Introduction to Jewish Meditation

The following course was delivered to Post-high school Yeshiva students.

Types of meditation introduced in this course:

1. Introduction - Relaxation of body and mind.

2. Mindfulness - Learning to be aware non-judgmentally and dispassionately of body, feelings, thoughts, and environment. See the work of Dr. Jon Kabbat-Zinn

3. Dis-identification/Identification - Learning to not identify with the body, feelings and thoughts and identifying with the inner "I." See the work of Dr. Roberto Assagioli. 

4. Identification - Learning to discover the inner "I" and, therefore, Will, through Tai Chi and meditative movements (shuckuling).

5. Guided visualization - Learning to see one's self in a more objective way through visualizing one's self from above and in the context of the universe. See the work of R. Menachem Ekstein

6. Guided visualization - Learning to develop and expand the imagination and, therefore, emotions through visualizing new experiences. See the work of R. Menachem Ekstein.

7. The art of amazement - Learning to fully experience emotions while listening to music or eating an orange. See the work of R. Alexander Seinfeld.

8. Mussar exercise - Learning to chant and be emotionally impacted by a pasuk or saying from Chazal. See the work of R. Tzvi Miller and Alan Morinis.

9. Hisbodenus/Contemplation - Learning to think in learning (especially gemara) in a mediative state. See Alter of Kelm and the writings of Chabad. 

10. Hisbodedus/Personal prayer - Learning to talk to G-d in your own words in a natural setting. Includes singing (kumsitz). See R. Avraham b. ha'Rambam (Hamaspik l'ovdei Hashem) and Rebbe Nachman.

11. Tefillah/Communal prayer - Learning to prayer the formalized prayers with consciousness of one's self in the presence of G-d, slowly with contemplation on words, visualizations,  meditative head and body movements and song.

Recommended Resources

Apatow, Avraham Chaim 

       -http://torahandmeditation.weebly.com/

  Bergman, R. Ozer

      -Where Earth Meets Heaven: A Guide to Rebbe Nachman's Path of Meditation

 Brody, R. Lazer

      -In Forest Fields: A Guide to Personal Prayer

 Ekstein, R. Menachem

     -Visions of a Compassionate World (translation)

Ginsburgh, R. Yitzchak

      -Living in Divine Space: Kabbalah and meditation.

 Kaplan, R. Aryeh

      -Jewish Meditation, 

      -Meditation and Kabbalah

      -Meditation and the Bible

     -Outpouring of the Soul: Rebbe Nachman's Path in Meditation

 Locks,Gil 

     -Taming the Raging Mind

 Millhauser, Miriam

     -Inner Torah: Where Consciousness and Kedusha Meet

    -Practical Inner Torah: A Guide to Going Within

    - The Breath and Body of Inner Torah

Seinfeld, R. Alexander  

     -The Art of Amazement

 Sutton, R. Avraham

     -Reawakening Spiritual Awareness

 Svirsky, R. Efim 

    -Connection :Emotional and Spiritual Growth Through Experiences God's Presence

Thoughts on Shviras Haluchos

On 17 of Tamuz the luchos were broken, and the days of our aveilus begin. Midrash Tanchuma says that the luchos were very heavy, but they carried themselves. When M”R saw what was happening, the osiyos flew up to Shomayim, and the weight was too much and M”R dropped them. First of all it’s interesting that the osiyos flew up not when the Jews started worshipping the egel but when M”R realized this. See an amazing connection between M”R and the Torah.
But the main point is that the body of Torah (the laws of the Torah) is by itself very heavy. Everywhere you turn, Halacha is there. Nevertheless there is the hashkafas haTorah, the osiyos, which make the guf haTorah very light. But when those osiyos are gone, the guf haTorah becomes very heavy, and at some point there is a shvirah. M”R saw that there was a corruption in the nishmas haumah – three aveiros chamuros were in the hearts of the people, and the egel was used to engage in their hidden desire. For such people the guf of the Halacha was too much.
Sefer Hatodaah also quotes a Yalkut Shimoni that says that when the Zkeinim saw that M”R was about to destroy the luchos, they tried to stop him, and they wrestled with him for it. Chazal say that his koach was greater than theirs. Nevertheless he overcame them only after the osiyos flew up. Why not immediately? Maybe because he represented the nishmas haTorah and they represented agents of guf haTorah since they were responsible of actualizing the Torah. He wanted to show them that when the ruach is gone, there is no guf either.
Chazal tell us that when the ruchani Beis Hamikdosh was destroyed, at that very moment the physical lost its koach as well, and it was a matter of time until it would fall apart.
We spoke at a different time that Hashkafa is represented by strength while Halacha is represented by a sword. A spirit is the strength with which a sword will be wielded, but without strength the sword is a burden. When the bird forgets that wings are for flying and it tries to run with them, they just slow her down.
These three weeks are a time to understand the importance of ruchniyus. It’s a time to examine how we unify the ruach haTorah and the guf haTorah.

Thoughts on Avodas Hashem

It is so easy to lose direction. Totally and absolutely lose our way. A little loss of focus leads to a millimeter-worth of richuk, completely unobservable to a naked eye, only discernible to the most sensitive and most focused individuals. Then another millimeter, and then a whole centimeter. Before a person knows it, he finds himself so far away. The changes are first pnimi. B’chetzonius, very little, if any, change can be perceived. The rot starts in the most hidden recesses of an eved’s being.
It starts with thoughts. A thought enters the mind, an inappropriate thought. Not necessarily an issur, but not a thought that in any way leads to avodas Hashem. It’s an interruption, nevertheless. A fleeting thought is not per se the end of the world. Doesn’t the Gemara tell us that bad thoughts simply can’t be escaped. Granted, long term, as a person works on himself, the nature, frequency, and intensity of these thoughts changes, but on the micro level, they can’t be escaped. The question is what is done with this thought. The problem is the holding on to the thought, engaging in the thought, cherishing the thought, expanding the thought, saving the thought for a later time. The thought begins to grow, gain power and momentum, and in the most inopportune time it comes to us, disturbing the most powerful elements of our avodas Hashem.
At this point, we have already let it go to far. We must use all of the tools that our Sages have provided for us in order to “abort” this process before it proceeds too far. If we do this early enough, little damage is done, and we will have actually grown from this stealthy attack of our yetzer.
Unfortunately, we sometimes let it go. We have this gnawing feeling that things are not b’seder, but we are too caught up with all kinds of engagements, maybe even good engagements. Rav Tzadok begins Resisei Layla defining this world as a place of hiluch, a place of tirda, with only death bringing rest. Nach nafshei.
We forget that lo b’raash Hu, but in a kol dmama v’daka. In that nekuda pnimis without which, as the Gerer Rebbi said, the Satan is ok with all of our Torah and mitzvos. Without this kol, kol hayotze from Har Chorev that is so hard to hear, we along with our Torah and mitzvos are pgarim meisim, ch”v. We feel like the state described in Orot Hatshuva 3, in an arid desert, in chains. Our feelings are crude, our thoughts lowly. We know that Hashem is not within us – which is the greatest chet of all. We don’t even have the koach to cry out – it somehow gets stuck in our throats. Even crying is denied to us. This is our 9th of Av, an absolute churban of ruchniyus of our Judaism, which leads to the inevitable crumbling of the gashmiyus of our Judaism.
We praise Hashem as a mechayei meisim. We are these corpses, and our bones are very dry. We are the ones who ask hopelessly, cynically, “Can these bones possibly live?” It takes tchiyas hameisim, the keys of which have been given to no man, to bring us back to life, to real life of v’atem hadveikim kulchem chayim hayom. We dream for our Elul, thirst for our Rosh Hashana, envisage our Yom Kippur, dream to sit in the bitachon safety of our sukah. The fire of our Chanukah will light up the darkness, and the simcha of Purim will show the true meaning of ein simcha k’hataras hasfeikos. Then comes cheirus, the cheirus of Pesach, Alma Decherusa, Alma Detshuvah. Then, and only then, we finally find our chelek in Torah, our personal chelek. His Torah, our Torah – Toras Hashem and Toraso. We still pray for the dry bones to live…

Being vs Becoming

My apologies for being absent in the recent blog discussions. Yasher koach to all the contributors.

I used to believe that Chassidus’s main emphasis was on “being” and Mussar’s on “becoming.” By “being” am I referring to shedding one’s outer klipos and embracing the inner self as it is (call it the neshama if you would like). By “becoming” I mean looking towards the future, towards the development of potential, towards what could be. I have come to realize that this divide between Chassidus and Mussar does not exist; both approaches must embrace both concepts necessarily.

It seems that there are times when we must let ourselves simply be, and sit with who we are with a mindset of self-acceptance. However, remaining in this state for too long can lead one to complacency, that I am who I am and that is all I need to be. By contrast, there are times when we must focus on becoming, that the current state simply is not enough. However, an over-emphasis here can become reminiscent of a knight in full armor running forward into battle, completely unaware of where his enemy lies. It is a focus on moving forward without the insight of who is doing the moving. We must push ourselves, but we must make sure it is ourselves that we are pushing.

Indeed, the risk of falling off this tightrope in either direction is frightening. I would like to develop this idea further with the vaad. Comments are welcome.

Bein Hameitzarim Avodah

We have now entered a period of unique avodas Hashem. We face an opportunity to harvest tremendous peiros, but it's an avodah that is very complicated. For the next few weeks I hope to post various thoughts about this time period and the avodah lemaaseh that accompanies it. I invite all of the contributors to the blog to write their own pieces as well as to comment on each others ideas. I hope to hear from all of you.

Not Letting Others Bring Us Down

After David slays Goliyat, Shaul inquires who this lad is (Shmuel 1:17:58). Malbim explains that it is clear that Shaul Hamelech knows David since the previous chapter had informed us that David would play music to diminish Shaul’s depression. Nevertheless, David has undergone such a profound change that he is not recognizable as the same person.
This must have been a bitter moment for Shaul Hamelech. He himself had undergone the same change when he had become a navi, but now Shaul was filled with ruach raah which had led to his spiritual downfall. To see David on the rise must have saddened, aggravated, and angered him greatly. This may have been the nekuda that exacerbated the comments of the women that Shaul killed thousands and David killed tens of thousands.
An eved Hashem must stand on guard against this phenomenon. When someone experiences intense aliyah in avodas Hashem, inevitably, at some point, he will experience a major yerida. During this yerida the world appears so dark, so hopeless. He begins to automatically respond with cynicism or worse to any aliya that he witnesses, especially in others, especially when the aliya is reminiscent of his personal aliya. Don’t be naïve...be realistic...come back to earth.
May we never lower others with our embittered nor allow the fallen ones to bring us down.

וירא שאול מלפני דוד כי היה יהוה עמו ומעם שאול סר. ויהי דוד לכל דרכיו משכיל ויהוה עמו. וירא שאול אשר הוא משכיל מאד ויגר מפניו. (שמואל א פרק יח:יב,יד,טו)

Growing Despite the Physical – Growing Despite the Yeush

One of the signs that Shmuel provides for Shaul as a proof that Shaul has been Divinely-ordained to serve as the king of the Jewish people is Shaul’s sudden transformation into a navi. The bystanders are apparently shocked by this development, which gives rise to an expression הגם שאול בנבאים (Shmuel 1 10:1-12).
Shaul Hamelech is granted nevuah one more time, in the end of his life, during his final attempt to capture and destroy the future King David. Once again the people express their surprise at Shaul’s prophetic ability, הגם שאול בנביאים (Shmuel 1 19:24).
It may be that the first time, their surprise was similar to that of Reish Lakish upon discovery that what appeared at first as a beautiful young woman in reality turned out to be R’ Yochanan, the great Amora. How could such physical beauty be associated with such lofty ruchniyus, wondered Reish Lakish? People who are physically beautiful are more likely to be attached to gashmiyus. They are presented with more opportunities to engage in the carnal. The world beckons them. We are told that Shaul is very tall and distinguished. The people were thus surprised that he was able to reach the high madreiga of nevua, which required a major break with gashmiyus.
The second time around, their surprise was for a different reason. Shaul Hamelech was punished with ruach raah. Malbim explains that this was created by the fact that he had ruach Hashem that had left. The vacuum from kdusha itself creates that ruach raah. This person is filled with bitterness, darkness.
When a person never reached a high madreiga, for him to reach it is not as difficult of an endeavor as someone who was so high who had fallen so low. The people were surprised that Shaul Hamelech, an individual who had experienced such am incredible spiritual fall, could still attain the simcha and shleimus of prophecy. It was a true miracle.

Tools of Mussar - Hispaalus II

One way to practice mussar is to focus on one trait for a period of time. During this time you can pick one pasuk or ma'amar chazal to think about, to repeat over and over. Here is an example of Hispaalus based on Tehillim 134:2 (thanks to R. Zvi Miller for pointing to this pasuk):   שאו ידכם קדש וברכו את ה

שאו - Lift up, rise above your self-imposed limitations, above petty physicality, higher than the mundane world and the crass.

ידכם - Your hands which represent all of your actions in this world.* Your interactions with people, your involvement in the physical aspects of life. Every glance, every step, word...

קדש - Devote everything, your entire life, to transcedance, to the highest ideals, to holiness.

וברכו - And through this devotion draw down blessing to yourself and to the world.** Enrich the lives of others. Touch another person's soul with a smile. Spread the spirituality which you have merited to taste.

את ה- Your actions will bless the Eternal G-d of Love and Compassion. Transcendence breeds love. Every interaction will be surrounded with an aura of compassion and wisdom.

Below are two audio recordings of hispaalus on this pasuk:

Hispaalus 1
Hispaalus 2

* R. Hirsch on Shemos 30:18 writes regarding the כיור "The ministering priests themselves are continiously reminded that they do not enter the Sanctuary on behalf of the nation on the grounds that their 'doings and goinds' (יד ורגל) in their ordinary life are already sufficiently sanctified to justify their position...This symbolic nature of the priesthood is bestowed on the whole of the rest of their bodies by being clothes in their priestly garments. Only their hands and feet - the principle means of their doings and endeavours - remain unclothed. For these, comes the washing out of the basin." On Shemot 38:8 R. Hirsch continues "It is deeply significant that the vessel [כיור] which was to represent 'the moral keeping holy of one's acts and efforts, קידוש ידים ורגלים, was made out of women's mirros. Mirrors are articles which lay stress on the physical bodily appearance of people being an objection of special consideration. So that it was shown that the physical sensual side of human beings is not merely not exluded from the sphere which is to bsanctified by the Mikdosh, but that it is the first and most essential objection of this sanctification." R. Kook (Eyn Ayah) also views the washing of hands after the meal as an attempt to cleanse ourselves from excessive focus on the self which is often an outcome of eating. Symbolically, we wash the melach sedomis - the salt of Sedom, a place defined by selfishness - off our hands.
** For a new-age twist to this I found that raising my hands during the first part of the pasuk and lowering them down during the second part added an extra dimension to this meditation.

Tools of Mussar - Hispaalus I

R. Yisrael taught that preaching to one's self what is right or wrong is not sufficient for personal transformation. Intellectual awareness,[i] and even meditation, [ii] is only the first step but Man must be confronted at all levels of his being. Thus, the way of mussar is to engage the heart. Therefore, R. Yisrael’s method of hispaalus is to learn mussar with excitement and passion.

In Telz the theory was the same but their method was different. R. Yosef Leib Bloch advocated a calmer emotional arousal. He writes:

“A person should not force himself to learn with enthusiasm. He should not try to coerce his thoughts and energies towards this, because this way is unnatural. Furthermore, when someone "pulls" the enthusiasm forcibly ... he won't succeed, because the other forces and emotions which reside within him won't let one of the forces loose to be aroused and exalted by itself; they won't leave it alone. At this time - more than any other - the yetzer (impulse) that disturbs and hinders thought, stands vigilantly on guard so as not to allow the exalted emotion in man to achieve the pure, inner arousal which this sacred study ought to bring.

“So it is: man does not have the power to arouse his good feelings by forcing his nature; he cannot detach and hold the feeling of enthusiasm and excitement just in order to learn Mussar; he cannot push away at that time all that lives within him, to drive the yetzer from his heart...

“But rather this is the way to learn Mussar: The whole man, with all of his capacities and feelings, the man -as he is - should learn Mussar. He begins to learn calmly and patiently, with a sweet voice and profound observation; he hears every word he utters, examines it and feels it. The study, together with the pleasant and stimulating melody, energizes and brings the whole man to heartfelt inner enthusiasm... Then the whole man becomes exalted - his whole essence, the man with everything in him...”[iii]

In a different place[iv] R. Bloch expands on this approach:

“The most subtle impressions on a person, even if they are hidden from him, are very important…The goal is achieved specifically through these things which do not inspire much emotional arousal (hispaalus) and remain as subtle impressions since these reach to the most subtle “veins” of the soul and arouse them. When we do things more impactful and more identifiable – even when it seems to us that they make a great impression on the person and brings him to great inspiration and emotion – they do not, in truth, make such a great impression. This is because they make an great external impression which first moves the most petty aspects (kochos) of a person, then the impression fills the rest of the person, until the impression does not reach the higher and more subtle aspects of the person.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[i] See R. Kook, Mussar Avicha, for a criticism of hispaalus.
[ii] See Ramchal, Derech Eitz Chayim concerning the power of hisbonenus.
[iii] Shiurei Da’as, Limmud ha’Mussar.
[iv] Shiure Da’as, Nishmas ha’Torah.

Yir'as Shomayim

I just gave a shiur on Yir'as Shomayim. Since we have been discussing this topic, I would like to quickly mention the definition that I suggested (if anyone is interested in my mareh mekomos, I am happy to send them to you). Yir'as Shomayim is the perspective, both viz-a-viz oneself and the world, that Hashem is the Master of the World, that there is a particular order in the world, and that I can't act in a hefker way, rather only within the confines of that Divine order.
Nothing profound.

System for Learning Machshava

I was recently asked by a chaver a question that I have thought about on and off for a number of years - what is the best way of learning machshava. Should a person learn certain seforim, and if so, in what order? Should a person focus on topics? I would like present this question for discussion.
Since this question can be asked in different ways, let me define the parameters a little. Let's say that we are talking about a self-motivated person, in very late teens or early twenties, with some mastery of the Hebrew language, without much formal training in Jewish thought (besides basic knowledge).

Inner Goodness Part 2 - Connectedness

When we look at a soul, what do we see? Perhaps the more important question isn’t ‘what do we see’, because we are certainly not looking for an item with form, but rather ‘how does it act’? The Maharal explains that the natures of gashmius and ruchnius are exactly opposite one another. Gashmius is limited to its own finite borders, whereas ruchnius looks to spread and connect to other ruchani entities. In other words, by its nature, ruchnius looks to unite with ruchnius.

Let us add to this notion. One of the laws of ‘spiritual physics’ is that when a soul reaches out in an attempt to connect, it creates a magnetic pull whereby the recipient of this bid will experience a tug in his soul to come closer as well. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 1:12) shows us an example of H”kbh Himself modeling this for us, “They [the leviim] brought themselves closer to me…they brought me close [to them].” This may also be the yesod that Aharon HaKohen understood and acted with when iniatiing peace between enemies (see Rabbeinu Yonah on Avos 1:12).

At man’s core he is a spiritual creature with a burning desire to experience the taanug of connection. This connection is meant to take place in three ways – to G-d, to other man, to himself. When all the klipos are stripped away and a soul is given the opportunity to shine, this is the nature that will emerge.

Amazing source about Talmud Torah

Rav David quoted the following Menorat Hameor to the Yeshiva:


ספר מנורת המאור - אות [ריג]
והתורה שלומד ומלמד בעולם הזה מבכה עליו, כדגרסינן במדרש תנחומא: מעשה בחסיד אחד שהיה מתיחד במקום אחד והיה למד בו במסכת חגיגה. והיה מהפך בה ומהדרה כמה פעמים, עד שלמד אותה היטב והיתה שגורה בפיו ולא היה יודע מסכתא אחרת מן התלמוד והיה שוגה בה כל ימיו. כיון שנפטר מן העולם, היה בביתו לבדו ולא היה שום אדם יודע פטירתו. באה דמות אשה אחת ועמדה לפניו והרימה קולה בבכי ומספד ותרבה אנחתה וצעקתה, עד אשר נתקבצו ההמון ותאמר להם:
ספדו לחסיד הזה וקברוהו וכבדו את ארונו ותזכו לחיי העולם הבא, שזה כבדני כל ימיו ולא הייתי עזובה ולא שכוחה. מיד נתקבצו כל הנשים וישבו עמה ועשו עליו מספד גדול ועצום והאנשים התעסקו בתכריכיו וכל צרכי קבורתו וקברו אותו בכבוד גדול. ואותה אשה בוכה וצועקת. אמרו לה: מה שמך: אמרה להם: חגיגה שמי. כיון שנקבר אותו חסיד נעלמה אותה האשה מן העין. מיד ידעו שמסכת חגיגה היתה, שנראית להם בצורת אשה ובאה בשעת פטירתו לספד לו ולבכותו ולקברו בכבוד, על שהיה שונה אותה תמיד ושוקד ללמד בה. והלא דברים קל וחמר: ומה חסיד זה שלא למד אלא מסכתא אחת בלבד, כך, הלומד תורה הרבה ומלמדה לאחרים ומעמיד תלמידים הרבה על אחת כמה וכמה:

Rav David asked who is going to accompany us on our last journey.

Yiras Shamayim Part 1

The Rambam in hilchos teshuva chapter 5 explains that through the use of knowledge, one will come to the conclusion that we have bechira, it is not somthing that chazal needed to teach us. However, regarding Yiras Shamayim, one may have thought otherwise. Chazal is therefore teaching us a chiddush when they said that we are in control of Yiras Shamayim.

Yona asked what about the end of the pasuk, loving Hashem? If we are to understand that Yiras Shamayim is the only thing which is in our control, then Ahavas Hashem is not. When it comes to loving Hashem, one can have all the proper thoughts and do the right actions but whether or not one will feel of love, is b'yiday shamayim. However, this is not the case with yiras shamayim.

הערה on עולם הבא (Corrected and Expanded)

Chazal teach us that the righteous experience rest in neither this world nor the next. While the concept of continual growth and קירבה are incredible, the עצלן within never allowed me to fully appreciate this idea, how could eternity be without rest, how could we strive for an existence of perpetual toil? I believe the question stemmed from my own קטנות. I would like to suggest the following מהלך: There are two components to our growth in life, our battle to be בוחר בטוב and the deep סיפוק which that בחירה produces. Our עבודה is constantly met with opposition, thus in order for us to grow, we must constantly overcome the desire to wave the white flag and become one of the המון עם. Rav Wholbe zt"l explains that the כח המשיכה is unique to mans יצר, we are pulled after our תאוות for the physical while our עבודה in the spiritual realm, despite the deep pleasure which ensues, posses no such pull (עיין עלי שור ח"ב שני היצרים ). Thus, so long as man lives, his growth is frought with difficulty, regardless of the lofty מדרגות he's reached (עיין חובות הלבבות שער עבודת הא-לקים). However,the nature of my question stemmed from an error in a most fundamental point. Our world is unique in that it contains both the physical and spiritual dimensions, two opposites which are miraculously able to coexist in one human body (עיין עלי שור ח"ב כחם של מעשים). Yet, it is that very element of physicality which creates friction when attempting to reach שלמות, while the סיפוק is a product of the spiritual dimension of man. It follows that in a reality which consists of the spiritual alone, the consequence of עבודה will be pure סיפוק, pure קירבת ד' יתברך. In the עולם האמת there is no physical גוף, thus there is no pull to be בוחר ברע, consequently our growth is without struggle. The Malbim, in his commentary on שיר השירים writes, that our difficulty in being משיג חכמה lies in the מחיצה which the גוף erects between our נשמה and the בורא עולם, yet if the soul were to exist independent of the body, everything would easily flow in.

Inner Goodness - Lag Ba'Omer

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai revealed to us that when all the outer layers of Torah are peeled back, what emerges is one basic yesod: H”kbh’s deep, profound ahava for Clal Yisrael (The Zohar writes that were a person to be aware of H”kbh’s great love for him, he would have no choice but to run towards H”kbh with open arms. Any other response would be impossible). All of Torah flows from this root. As Rav Miller once explained to me, this is the fundamental teaching of all of Toras HaSod.

This paradigm is true of people as well. If we can find a way to peel back all the outer layers of a person, to navigate through the intricate web of features that have accumulated closer to the surface, we will discover an inner, vibrant self that is an inexhaustible fountain of love. We catch a small glimpse of this love as we see it manifested in those who appreciate the fire of Lag Ba’Omer, a day when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai penetrated deeply into himself in order to link his loving soul with the source of all love, Avinu Shebashamayim (a title we have from the teachings of his rebbe, R’ Akiva, Yuma 85b).

In the coming days and weeks, I would like to explore this inner goodness/love and a possible way to find it within ourselves.

Yiras Shamayim Intro

R' Reuven Leuchter gives a weekly Vaad on Yiras Shamayim. I will post my notes on the vaad each week. When R' Leuchter asks a question in Vaad I will post the question and then the answer in one of the following posts. Please feel free to post your thoughts on the question or anything in general about the vaad.
In contrast to past generations, taavos are pursued as a way of life. western culture is such that those who are brought up with in it are encouraged to go after desires without any hesitance. In addition, yiras haonesh is something which we can not easily relate to. Although we may try and live cut off from these bad influences, they are in the air which we breath. Due to our lack of natural hesitance towards going after our desires and our difficulty relating to onesh, working on yiras shamayim must take a different approach from one which may have been taken in the past generation. We will start with a source from the torah on yiras shamayim. "And now Israel, what does G-d want of you? Only that you fear G-d your Lord" (Deuteronomy 10:12) from here chazal learn "All is in the hands of heaven except for the fear of heaven"(berachos 33b) Why is specifically Yiras Shamayim mentioned? Why not Bechira?

Different Drochim in Judaism

I have a friend who tenaciously defends different drachim in Yiddishkeit, although they greater differ from the derech that he has chosen. I asked him about why he so passionately defends those drochim. He answered me the following:

"I have thought about why I feel so passionately about defending different drachim of Judaism. I think (and I hope that I am being honest with myself) that there are two primary reasons. Firstly, I think that it’s important that all drachim that lead to Hashem, even if do so imperfectly, as long as they lead in the right direction, should exist in the world. There are many ways how Hashem is revealed in the world. Secondly, lemaaseh, these drachim should be available to people who would gain from them. If a certain person needs a certain derech, and other drochim don’t work for him, how can we not be pained that the derech that would lead him to Hashem is not available to him!?!
I understand that these statements need to be refined before they can be used for hadracha maasit, and certainly not every derech is legitimate. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that what I wrote is the truth."

Simplicity and Complexity Part 3

עיין דברים הנפלאים של Bilvavi in Simplicity Before and After Complexity

Simplicity and Complexity Part 2

What is desired of man given the reality in which he finds himself? How does one approach his own complexity? Should one simply ignore the philosophical dilemmas which have developed in his mind? Is there any purpose in delving into the depths of life and the myriad questions which accompany our journey through it? After all, we do have 13 principals of faith and we may rest assure that they are absolute truth, so why not forgo the complexity and concentrate solely on retaining our childhood simplicity, refusing to let it out of our grasp despite the expansion of the intellect? Yet, perhaps it would be more beneficial for man to divorce himself entirely from his simplistic mode of thought, letting go of the pure assumptions which he held so dear as a child, allowing his belief system to accept and internalize only that which has undergone the scrutiny of his newfound intellect.

I do not believe that either of these approaches to intellectual maturation is the appropriate one. As with anything and everything in life a balance need be found, a balance which allows for the truth of our simplicity to remain while granting the intellect permission to expand the implication of that truth, thereby deepening our understanding and ultimately our experience.