Before the prayer of an individual enters to be crowned in its place, the Blessed Holy One scrutinizes it, gazes at it, and behold the sins and merits of the individual. But this is not true of prayers of a congregation. Many prayers are not from the righteous, but they still enter before the Blessed Holy One, and He does not look at their sins. ~ Zohar 1:234b (Tosefta)
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The answer to yesterday’s “Identify that Prayer” is ויהי רצון from ברכות השחר
And may it be Your will, Hashem, our God, and the God of our forefathers, that you accustom us to [study] Your Torah and attach us to Your commandments. Do not bring us into the power of error, nor into the power of transgression and sin, nor into the power of challenge, nor into the power of scorn. Let not the Evil Inclination dominate us. Distance us from an evil person and an evil companion. Attach us to the Good Inclination and to good deeds and compel our Evil Inclination to be subservient to You. Grant us today and everyday grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us, and bestow beneficent kindness upon us.
Someone who wants to be greater than others should not dig a pit for his friend; rather he should build a hill for himself. ~ R’ Yisroel Salanter zt”l
Once it has become clear to one that wherever he may be, he is standing before the presence of the Holy One, there will come to him of itself, the awe and fear of going astray in his actions so that they do not accord with the majesty of the Blessed One. ~ R’ Moshe Chaim Luzaato zt”l
If the yetzer hara succeeds in making you speak lashon hara today, then endeavor to overcome it tomorrow. If, chas v’shalom, it succeeds again tomorrow, then stregthen yourself to overcome it the next day. ~ The Chofetz Chaim zt”l
R’ Nosson Zvi Finkel’s appearance in the yeshiva to give a shmuse touched off a mad rush as the talmidim scrambled for the best seats. R’ Nosson Zvi was displeased, and he began his shmuse rebuking them. “In running,” he said, “You may overturn shtenders, which may get scratched or damaged from the fall. Then you will be guilty of damaging and robbing.”
When wearing tefillin, one may not divert his thoughts; and when the Kohen Gadol is wearing the tzitz (head-plate), which is less holy than tefillin, he may not divert his attention. Therefore, surely on Shabbos, which is holier than tefillin-as evidenced by the fact that on Shabbos, we do not put on tefillin because of its greater kedusha,-we can derive that we must not divert our thoughts from the kedusha of the day for even a moment. ~ Toledos Yaakov Yosef which he learned from his rebbi, the Ball Shem Tov.
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If anyone can learn some mishnayos for my grandmother, Sarah Dena Bas Yehoshua Yosef, in time for the shloshim, the afternoon of December 26, 2016, it would be much appreciated. You can sign up by clicking this link http://hadranalach.com/318
Acting to please others can never be successful. A person who wishes to impress others will have to constantly change, for every person will demand something different. We must act according to Torah values, without being influenced by others’ views. Only this can bring a person to true satisfaction and joy. ~ Chicken Soup to Warm the Neshama
Every bullet has its address. If a person’s address is on it, it will find him, no matter where he is. And it it doesn’t have the person’s address, then it will not hit him, no matter where he is. ~ R’ Meir Simcha HaCohen zt”l aurhor of the Ohr Sameach and Meshech Chochma
Emuna Daily 