Torah and blogs:
Aside from websites there are torah oriented blogs like this one.
Hirhurim.blogspot.com offers litvish yeshiva learning at its best. I have learned a lot from the blog and I hope you will to.
Deralter.blogspot.com has a wide range of guest columnist. His site is dedicated to disseminating authentic mussar. As chassidus teachings, when mussar is done right it can help our avodah. Additionally, the site often discusses chassidus in its relation to mussar. I plan on writing about mussar in comparision to chassidus at a later date. For now let me share with you a posting by Rabbi Yakkov Feldman. For your conveince it is posted here with reshus from the blogmaster and Rabbi Feldman.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Humility in the Midst of It All
We're told to da'aven with "eyes lowered" and "heart raised high" (Yevamos 105b), which I'd always taken as simply meaning, humbly and with the Ribbono Shel Olam in mind. But the Tzemach Tzeddek offers a splendid insight (in Derech Mitzvosecha, Mitzvos Chametz uMatzah, p. 24b) which also feeds into the Mussar idea of picturing things in order to be aroused to action.He takes "heart raised high" to mean that we're to reflect at length upon the Ribbono Shel Olam's Mahus and Atsmus then -- on how "transcendent of and above all worlds He is" etc. And he warns us to *likewise and at the same time* keep our "eyes lowered" by realizing just how "yeshi" and "davari" (i.e., tangible, carnal, temporal) the universe is, and how it comes into being out of nothingness each and every moment by dint of Hashem's will alone. We're to do both at the same time because if we only reflect upon the Ribbono Shel Olam's Mahus and Atsmus then we're likely to fall for the world and all of its trappings when we finish da'avening, lapse into ta'avos and all sorts of delusions, and accept the physical as of primary importance (as we all do). But we won't fall for that just as long as we keep our "eyes lowered" at the same time and see the world for what it is in relationship to the Ribbono Shel Olam and His presence all over.It occurs to me that the best way to do that would be to picture oneself somehow suspended aloft in the very highest of Heavens and staring both at earth below and at the Ribbono Shel Olam far, far above (kaveyochol) at the same time, and marking the difference. I tried it and found the experience to be very ... uplifting.-- Yaakov Feldman
I posted this because it illustartes the importance of medidative practices in one's quest for balance and spirituality. At inner.org there are some classic meditiations that I plan on discussing.
Your comments are always welcome.
Modern Chassidish
Hirhurim.blogspot.com offers litvish yeshiva learning at its best. I have learned a lot from the blog and I hope you will to.
Deralter.blogspot.com has a wide range of guest columnist. His site is dedicated to disseminating authentic mussar. As chassidus teachings, when mussar is done right it can help our avodah. Additionally, the site often discusses chassidus in its relation to mussar. I plan on writing about mussar in comparision to chassidus at a later date. For now let me share with you a posting by Rabbi Yakkov Feldman. For your conveince it is posted here with reshus from the blogmaster and Rabbi Feldman.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Humility in the Midst of It All
We're told to da'aven with "eyes lowered" and "heart raised high" (Yevamos 105b), which I'd always taken as simply meaning, humbly and with the Ribbono Shel Olam in mind. But the Tzemach Tzeddek offers a splendid insight (in Derech Mitzvosecha, Mitzvos Chametz uMatzah, p. 24b) which also feeds into the Mussar idea of picturing things in order to be aroused to action.He takes "heart raised high" to mean that we're to reflect at length upon the Ribbono Shel Olam's Mahus and Atsmus then -- on how "transcendent of and above all worlds He is" etc. And he warns us to *likewise and at the same time* keep our "eyes lowered" by realizing just how "yeshi" and "davari" (i.e., tangible, carnal, temporal) the universe is, and how it comes into being out of nothingness each and every moment by dint of Hashem's will alone. We're to do both at the same time because if we only reflect upon the Ribbono Shel Olam's Mahus and Atsmus then we're likely to fall for the world and all of its trappings when we finish da'avening, lapse into ta'avos and all sorts of delusions, and accept the physical as of primary importance (as we all do). But we won't fall for that just as long as we keep our "eyes lowered" at the same time and see the world for what it is in relationship to the Ribbono Shel Olam and His presence all over.It occurs to me that the best way to do that would be to picture oneself somehow suspended aloft in the very highest of Heavens and staring both at earth below and at the Ribbono Shel Olam far, far above (kaveyochol) at the same time, and marking the difference. I tried it and found the experience to be very ... uplifting.-- Yaakov Feldman
I posted this because it illustartes the importance of medidative practices in one's quest for balance and spirituality. At inner.org there are some classic meditiations that I plan on discussing.
Your comments are always welcome.
Modern Chassidish
posted by modern chassidish at 7:26 AM
1 Comments:
Thank you for posting that D'var Torah. I wonder if you would consider looking at my blog, at www.acrispelulmorning.blogspot.com . Thanks.
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