grew impatient and insulted her, she began to cry, since she felt that she was doing her utmost for them.

Her young son, the future Rabbi of Korbin, said to her, “Why should their insults trouble you? Don’t their insults help you perform the mitzvah with sincerity?  If they had praised you, your merit would be less, since you might be doing the kindness to gain their praise, rather than to fulfill the Almighty’s command.” ~ Ohr Yeshorim as quoted by R’ Zelig Pliskin

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Climb

Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it. ~ Torah Tavlin

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What Reveals a Person’s Real Values

That which excites a man, serves as a test by which his worth is recognized.  When after a banquet one man is enthusiastic over the words of Torah which had been spoken, another praises the songs, and a third lauds the food.  Each one’s praise indicates his worth.  ~ R’ Avigdor Miller zt”l

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Anger

When a person gets angry, he brings harsh judgments upon himself. ~ R’ Nachman of Breslov zt”l

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Deception

We are blinded by nothing so much as by our eyes. ~ R’ Shraga Silverstein zt”l

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Grab and Eat!

Chazal said, “This world is like a wedding banquet – grab and eat!” We must never wait for a “better time” to fulfill our spiritual obligations, but must grab whatever we can now, even in the middle of our disorganized lives, because if we wait until everything “settles down,” we lose a great deal in the meantime.  We have to recall this countless times.  Life has its cycles.  Sometimes things go our way and sometimes not.  We must be able to serve God in all situations, even when times are difficult.

The Mishna in Pirkei Avos says: “Don’t say, I will study when I have time, for perhaps you will never have time.”

The Kotzker Rebbe commented on this, “Perhaps that is the very thing that God wants from you, to study when you do not have the time.” ~ R’ Yaakov Meir Schechter

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Locked in a Safe

Speech is the most precious of all human faculties.  Therefore, one must carefully guard his tongue by practicing the trait of silence.  He must treat his words like gold, silver, and precious jewels, which are locked away in a safe in the innermost chamber of his home. ~ Chofetz Chaim zt”l

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Smooth Sailing?

Challenges are not an unfortunate fact of life, but rather, a sign of Hashem’s trust and confidence in your ability to prevail.

In the late 1800s, the Jewish population of Europe was going through particularly difficult times.  The Rebbe of a Chassidic community called for a meeting.  That evening, the streets were silent, as everyone sat in the shul.  The Rebbe walked in, strode purposefully to the Aron Kodesh, opened it, and put his hand on one of the Sifrei Torah.

“My dear Chassidim,” he said.  “I beg of each of you, if there is ever a moment in your lives when you feel that you are not being tested, when you feel that life is flowing smoothly and seamlessly, stop whatever you are doing and run to the shul.  Open the Aron Kodesh, place your head between the Sifrei Torah, and cry your heart out.  When you finish, raise your eyes to the Heavens and say ‘Hashem, why did you decide to let my life flow without any challenge?  Did You lose confidence in me?'” ~ From the book, The 6 Constant Mitzvos

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Tzeitchem l’shalom

On Shabbos, a Jew is on a higher level than the angels, because the realm of Shabbos is even loftier than that of the angels.

This may explain the last verse of the the hymn, Shalom Aleichem with which we greet the angels who escort us home from shul on Friday night.  We finish by saying צֵאתְכֶם לְשָלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָׁלוֹם – May your departure be to peace, O angels of peace.”  Asking these gracious angels to leave seems quite inconsiderate, to say the least.

Yet there is a reason for this.  At our Shabbos table, we take delight in the Shabbos together with the Shechinah.  We are in a spiritual environment that is higher than the domain of the angels.  Since the angels cannot join us there, we kindly bid them farewell. ~ Shabbos Malkesa

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City of Happiness

People search relentlessly for a “city of happiness” – not realizing that it could only be found in a “state of mind.” ~ R’ Avraham Pam zt”l

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