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The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
Hana Bat Haim
Just as it is not permissible to offer up upon the earthly altar any but the cleanest flour, sifted through thirteen sieves (Menachot 76b), and therefore entirely free of any impurity, so is it impossible to offer up upon the Heavenly altar any but the choicest of actions, entirely free of imperfections, so that they will be accepted as representing perfect, choice, Divine service.
This is what King David said, "Your word is very pure and Your servant loves it" (Psalms 119:114). The fact of the matter is that true Divine service must be far purer than gold and silver, as David says about the Torah, "The words of God are pure words, silver purified in a crucible upon the earth, refined seven times" (ibid. 12:7). The words of the Torah are purified and refined, and so should be Divine service, pure and refined of any ulterior motive.
Pathways in Personality Development (52)
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed
29 - 29. Abstinence Leads to Purity
30 - 30. Proper Intention When Serving God
31 - 31. The Service of the Pious
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Our sages said, "Do things for the sake of their Creator and speak about them for their own sake," for when a person performs the commandments for the sake of Heaven and learns Torah for its own sake he ascends to the level of the Torah and is strengthened through it. He nullifies himself before the Torah and becomes filled with all of its virtues. This idea is expressed by the sages of the Mishnah: "Whoever learns Torah for its own sake merits many thing" (Avot).
How can a person even imagine studying God's Torah for ulterior motives, to use the Torah for some base personal goal, for personal gain, honor, etc? It is obvious that in order to purify the heart completely considerable spiritual refinement must be achieved. This comes through profound contemplation of the gravity of serving God. Before performing any commandment or studying Torah one must stop and consider what it is he is about to do and before Whom he is doing it.
One must also be aware of the negative effects and baseness of external distractions and alien thoughts. One must realize the degree to which selfish intentions devalue a persons actions and study. The deeper and more thorough this awareness, the more it allows a person to serve God in purity and with all of one's heart.
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Some of the material in the above article was taken from or based upon "The Path of the Just" (Feldheim), a translation of Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzatto's "Mesillat Yesharim."
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Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
