Truly Wealthy

“One who has one hundred wants two hundred” (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). Someone who covets money never has enough, while one who has an inner sense of contentment is truly wealthy.
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“Go in Peace”

“When one says ‘Lech b’shalom – go in peace’ like Avimelech did to Yitzchak, one gives his friend the illusion that the road before him will be easy, that he is already in a state of peace.  This is not the case, as life is full of spiritual and material stumbling blocks.  A person who believes that the road of life is easy will be unprepared for its pitfalls and will come to harm.  Rather, one should say ‘Lech l’shalom – go to peace.’  Peace can be attained eventually, but one must go to it and work to attain it.  It is not an easy road.”

~ R’ Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook zt”l from Torah Tavlin

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The Yield

“In business, a person’s profit may exceed the effort invested, or it may be less.  In spiritual matters, the yield is exactly equal to the amount of effort expended.”

~ R’ Itzele of Petersburg zt”l from Torah Tavlin

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Here Today and Gone Tomorrow

“King Solomon, the wisest of all men advised (Ecclesiates 7:2):

‘It is better to frequent the house of mourning than the house of feasting, for it signifies the end of all men – and the living should take it to heart!’

…All of us must remember that we’re mere mortals, here today and gone tomorrow; if we forget, we’re liable to fall into spiritual slumber.  The fear and awe of our final day on earth and subsequent day of reckoning helps us monitor our thoughts, speech, and deeds.  When establishing our list of priorities, we should remember that fame and fortune are worthless in the grave; this world’s amenities are worthless in the next world.  Our ultimate objective is the world to come, and emuna will get us there.” ~ The Garden of Emuna

 

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My Body also has a Soul

“Our holy master Rebbe Nachman says that not only the soul has a soul – but my body also has a soul – the inside of my body.  You know, imagine if all I used my hand for was just to take, and I never used my hand to give.  Rebbe Nachman says I can get physically sick from this.  My hand is crying, ‘Why didn’t you use me for the right purposes?’  You know, if my ears only hear terrible things, if my ears never hear something holy, then physically my ears are angry at me: ‘Why didn’t you do something with me which I really want to?’  Not only my soul is angry, the inside of my body is too.”  ~ R’ Shlomo Carlebach

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Bitter or Grateful

“Bitter people are never grateful; grateful people are never bitter.” ~ R’ Lazer Brody

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“Time is Money”

“The world says that time is money, but I say that money is time. In order to earn enough money to satisfy his desires, one must sacrifice inordinate amounts of time. For me, that sacrifice is too great.” ~ Chofetz Chaim

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Peace in the Home

“Peace in the home, shalom bayis, does not mean the absence of conflict. Shalom is opposing forces working together in harmony. It is a sense of wholeness that allows for a life filled with blessings and joy.”   ~ By R’ Shlomo Slatkin
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How to give

“The man who gives little with a smile gives more than the man who gives much with a frown.”
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“How could this happen?”

“When a new Baal Teshuva dies a sudden, tragic death…people ask, how is this possible?…’Why did Hashem take him so suddenly?’  The most famous question of the perplexed is: ‘What about the Holocaust…?’

People forget that this world is a place of temporary significance at best, where a soul assumes a bodily form to perform a mission and achieve a needed tikkun.  But, if they’d remember that the life and health of the soul is our primary concern — and not the body — then their questions would fall by the wayside.” ~ The Garden of Emuna

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