How Does One Learn to Love Hashem

“When drinking a cup of water, learn to love Him for it; when you wear an overcoat in winter, love Him for it; when you enter from the cold street into your warm home, love Him for it; when you put your head on the pillow and your ears folds back comfortably, love Him for it; love Him for restful sleep, pain-free days, for your daily bread, and for all that He gives constantly.” ~ R’ Avigdor Miller zt”l

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When I have time…

“Say not, when I have leisure I will study; for you may never have leisure” ~ Pirkei Avot 2:4

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The Fault-Finder

“A chissoren, di kalleh is tsu shain.” – “A fault-finder complains even that the bride is too pretty.”

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Darkness

“Don’t take the world and its darkness so seriously –it is not as real as it feigns to be. It is only a creation and it is being re-created out of absolutely nothing at every moment. The only thing real about it is its purpose of being — that you should purify it.” ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

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Not a Penny more

“No matter how much effort is exerted, no-one can earn one cent more than G-d has ordained that he – this particular person – shall earn. One must do what is necessary, but one must remember that all his work is but an adjunct. The main thing is G-d’s blessing, and that blessing is earned by being observant of G-d’s commands:  Davening with a Minyan, observing Shabbat B’hidur (beyond the minimum, with “beauty”), meticulous observance of Kashrut, having children instructed by sincerely religious teachers (who are
personally observant).” ~ The Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l

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Be Wise!

“Every single mitzvah in the Torah calls out and declares, ‘Be wise!’  Every prohibition of the Torah likewise implores us, ‘Do not be a fool!” ~ R’ Simcha Bunim of P’shischah zt”l

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A True Hero

Who is a hero?  He who conquers his urges ~ Talmud

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A bissel Yiddish

Durchlernen gantz shas iz a groisseh zach: durch lernen ain mideh iz a gressereh zach.  

To learn the whole Talmud is  a great accomplishment; to learn one good virtue is even greater.

(Besides a good quote, I always loved Yiddish.  I was thinking that perhaps each Wednesday, in addition to or in place of the typical quotes, I would quote a nice Yiddish proverb.  Let me know your thoughts.)

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Mirrors

People are mirrors for each other.

If you see the faults of another person and they don’t leave you alone, it is truly your own faults you see.

This is G-d’s great kindness to us, for without this mirror-effect
we would never be able to determine our true faults. ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

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The Man on the Park Bench

There was once a king who ruled in a town. Once a year he would take off his crown and his royal clothes. He would then put on regular clothes and go out to speak with the people to hear and see what he can do for them. No one would know on which day the king would do this. One day the king got up and said today is that day. He got up, dressed in regular clothes and went out to the park. He saw a man sitting on a bench and decided to sit next to him and ask him how everything was doing.  The man answered that everything is doing well, so the king asked do you need anything and the man answered no, I have everything.  The king asked if there was anything he can do for him and the man answered no.

The next day, news of this event hit the newspapers.   People read the story of how the king went out in plain clothes and asked someone at the park how he was and if there was anything he can do for him.  When the man who was in the park read the paper and realized that he had been sitting next to the king, he was devastated at having missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  He had a long list of requests that could have been fulfilled by the king.

We know that Hashem is always with us.   We can always ask Hashem to fulfill our requests and needs, but during the month of Elul, Hashem is even closer to us, “right next to us on that park bench.”  He’s waiting for each and every one of us to call out to him, to cry out to Him, to return to Him.  Let’s not miss the opportunity of this month! ~ Divrei Chizuk

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