Newness

Evil is always new.  Imagine, if you do something wrong, you swear to yourself you’ll never do it again, right?  How come evil returns the next day?  The answer is very simple.  Evil has a newness.  So how do you fight evil?  With even more newness? ~ R’ Shlomo Carlebach zt”l

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How to Utilize Poverty and Suffering

When poverty or other suffering has been decreed on a man, he is wise to utilize the opportunity of gaining the Perfection which is thereby thrust upon him. This then becomes a great good fortune for him: “When a man accepts the chastisement of G-d and improves his ways and deeds, he can rejoice at this as one rejoices at great successes” R’ Avigdor Miller zt”l

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Even a Hair’s Breadth

Hashem judges us entirely based on how we disconnect from our current status to an ever so slightly higher status – even a hair’s breadth. Hashem collects all of those hairs and creates great things from them. ~ Rav Menachem Azolai as translated by Dov Elias

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Lengthy Prayers

When the Chasam Sofer zt”l studied under Rabbi Nosson Adler zt”l his prayers were quite lengthy and took a lot of time. One of his friends chided him: “Moshe, while you stood and prayed I learned several pages of Gemara!” R’ Moshe replied: “I am not concerned. The Gemara says (Berachos 54b) that someone who lengthens his prayers will have his days and years lengthened. I will catch up with my learning during the extra days and years that I will receive due to my extended prayers…”

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Punishing a Child

Sometimes you don’t know whether to punish a child or hug him. If you punish him when he needed a hug, you’ve made a serious mistake.

But if you hug him when perhaps he should have been punished, you’ve just brought some extra love into the world. ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

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Yiddish Proverb

Der Mentsh fort un Got halt di laitses

Man rides, but God holds the reins.

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The Lelover Rebbe

The father of Rav Simcha Bunim of Pesishcha was Rav Tzvi Hirsh.  Rav Tzvi had a daughter who unfortunately was crippled. On a trip to a speaking engagement he had met Rav Dovid Lelover (the Lelover Rebbe). Upon mentioning that the Lelover Rebbe would be passing through Rav Tzvi’s home town, he asked him to do him a favor and deliver a few rubles to his family, which the Lelover was happy to do.  A few nights later, when he had reached Rav Tzvi’s home, he knocked on the door once, twice…  Finally the daughter, unable to walk down the stairs, opened her window to greet the passer-bye.  The Lelover Rebbe explained the situation and left the money in a safe place outside the door.  When the daughter thanked him and wished him a good evening, the Lelover Rebbe responded “zai gizunt” (you should be healthy) and left.

When Rav Tzvi returned home, he was greeted by his daughter running into his arms, shouting “Eliyahu had cured me.”  When she described the person that came to the house, Rav Tzvi soon realized the power of a holy Tzaddik’s words.

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Chesed

When we do favors for others, we never lose – even when it looks like a waste of time. The Chazon Ish zt”l once counseled a young kollel man who was worried that doing chesed would waste time from Torah study: “To fully understand Torah, we must be refined and refinement is attained only via performing acts of kindness. There is no spiritual forfeiture when we aid others – to the contrary, it itself is the very goal – it is an attainment of perfection!
There is a popular adage: “Another’s materialism is our spirituality…”  ~ Rav Menachem Azolai as translated by Dov Elias

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Greatness

Greatness does not bring happiness; happiness brings greatness. ~ The Garden of Wisdom

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Don’t Waste a Moment

Life is short, and the Torah is seemingly endless.  One should not waste a moment of the precious few years he is granted in this world.  Life is a fleeting opportunity to gather treasure; once the time is up, he can no longer earn anything.  ~ The Pirkei Avos Treasury

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