Great Throughts Treasury

"Be careful to act with true innocence and simplicity but not foolishly. Sophistication, however, is quite unnecessary. Simplicity, innocence and faith can bring you to the highest level of joy."

"Be careful not to swallow your food in a hurry. Eat at a moderate pace, calmly and with the same table manners that you would show if an important guest were present. You should always eat in this manner, even when you are alone."

"Be sure to offer your prayers in a state of joy and with a happy tune. Put yourself in a cheerful mood before you start your prayers. Seek out your good points, using them to bring joy to your prayers. The main thing is truth. You may encounter all kinds of distractions when you want to pray, but hold on to truth. No matter what your level, you can speak the simple truth in your prayers. Take this advice to heart and you will certainly be worthy of true prayer."

"Be very eager to serve God. Do as much as you can every day and every moment. The main thing is practical action. Study as much as you can. Carry out many mitzvot. Spend a lot of time praying and pouring out your heart to God. Do as much as you possibly can. Even so, do not allow yourself to be rushed on account of the many devotions you may encounter in Torah literature. Maybe you wonder, "When will I be able to practice even one of these devotions, let alone all of them?" Don't allow such thoughts to frustrate you. It is no good to rush and try to achieve everything at once. Go forward steadily, step by step. If you are overhasty, trying to grasp everything at once, you may become totally confused, like when a house burns down and people snatch the most worthless items in their panic. Go forward steadily, one step at a time. If you are unable to do everything, that is not your fault. God exempts those under duress."

"Be totally honest when you speak to God. Accustom yourself to talking so honestly that your heart is aroused and the words start pouring forth with fire and passion. As you draw closer to God you will see your own smallness and insignificance in comparison with His greatness, and you will be filled with humility. Until now you cast your sins behind your back and ignored them. But as you start to acknowledge them frankly, you will feel deep shame at having rebelled against the Master and Ruler of the Universe, Source of all the worlds. At first this humility will not actually be discernible on your face, because sin weakens a person's mental powers, preventing them from radiating on the face. Before repenting, his mind is so weakened that he has no conception of the true gravity of sin and the greatness of the One he sinned against. But as he returns to God and puts aside his folly, gaining wisdom and understanding, his shame becomes increasingly visible on his face."

"Be courageous! Don't lose heart. Make a start even if at first things seem heavy, forced and difficult. If you are determined enough, you will find that they will become easier and that you can accomplish what you must in God's service."

"Believe in something. It is better to be a fool who believes in everything than to be so clever that you do not believe in anything. If you believe in everything, some of your beliefs may be foolish but you will also believe in the truth. However, when a person is too clever and does not want to believe in anything, he may begin by ridiculing falsehood and folly but can easily end up so skeptical of everything that he even denies the truth."

"Being gloomy and depressed is like being angry with God for not satisfying one's desires. But someone with a broken heart is like a small child pleading with his father or crying out and complaining to him for being distant."

"Before a person returns to God, he has no being. It is as if he has not yet been created, because it would have been better for him not to have been created at all. But when he purifies himself in order to return to God, he puts himself in order and prepares to become a being. This element of preparation for becoming - coming into being, as it were - explains why the Divine Name associated with repentance is Ehyeh, "I shall be"."

"But finding your good points can give you new life. Even if you know you have done wrong and caused damage and that you are far from God, you must search until you find the good that is still inside you. This will give you new life and make you truly happy. You are certainly entitled to feel the greatest joy over every good point you find in yourself, because each good point comes from the holy soul within you. The new life and joy you will gain from this path will enable you to pray, sing and give thanks to God."

"But from where does one receive the life spirit? Know that we receive the essential life spirit from the Tzaddik and leader of the generation. This is because the main life spirit is in the Torah, for "the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2) and the "waters" are the Torah. Since the Tzaddkim are attached to the Torah, therefore the main life spirit is with them. When one who is attached to the Tzaddik and leader of the generation takes a long, deep sigh, he draws life spirit from the Tzaddik, who is attached to the Torah, where the spirit resides. Thus the Tzaddik is called "the man who has the spirit in him" (Numbers 27:18) - because he knows how to relate to each and everyone according to his spirit."

"But if you are careful not to speak against or find a flaw in any other Jew, the Torah will have no flaw or blemish. You will then be filled with great love of the Torah. Your love will be so great that you will want to study the Torah constantly. "God's Torah is perfect - it restores the soul" (Psalms 19:8). When people are careful not to speak against their fellow Jews or seek out their flaws, the Torah is perfect, with neither flaw nor blemish. And when "God's Torah is perfect, " then "it restores the soul. ""

"But know that sometimes a person journeys so far along those corrupt and devious paths that his very wandering brings him close to his original place and it only needs an easy test to bring him back to his starting point. But when God calls him and arranges the test, the person does not recognize the voice and feels no need to return. That is the difference between young and old people. One who is still young and has not grown old in his sins can return more easily, because he is still closer and has not forgotten the voice that calls. This is the meaning of the verse, "I have strayed like a lost sheep: seek out Your servant" (Psalms 119, 176). "I have strayed like a lost sheep": I have strayed from the good path like a lost sheep that has strayed from the road. This is why I beg of You: ".seek out Your servant, because I have not forgotten Your commandments". Hurry and search for me as long as I still remember the voice of the Torah and mitzvot. Hurry and search for me immediately, because I have not yet forgotten Your mitzvot: I still recognize the call of the mitzvot of the Torah. That is why I beg You to take pity on me and search me out quickly, as long as "I have not forgotten Your mitzvot" and still recognize the voice of the call of the Torah and the mitzvot."

"But be cautious when thinking about these things: you must stay within certain limits and not delve to excess, because otherwise it is possible to stray beyond the bounds of holiness. Flying off into speculation can be dangerous. Stay within the limits of human understanding and steadily expand your horizons without trying to step beyond your level, because "you may not investigate that which is too wondrous for you" (Chagigah 13a)."

"By discussing spiritual matters regularly with your friends you will all be able to benefit from each other's good points. This will enable you to break the "foreskin of the heart" - the lusts and desires that break a person's heart - so that you are filled with holy desire for God."

"But once the sheep strays far from the path, it forgets the shepherd's voice and no longer recognizes his call. The shepherd also gives up searching because the sheep has been lost for such a long time. Similarly, when a person has been going in the wrong direction for a long time, having strayed far from the true path into all those corrupt, devious and confusing pathways, it is hard for him to repent."

"But the truth has to be the complete truth: clean, clear and without blemish. Anyone with sense and understanding should pray all his days to be able to say one true word to God the way he should, even just once in his life. If you are trying to pray but cannot say a single word because you feel you have sunk in to confusion and darkness, try to say what you say with truth, even on the most elementary level. For example, say the words "God help me!" truthfully, even if you cannot say them with any real enthusiasm. Just say the words honestly in whatever way you can. With a true word you will be able to see the openings in the darkness and escape into the light so as to pray properly."

"Care for your physical body in order to give the body a share of the spiritual light attained by the soul."

"Charity given for the needy in Israel is greater than charity for causes outside the land. When you give charity for the land of Israel you are included in the air of the land of Israel, which is holy breath without the taint of sin."

"Charity is the remedy for all wounds."

"Charity saves from sin."

"Common sense is strengthened by joy."

"Dancing for joy over a mitzvah is a wonderful thing. There are times when it is a mitzvah to drink wine, as on Shabbat and festivals, or at weddings and other religious celebrations. If you drink on such occasions, do not drink to excess but in moderation. Your intention should be for the sake of Heaven, to experience the true joy of Israel, which is to rejoice in God, who chose us from all the nations."

"Don't let the blessing of a gentile be light in your eyes."

"Don't be old! True, there are pious, righteous elders. But to be old is not good. Stay young - renew yourself every day and make a fresh start."

"Don't say that "the pit and the grave will be your refuge" (Avot 4:22). In this world you have the burden of making a living and many other worries. You might get bitten by a flea, but you won't feel it because your thoughts are preoccupied with your livelihood and other concerns. In the grave, however, there are no other distractions. You can then hear even the sound of the maggots crawling towards you and feel the pain of their every bite, with nothing to distract your mind from this terrible suffering. God help us!"

"Don't follow excessive stringencies in your practice of the Torah. "God does not rule over His creatures with tyranny" (Avodah Zarah 3a) - "The Torah was not given to ministering angels" (Berachot 25b)."

"Depression can cause you to lose your money. Sadness can actually cause your facial features to distort. Sadness drives G-d away from us. No one likes being with a miserable person. It doesn't take long before his friends begin to actually despise him. Sadness invites disaster. The more time you spent wallowing in self-pity, the more you lay yourself open for even more trouble. Sadness and depression can often be overcome by going out and doing some kindness - by giving something of yourself to others."

"Each time a person emerges from one level in order to rise to the next, the unholy forces attack him again in the form of desires and fantasies, strange thoughts, mental confusion, distractions and all kinds of other obstacles. They stand in array against him, refusing to let him enter the gates of holiness."

"Each mitzvah that a person does in this world creates a lamp with which he can explore the treasure house of the King after he dies. This is the ultimate bliss of the life to come."

"Even if a person dies at the age of eighty, he may still have had a short life if he failed to improve himself and spent all his years on vain pursuits."

"Even if you are upset and unhappy, you can at least put on a happy front. At first you may not feel genuinely happy in your heart. Even so, if you act happy you will eventually attain true happiness and joy."

"Eat and drink beneath your means. Dress according to your means. But honour your wife and children beyond your means. The body must be perfected before the soul can be perfected."

"Even after all the wisdom and sophistication - even if you possess true wisdom - you must cast aside all wisdom and sophistication and serve God with complete innocence and simplicity, with no sophistication whatever. The greatest wisdom of all is not to be wise at all. The truth is that no- one in the world is wise, for "there is no wisdom and no understanding. before God" (Proverbs 21:30). The main thing God wants is the heart."

"Even if you can't sing well, sing. Sing to yourself. Sing in the privacy of your home. But sing."

"Even if you consider yourself a sinner, you must still keep firm and make every effort to pray. Tell yourself: Maybe I am far from God because of all my sins. Yet if so, there can be no perfect prayer without me. Didn't the Rabbis teach that "every prayer that does not include the sinners of Israel is not a true prayer" (Keritot 6a). This is because prayer is like an incense offering, and the Torah requires that the incense must contain galbanum even though, by itself, it has a foul smell. Therefore even though I consider myself a sinner, I am an essential ingredient in the prayers and the service cannot be complete without me. If I am a sinner, I must strengthen myself all the more to pray to God. I must have trust that in His mercy He will accept my prayer, since the perfection of the prayer depends on me - the galbanum in the incense. Just as the foul-smelling galbanum is a vital ingredient in the incense, so too my tainted prayer is a vital ingredient in the prayers of all Israel. Without it, they will not be complete."

"Even if you feel you have failed in some devotion or prayed without proper attention or fallen in some other way, you must still try to keep as strong as you can and make a whole new start. Act as if today you are only beginning to serve God. No matter how many times you fall, pick yourself up and start again. Do this over and over again. Otherwise you will never come close to God. Pull yourself to God with all your strength, regardless of whether you go up or down. No matter how low you fall, make a determined effort to yearn and long to draw closer to God. Cry out, pray and plead with God! Keep trying to do whatever you can to serve God with joy. Without this inner determination, you will never be able truly to approach God. Keep on trying and trying until you are unable to do anything but serve God at all times every day of your life, even without any guarantee of a reward. Sometimes you may think you are so far from God that you will have no reward in the world to come. Even so, you must be willing to serve Him as best as you can even without a reward. Even if you think you are bound to go to hell, you must still do your part in serving God as best as you can. Grab a mitzvah! Learn some Torah! Say a prayer. And God will do what is good in His eyes. It is impossible to come to true service of God without facing all these trials. Every time you fall, you must make a determined effort to pick yourself up and start all over again - even many times each day - until eventually you will advance steadily in God's ways. Amen."

"Even if you think you are crazy, if you want, you need not be crazy."

"Even if you feel you have failed to reach true holiness or devotion, you can still hope. And this way you can be "strong and courageous". No matter what happens, don't let anything discourage you. Be sure also to encourage your friends not to become disheartened, no matter what happens. You may be all too aware of your own failings, but this should not prevent you from encouraging others. It is easier to inspire others than to strengthen yourself, for "A prisoner cannot free himself" (Berachot 5b)."

"Even one who has sunk to the lowest level can always remind himself of God's presence if he speaks words of holiness: Torah and prayer. Regardless of his situation, he should try to speak words of Torah and prayer, meditate and speak to God, and he should discuss matters of faith with his teacher and friends. This way he will always be able to remind himself of God's presence regardless of how far he is from God, even if he falls to the "filthy places". His faculty of speech will not desert him, and he will never be able to forget God. Understand the tremendous power of speech. It can save you from destruction."

"Even when a person knows that he has repented completely, he must still make amends for his earlier repentance. For what he achieved then was good only in proportion to his perception of Godliness at the time. Now, after his repentance, his perception has undoubtedly been heightened. Compared with his present perception, his earlier perception turns out to have been grossly materialistic. He must therefore repent for his earlier levels - because he degraded the true exaltedness of the Creator to the level of the material. Happy is the man who achieves true Teshuvah."

"Every hour of the day, see that you extend and enrich that hour by filling it with extra holiness. Do the same every day of your life. Let each day be filled with more holiness than the day before. You will then be blessed with length of days."

"Every person has a "mazal" which can protect him from harm. Sadness brings bad mazal. Don't be a carrier of bad news if you can at all help it. Bad news only pulls you down. If you spread good news you will be clothed with the level of Elijah the Prophet. (Elijah is the ultimate carrier of good news. He will announce the arrival of Messiah.)"

"Every person changes the way the world is."

"Every person must minimize his own glory and maximize God's glory. For one who pursues glory attains not God's glory but only the glory of kings, of which it is said: "The glory of kings is subject to investigation" (Proverbs 25:2). For then everyone investigates who he really is, asking: "Who is he and what is he to be given such honor?" People challenge him, saying he is not fit for this honor. But when a person flees from honor, minimizing his own honor and maximizing the glory of God, he attains the glory of God. No-one then investigates to see if he deserves it, for "The glory of God is to hide the matter" (ibid.) - it is forbidden to question his honor."

"Every person must minimize his own honor and maximize God's honor. One who pursues worldly honor will not be worthy of experiencing God's glory. Even if he attains some worldly status, people will constantly look at him askance and want to know who he is that he should be accorded such respect. But one who flees from honor - minimizing his own honor and maximizing that of God - will attain God's glory."

"Everyone in the world is in pain and full of suffering: there is not a single person who really possesses this world. Even the highest and wealthiest have none of this world. All their days are pain and anger, and they endure constant worry, anxiety and sorrow, sighing and groaning... Each has his own private suffering. Not one of the very wealthy and privileged has everything exactly as he wants it at all times. They too are constantly full of pain and suffering, as everyone who knows them is fully aware. It may sometimes look as if a certain person has this world to perfection, enjoying all the pleasures of wealth, possessions, esteem, magnificent palaces, utensils, ornaments and royal treasures. Yet if you look carefully, you will find that he too constantly suffers all kinds of pain and vexation."

"Everybody wants to revere God's Name but not everyone is able to repent. Sometimes a person feels no arousal whatever. Even one who is aroused to repent may not reach his unique gate of Teshuvah, and even if he does, it could be that the gate is closed. This is why not everyone attains repentance. But through reciting Psalms, even one who feels no arousal can be inspired to repent. The Psalms can take him to his unique gate and open it up, thereby bringing him to Teshuvah. For this reason King David called himself "the man who raised the yoke... the sweet singer of Israel " (II Samuel 23:1). Our sages explain that David called himself "the man who raised the yoke" because he elevated the yoke of repentance through his own Teshuvah. David was a great Tzaddik and should not have sinned, but God caused him to sin in order to teach everyone the way of Teshuvah. King David was the prime exemplar of Teshuvah and his pathway is set forth in the Psalms, which he wrote with such a spirit of holiness that everyone can find himself in them and thereby return to God."

"Every Jew has his letter in the Torah. The 600,000 letters of the Torah correspond to the 600,000 souls of Israel. If there is a defect in a single Jew, it is also a blemish in the Torah, the root of all Jewish souls, and perfect love of the Torah becomes impossible."

"Everyone should make an effort to bring his friends to greater knowledge of God and fear of heaven, thereby making his friends his "students". This way, when his days are complete and his time comes to leave the world, he will be clothed in the words he spoke to his friends, and it will be as if he himself is literally still in this world."