Podcasts about mesilat yesharim

Before one learns Torah in the morning, he must first recite Birkot Ha'Torah. The Gemara cites different opinions as to which particular subjects within the broad corpus of Torah may not be studied before the recitation of Birkot Ha'Torah. Rav Huna maintained that only the study of Tanach requires Birkot Ha'Torah; in his view, one may study anything else before reciting Birkot Ha'Torah in the morning. Rabbi Elazar ruled that both Tanach and Midrash require Birkot Ha'Torah, because the Midrash explains the verses of the Tanach. The next opinion brought is that of Rabbi Yohanan, who held that even the study of Mishna must be preceded by Birkot Ha'Torah. However, Halacha follows the final view brought by the Gemara – that of Raba, who asserted that even Gemara requires Birkot Ha'Torah. Accordingly, the Rambam and Shulhan Aruch write that one must recite Birkot Ha'Torah before studying either Tanach or any part of Torah She'be'al Peh (the oral law). Although the Shulhan Aruch does not specify the study of Midrash, the Rama (Rav Moshe Isserles of Cracow, 1520-1572) adds that Midrash also requires the recitation of Birkot Ha'Torah. The Peri Hadash (Rav Hizkiya Da Silva, 1659-1698) writes that the Shulhan Aruch does not disagree with the Rama on this point, even though he did not specifically mention Midrash. The Aruch Ha'shulhan (Rav Yehiel Michel Epstein of Nevardok, 1829-1908) notes the possibility of restricting this requirement to areas related to Halacha. It is possible, he writes, that Birkot Ha'Torah is required only before the study of texts that form the basis of Halacha. The Sages infer Halachot from the verses, and these inferences and their applications are discussed, elucidated and debated in the Midrash, Mishna and Gemara – and it might be for this reason that these texts are specified as the material requiring Birkot Ha'Torah. If so, then one would be permitted to study non-halachic portions of the Torah – such as the stories in Midrashic texts, Aggadic portions of the Gemara, and Zohar – before reciting Birkot Ha'Torah in the morning. The Aruch Ha'shulhan remains uncertain about this matter. By contrast, the Kaf Ha'haim Sofer (Rav Yaakob Haim Sofer, Baghdad-Jerusalem, 1870-1939) writes that the study of the Zohar requires Birkot Ha'Torah. He does not explain the reason for this ruling, but we may presume that he equated the study of Zohar with the study of Gemara, and, moreover, we occasionally determine practical Halacha based on teachings in the Zohar. The final Halacha is that even the study of non-halachic texts such as the Midrash and Zohar requires Birkot Ha'Torah. The study of works of Mussar also requires Birkot Ha'Torah, because these works are based upon Torah sources. Texts such as Mesilat Yesharim and Michtab Me'Eliyahu, which guide and instruct how to live a religious life, are rooted entirely in Torah, and so they certainly qualify as parts of Torah requiring the recitation of Birkot Ha'Torah. This applies to works of Hassidic teachings, as well. In principle, biographies of Sadikim, or story books that tell about the lives of great Sages, may be read before Birkot Ha'Torah, because reading these stories – despite being very valuable – does not qualify as the study of Torah. In practice, however, books about great Rabbis almost invariably contain Torah insights which they taught, and so they require Birkot Ha'Torah. One is not required to recite Birkot Ha'Torah before studying general subjects, even those subjects which have great value and are important to learn. For example, one must study math in order to properly understand certain sections of the Gemara, such as those which deal with geometry (e.g. Sukka, Erubin and Kil'ayim). There are texts which address the dimensions and layout of the Bet Ha'mikdash which similarly cannot be understood without a background in mathematics. Scientific knowledge, too, is critically important for the understanding of certain sections of the Talmud – such as the Gemara's discussion about the volume of wine which a Nazir must drink to be liable for violating his vow, which touches upon the subject of volume displacement. This issue requires an understanding of how displacement works, and how the density of wine becomes a factor. One cannot understand the portions of the Talmud that deal with the Jewish calendar without basic knowledge of astronomy. An understanding of modern technology, too, is necessary for learning how Halacha applies in our time, and indeed, Hacham Ovadia Yosef studied the mechanics of boilers in order to determine the relevant Halachot. Nevertheless, the study of these subjects does not require Birkot Ha'Torah, since they are not actual Torah, but rather background information to help in the study of Torah. The Rambam writes that subjects such as mathematics and science are the "chefs" and "maidservants" of Torah, meaning, they are necessary for the understanding of Torah, but are not part of Torah. Therefore, one is not required to recite Birkot Ha'Torah before studying general subjects. Summary: One may not learn any Torah subject before reciting Birkot Ha'Torah in the morning. This includes Tanach, Midrash, Mishna, Gemara, Halachic texts, Zohar, Mussar and Hassidut. Biographies of Sadikim, too, require Birkot Ha'Torah since they usually incorporate Torah insights by the Sages whose lives and legacy they present. Birkot Ha'Torah is not required before the study of non-Torah subjects, even those which are necessary to learn to properly understand Torah.

Elul Introspection: Breaking Through Spiritual Plateaus Welcome to our special Elul series on C hovot HaLevavot**. In this 21st introspection, we'll explore how to overcome spiritual dead ends—those moments when you feel you can't grow or develop beyond your current level. The path to spiritual growth isn't always a smooth upward climb. Sometimes we hit a plateau, a point where our current efforts seem to yield no further progress. The key is to not give up. Here's a powerful framework for breaking through these barriers. The Power of Sincere Desire and Prayer First, you must sincerely desire to grow. As the author explains, the first step is to "yiksof lo bilvav" —to desire in your heart. Let the next step in your spiritual journey be on your "wish list," constantly on your mind. Next, and most importantly, ask God for help . Pray for the ability to understand and to act. When you consistently ask God for assistance, He will eventually fulfill your needs. He will "open up the gates of understanding" and strengthen you to do what was previously beyond your capacity. This concept is rooted in the verse from Isaiah 48:17 : "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you on the path you should take." This verse is the source for the famous statement in the Talmud: "On the path a person wants to go, they are led." If you take the initial step, God will guide you, revealing shortcuts and insights you never knew existed. Incremental Effort, Divine Assistance This principle applies not just to spiritual growth but to all areas of life, from crafts to academic study. A teacher of geometry, for example, starts with practical problems before moving to theory. As the student masters the basics and continues to strive, God reveals the deeper theoretical principles to them. This idea is highlighted by the Gemara in Bava Batra 12b which says, "A wise man is greater than a prophet." The author applies this to all wisdom, explaining that there's a level of "prophecy" in every discipline. When you push your abilities to the maximum, God grants you a deeper, intuitive understanding beyond what you learned. This is the essence of our entire spiritual service. The Chovot HaEivarim (external commandments) are meant to awaken the Chovot HaLevavot (internal commandments). Our physical actions have the power to arouse our hearts. The verse in Devarim 30:14 says, "For the matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it." This means that by doing God's will with our bodies, we will eventually be able to do it with our hearts. Since our natural human desires often create obstacles, it is through our dedicated physical efforts that God opens the gates to spiritual enlightenment. The author uses the analogy of a person planting trees. The farmer's job is to prepare the soil, water the saplings, and fertilize them. He does all he can and then relies on God to bring the fruit. You cannot neglect your responsibilities and expect a miracle. Similarly, in Avodat Hashem (service of God), if you make an earnest effort, God will grant you abilities far beyond your natural capacity. The Ladder of Spiritual Growth This concept also sheds light on the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot 4:9 : "One who fulfills the Torah in poverty will ultimately fulfill it in wealth." While this can mean a person who serves God with limited money will eventually be blessed with wealth, the author offers a deeper interpretation: One who starts with a "poverty of abilities" but makes a sincere effort, will ultimately be given a "wealth of abilities" by God. This is the entire premise of the Mesilat Yesharim's spiritual ladder, which progresses from Torah to Zehirot (diligence), to Zerizut (alacrity), and so on, ultimately reaching the level of prophecy. Each step is a prerequisite for the next, with God providing the help needed to ascend. The key takeaway is clear: God gives us help when we maximize our own abilities. If we ignore what we can do, we cannot expect divine assistance. As Rabbeinu Yonah writes in the beginning of Sha'arei Teshuvah , a person's effort leads to God giving them abilities beyond their natural ones. This is akin to God "circumcising your heart," removing the spiritual impediments that are too difficult for us to remove on our own—but only after we have done everything we can.

The Pasuk says in Parashat Re'eh: "וברכך ה' אלוקיך בכל אשר תעשה"-Hashem your G-d will bless you in everything you do. Our Rabbis learn from here our obligation to put in our Hishtadlut, our effort, to accomplish what we want. Along with this obligation comes a very big test that everyone faces on a daily basis- to be able to put in the effort, yet realize the whole time that Hashem is really the One getting everything done. Hashem wants the world to run בדרך הטבע , through nature, so in order to camouflage His presence, He makes it look like we are the ones accomplishing. But in truth, it is all Hashem. The Mesilat Yesharim calls our Hishtadlut a tax to pay. Once we have fulfilled the quota, Hashem sends His blessing down. Shlomo Hamelech summed it up in a Pasuk in Mishle: "סוס מוכן ליום מלחמה" We have to get the horse ready to go out and fight in battle. An army cannot go out to war expecting a miracle. Rabbenu Bachya says that if they do, they will lose. They have to make all of the necessary preparations to fight. But the Pasuk concludes: "לה' התשועה" The victory of the war is entirely in the hands of Hashem. The'בוטח בה- one who trusts in Hashem, knows that once he puts in his effort he can feel comfortable with the knowledge that he did his part. Then, whatever happens is the will of Hashem for his best. A person should never feel that his efforts were wasted , even if he didn't see his desired results. For example, a man worked on a sale for six weeks, and then it all fell through. His time was not wasted, he paid six weeks' worth of tax, and that opened the pipeline for Hashem to send blessing when He sees fit. If a person went to three doctors and didn't yet come up with a solution for his health issue, he didn't waste his time. He did his Hishtadlut, he paid his tax, and now he should feel great knowing that he did his part. If there is ever a situation where a reasonable Hishtadlut is not possible, then the person becomes exempt from Hishtadlut, and he can totally rely on Hashem. For example, if a person had an ailment, and tried one method to cure it, yet it didn't work, and then tried another, and a third, and still no results, and the doctors say that there is nothing else to try. At that moment, the person becomes exempt from Hishtadlut, and he can totally rely on Hashem for a cure. Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky, זכר צדיק לברכה, used to tell over the following story which happened to him. He was taken to Siberia against his will along with a group of people. They were told to remove their shoes, their jackets and their shirts. They had to walk on snow and ice for miles. The Rabbi had a condition from a very young age that he was very sensitive to the cold, and he would frequently get sick from being exposed to even moderately cold temperatures. His mother, he recalls, used to send him to school in many layers of clothing to protect him. He still had this condition now, and he knew that many people had died in Siberia from being exposed to the frigid temperatures. On his first walk on the ice, he turned to Hashem and said, "The Gemara tells us: '-הכל בידי שמים חוץ מצינים ופחים"Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for cold and hot," which means that if a person goes outside in the winter without a jacket and gets sick, he brought that upon himself. Hashem commanded us to guard our health; we are not allowed to act recklessly. The Rabbi continued. "When I had extra layers and jackets I put them on to protect myself. But now, I don't have that ability, so I am exempt from that obligation. All that is left is the בידי שמים part. Now Hashem, it is only in Your hands. Please, save me from getting cold here." The Rabbi testified, that for over a year and a half in Siberia, he never felt cold even once. It is not the clothing that warms us up, it is Hashem. When we have the ability to help ourselves, we are obligated to. But when there is nothing for us to do, we can totally rely on Hashem. Those who are able to see through nature and recognize that everything is really Hashem, will not only pass this very big test, but they will reap the rewards both in this world and in the next.

Today we're going to discuss a pasuk in Micha. The Ramchal, Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, author of Mesilat Yesharim, writes in his Maamar HaGeulah/Essay on Redemption that this pasuk reveals the sod ha'bitachon Yisrael b'tikvatam/ the secret of the Jewish people's reliance on and hope for redemption, the geulah shlemah/complete redemption, bimherah v'yameinu, amen As we are in the Three Weeks, this is an extremely apropos piece. What is the pasuk? אל תשמחי איבתי לי כי נפלתי קמתי, כי אשב בחשך יהוה אור לי (מיכה ז' ח')/ Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light unto me." Says the Ramchal: In order for the redemption to come, there are many preparatory steps—many things that must happen beforehand. He says that when the Jewish people think that God has hidden His face from them and has forsaken them, actually what's happening is (quoting his words): Az HaKadosh Baruch Hu mechin lahem otzarot gedolim / God is preparing for them huge treasure houses, Asher l'rochvam ein ketz / whose expanse has no end, Ul'tovam ein tachlit / whose abundance is limitless. In these treasure houses, God places all the wonderful wealth, all the treasures of kings. He fills these treasure houses to the point where: Ein ha'peh yechola l'daber /the mouth cannot speak it, V'ha'ozen lishmoa/the ear cannot hear it, V'afilu l'lev l'harher/the heart cannot even fathom or imagine it. When the time of the geulah comes, all these treasure houses will be opened. What is in these treasure houses? Of course, we are not talking about gold and silver. The Ramchal continues and says about this secret: Al ha'sod ha'gadol ha'zeh — This is the great secret. This is the secret of our bitachon (faith/trust). How do we rely on Hashem and survive difficult times? He quotes another pasuk, and b'ezrat Hashem both of these pesukim we will discuss more at length: Samechenu k'mot initanu, shnot ra'inu ra'ah./Make us happy like the days You afflicted us, the years we saw evil." This means we tell God : We had difficult times, now make us happy corresponding to those times that you pained us. At first glance, it seems simple: You gave us ten bad days, now give us ten good days. The bad days are the bad days, and the good days are the good days. No, says the Ramchal. It's not just a one-for-one exchange—10 days of bad traded for 10 days of good. No. And again, in his words: Ki kol ha'yamim she'Yisrael b'galut/All the years that Israel was in exile, V'or lo nagah lahem /and the light did not shine for them, Oto ha'or ha'rauy l'otam ha'yamim lo avad/that light which was befitting for those days was not lost. This means every day has its light. And on days where the light doesn't shine, that light isn't gone—it's simply put away in the treasure house. Ha'or ha'hu HaKadosh Baruch Hu gonzo/ That light, God stores away. B'eleh ha'otzarot she'madachticha/ in those same treasure houses. Those treasure houses are full of the light that wasn't revealed. Az yetzei kol ha'or k'echad /Then, all the light will come out at once, as one abundant light So for every moment of darkness—of crusades, of Holocaust, of churban , of Gaza tunnels—every one of those moments of darkness, of absence of light, is being gathered and will one day explode in a single, immense burst. V'az yehiyeh zman simcha l'Yisrael asher kamo lo nihyata/And then will be a time of joy for the Jewish people like never before. That's the meaning of Samechenu k'mot initanu /The days of pain themselves are actually what create the light. Yitukan ha'olam b'menucha v'hashket /The world will be repaired with peace and serenity, V'lo yiyeh od yagon b'olam klal /and there will be no sorrow ever again . As we say: V'aseir mimenu yagon v'anacha/ remove from us sorrow and difficulties . So, these are two very powerful pesukim: 1 . כי אשב בחשך יהוה אור לי /When I sit in darkness, Hashem is light for me. He's explaining to us: It means that even though I am in darkness, there is light being created by the darkness. Because of the darkness the light is being stored in the treasure house. 2. שמחנו כימות עניתנו שנות ראינו רעה /Make us happy like the days that we were suffering the years we saw evil. These, according to the Ramchal—one of the greatest kabbalists—are the sod ha'bitachon Yisrael — the secret bitachon of the Jewish people. .

Avodah Zara 20 : Marc Chipkin : 2025-07-08 Different interpretations of "lo techanen". The prohibition to gaze at a woman or her clothing. The steps of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair (basis of Mesilat Yesharim).

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This Week's Parasha Essay is dedicated in memory of RACHEL Bat SARAH The Torah in Parashat Teruma presents the laws for the construction of the Mishkan, which is where sacrifices were offered until the building of the Bet Ha'mikdash in Jerusalem. Later, in Parashat Vayakhel, we read of the fulfillment of these commands, how the Mishkan and its furnishings were built. Already the Gemara (Berachot 55a) notes the glaring discrepancy between the sequence of the commands presented here in Parashat Teruma, and the execution of these commands in Parashat Vayakhel. When G-d presented the instructions for building the Mishkan, He began with the furnishings, detailing the instructions regarding the ark, the table, the Menorah, and the altar, before proceeding to the instructions regarding the structure of the Mishkan. In Parashat Vayakhel, however, we read that the artisans first constructed the Mishkan, and only then built the furnishings. The Gemara tells that when Moshe relayed G-d's instructions – in the sequence they were given – to Besalel, the chief artisan, Besalel pointed out that the sequence was backward. He noted that the building must be constructed first, before the furnishings, as otherwise there will be nowhere to store the furnishings in the interim. Moshe confirmed to Besalel that he was correct. The question remains, however, why did Hashem present the commands regarding the furnishings before presenting the requirements for building the structure, if He in fact wanted the building to be constructed first? Rav Yehoshua Heller (1814-1880), in his Dibreh Yehoshua, offers an approach to answer this question (which also explains a number of other discrepancies between the commands in Parashat Teruma and the execution of these instructions in Parashat Vayakhel). He attributes the change in sequence to the event of Het Ha'egel – the sin of the golden calf – which transpired in between. Hashem presented these commands before the sin of the golden calf, and thus the instructions reflect the reality before Beneh Yisrael worshipped the calf, when they were still on the pristine spiritual level that they had attained at the time of Matan Torah. The building of the Mishkan, however, occurred after Het Ha'egel, when the people had fallen from that level. The structure of the Mishkan, Rav Heller explains, represents the human body, our limbs, the actions we perform, whereas the furnishings housed in the Mishkan symbolize our interior, our emotions, our feelings. Ideally, our feelings and our actions should be fully in synch with one another. We should always feel motivated to serve Hashem, to fulfill His will, to perform the Misvot, to live the way we are supposed to live, such that our actions – our Misva observance – are a natural outgrowth of our emotions. Indeed, the great Sadikim live with ongoing, consistent passion, and are constantly driven to perform Misvot. Most of us, however, often do not feel this passion. Sometimes we feel motivated and driven to achieve and excel, but sometimes we don't. And the Ramhal (Rav Moshe Haim Luzzato, Italy, 1707-1746), in his classic work Mesilat Yesharim, writes that when a person feels unmotivated, he should push himself to perform Misvot anyway – and his actions will then awaken his motivation. Once we get started, once we accustom ourselves to doing the right thing even when we don't feel like it, the feelings will come. Hence, Rav Heller explains, before Het Ha'egel, when Beneh Yisrael were on a high spiritual level, the furnishings preceded the structure. The people felt the strong drive and desire to serve Hashem, and this passion led them to action. After the sin of the golden calf, however, this passion was not always present. And so at this point, it was necessary for the structure to precede the interior. We often need to perform the actions even when we lack motivation and enthusiasm, and this will gradually ignite our passion for Misvot. This insight, I am certain, resonates with each and every one of us. We have all had occasions when we feel unmotivated, when we were simply "not in the mood," when we had little or no desire to get out of bed on time for shul, to attend a Shiur, to learn, to donate money to charity, or to do other Misvot. The important thing when this happens is to push ourselves do to it anyway, even without motivation, and trust that our efforts will, with time, arouse our emotion and kindle our enthusiasm for Misvot. Although ideally our passion for Misvot should lead us to perform Misvot, sometimes we need to reverse the sequence, to go "outside-in," by first performing the deeds which will have the effect of arousing our enthusiasm.

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RAB DAVID HANONO- CURSO MESILAT YESHARIM-10 by TALMUD TORA MONTE SINAI

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Siha on Mesilat Yesharim

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We say in the Yom Tov Amida , אתה בחרתנו מכל העמים אהבת אותנו ורצית בנו – Hashem chose us from all of the other nations, He loved us and wanted us. In the siddur of the Gr"a, the question was asked, seemingly love is more powerful than ratzon . So if we already mentioned that Hashem chose us out of love, why do we also say that he chose us from ratzon ? The answer is that love is based on certain qualities that people possess, but ratzon implies desiring something without any specific cause. And thus we add ורצית בנו – Hashem yearned for us to be His Nation and still yearns for every single Jew to be close to Him, even if they don't possess the qualities that they should have. Hashem's desire for us is not dependent on our past performance of mitzvot, He yearns for everyone no matter what they have done in the past and wants more than anything for them to come close to Him. Sometimes, Hashem gives people extra siyata d'Shamaya to realize that there is nothing better for them than to come close to Him. A man who made a complete turnaround in religion was asked what prompted his big change. He replied, he had everything he could possibly want, money was no object, he had a great wife and great children. One night, while driving home, he looked up into the sky and asked Hashem if this was the pinnacle of what life could be, because if it was, he had nothing else to look forward to because he already reached it. The next day, he decided to go to shul and on the way out, he grabbed a CD to listen to in the car. The first words from the speaker on that CD were, "The purpose of life is," and then he quoted from Mesilat Yesharim . The man was floored. The very same night, his mother asked him to stop by because she got him a gift. When he got there, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a Mesilat Yesharim . He said, "Hashem, I get the message." And since that day, he has grown leaps and bounds in religion and now knows the real purpose of life and couldn't be happier. A young woman emailed that her best friend recently got married and another close friend of hers is dating seriously. This meant, out of her large group of friends, she was going to be the only one left not married, which basically meant she was going to have no friends. She felt lost and alone and knew something needed to change. She had heard of a new program in her community where post high school girls would form groups and get together once a week to learn with a teacher. A girl on her block was hosting the classes for one group, so she decided to try it once. She was older than most girls in that group and they all seemed more religious than her. It was a little awkward in the beginning, but she loved the way that the learning made her feel, so she continued going weekly. Because of the age gap, she would just go to the class, sit there quietly, and leave right when it finished. As the weeks went on, she found herself changing, but the people in her life were making not such nice comments to her. For example, "Why are you wearing that skirt? You look like a grandma." Or, "You are going to class again? Didn't you just go last week?" One night, she got so fed up, she started to doubt what she was doing. She cried to Hashem saying she felt so alone and nobody understood her. She asked Hashem to please help her see that she was taking the right path. At the next class, she started zoning out a little towards the middle when, all of a sudden, the teacher said, "Hashem is telling us, 'I love you! Keep going! I'm so proud of you.'" She immediately zoned back in and felt as if Hashem was talking directly to her. She started crying tears of joy and felt like she got the biggest hug. Since then, she has been growing more and more each day and she couldn't be happier. She also became closer with all the girls in the class and she especially became close to that teacher. Hashem loves every one of us and He yearns for everyone to be closer to Him.