here's something from a yeshiva around the corner from us, from a fellow named Rav Aharon Lichtenstein. sounded pretty good to me, especially these days, when i'm feeling like a man of no spirit-- but of many dreams:
The requirement to acquire all this by the time one leaves yeshiva is, of course, quite difficult. Nevertheless, there is, perhaps, one central point whose realization it is reasonable to hope for. It is fair to hope that one completing his yeshiva studies will leave a spiritual person, one in whose heart beats an eternal spirit, one who thinks and weighs, builds and plans, in a manner different from that of the pragmatic technocrats who fill the world. This is not a small thing. When God calls upon Moshe to appoint Yehoshua in his stead, He defines to the new leader in one phrase: "a man who has spirit in him" (Bamidbar 27:18). The word "spirit" has multiple meanings: it includes courage and prophecy, wisdom and fear of God. What, if not these, distinguishes the Messiah? (See Yeshayahu 11.) In this, everyone is obligated.
The Talmud (Berakhot 55b) states: "Anyone who goes seven days without a dream is considered wicked." Anyone capable of traveling on a path for one complete cycle - a full week - with everything in its proper place and according to its routine, without any striving, without a spirit pulsating and screaming to break out of the routine - such a person is wicked. A good person strives, dreams, and thinks. He dreams about achieving greatness, scope and depth, and clinging to God. The particular dream each person must decide for himself. Although the actualization is not always up to us, surely the individual in whom there is spirit can become a dreamer.
The requirement to acquire all this by the time one leaves yeshiva is, of course, quite difficult. Nevertheless, there is, perhaps, one central point whose realization it is reasonable to hope for. It is fair to hope that one completing his yeshiva studies will leave a spiritual person, one in whose heart beats an eternal spirit, one who thinks and weighs, builds and plans, in a manner different from that of the pragmatic technocrats who fill the world. This is not a small thing. When God calls upon Moshe to appoint Yehoshua in his stead, He defines to the new leader in one phrase: "a man who has spirit in him" (Bamidbar 27:18). The word "spirit" has multiple meanings: it includes courage and prophecy, wisdom and fear of God. What, if not these, distinguishes the Messiah? (See Yeshayahu 11.) In this, everyone is obligated.
The Talmud (Berakhot 55b) states: "Anyone who goes seven days without a dream is considered wicked." Anyone capable of traveling on a path for one complete cycle - a full week - with everything in its proper place and according to its routine, without any striving, without a spirit pulsating and screaming to break out of the routine - such a person is wicked. A good person strives, dreams, and thinks. He dreams about achieving greatness, scope and depth, and clinging to God. The particular dream each person must decide for himself. Although the actualization is not always up to us, surely the individual in whom there is spirit can become a dreamer.
11 comments:
your spirit IS your dreams...
I don't think we would be our parents' children and therefore siblings if we didn't have spirit or dreams.
That is what i admire about you...your dreams and spirit!
Wow, now I know how to finally describe myself.
A wickedly pragmatic technocrat.
Thanks.
Dear Bob Taco-- First of all, the Rav didn't call you "wickedly pragmatic," he said "wicked and pragmatic." But that "wicked" applies to people who don't have dreams. Such is not the case with you. You DO have dreams, young man. They just happen to be exceedingly dull.
Therefore, much to your chagrin (and my pleasure), you ARE a "man of spirit." Watered-down spirit, for certain, but spirit indeed.
i love you.
come visit!!
how about a different kind of spirit. a drinkable spirit. with that you can get as close to g-d as
possible. of course using manischevitz concord grape wine would be the best!!!!!!!!
Man, Oh Manischewitz, Burt.
I hear you.
But here in Israel, every winery has a better version of cheap, sweet wine. Not as sickly sweet, and a lot more drinkable in that scuzzy boozer kind of way. Last Shabbat I had a giant bottle of
"Victory Wine"
fantastic.
the perfect prescription, as they say
I haven't dreamed in 7 years.... but I do have "Wicked" tickets at the Fox. (Don't tell Lisa 'til Hannukah.)
this is really an amazing idea, that the lack of dreaming is somehow wicked. are the dreams considered to be that which we have while sleeping or those dreams and strivings in the waking world, or both?
you're out of your mind. there are people here from everywhere writing comments. you have people that love you and encourage you, you're doing what you believe in, you're starting to work on music and singing, you're doing great in yeshivah, you devoted 5 years to the study of the holy torah...
And you regard yourself as a peice of shit.
to quote the show northern exposure, this is what the shaman medicine man told Ed, when Ed was suffering disturbingly low self esteem.
"hating yourself, Ed, ... That's what evil is. Do you think Hitler loved himself? or Cortez?"
WAKE UP AND STOP BEING EVIL. I'm serious. You need to make a serious change in yourself and your life. no more mr. mean guy.
Love
arielelisha
"It is wickedness to pray on someone's behalf to influence their choice of mate. If it is in God's will, they will find their zivug by loving God, loving and challenging self, opening their eyes and waking from their slumber, to do the will of the Kadosh Baruchu. Indeed, any deciscion of a person is their own, and it is wrongful to encite the weight of heaven to alter their personal decree, so long as those decisions are in the realm of life choices and not in the realm of evil. For the baal-cheyt is a mitzvah to pray for them that they change their ways and repent of their misdeeds."
additionally, shimshon, the path to anything one desires is to prepare for it. Those who say "I know I should be doing X, yeah, I know" but they do not do it, or who say "I know I need to think less, or love myself more, or be more responsible," but this "advice in brain" becomes a MANTRA OF FAILURE, these people inherit gehinnom, and their cleverness will not save them.
ariel elisha is the greatest geius of our generation, and my hero in tattered tzitziots (tzitziotim). but leon-- i can't love myself until you gimme my pens back.
ariel elisha
you go girl
give him more of that talk
Post a Comment