How To be Successful

לזכות ידי"נ הרב דוד העניך מרדכי בן פרידה שמחה 

הרב אברהם יוסף בן חנה 

משה יהודה בן פעשא דינה 

ר' אברהם יצחק בן אסתר

ר' יוסף עזרא בן אסתר 

The Gemara [Brachos 35b] says that the difference between the earlier generations and the later generations was that the earlier generations made their Torah "set" ["קבע"] and their work "temporary" ["עראי"] and were successful at both while the later generations made their Torah "temporary" and their work "set" and were not successful at either.

This Gemara seemingly eludes logic. I understand how the earlier generations were successful at Torah when they made it קבע. That means that what was most important to them was Torah. When something is most important to you then you will probably succeed at it. But how can it be that when work was less important in their eyes, they were successful at it? If something has secondary importance in your eyes, chances are that you won't be so good at it.

And the later generations should at least have been successful at work because for them it was primary. So why did they fail also at that [in addition to Torah]?? 

The explanation is profound. When one is primarily focused on achieving spiritual goals then he will be satisfied with the minimum of material attainments. His middos will not be corrupted and he won't get caught up in the never-ending cycle of accruing more and more and more. So when the earlier generations made their Torah "קבע" they were successful not only at the Torah aspect of their lives [understandably] but also at work. This is because they didn't have to steal or cheat or "cut corners" in any way. They slept soundly knowing that they have what they need and no more is necessary. They weren't jealous of the competitor and were truly "rich" as per the definition of Pirkei Avos - happy with their lot.

   

But the "later generations" were just the opposite. They always wanted more and more. Whatever they earned was never good enough. This made them very unhappy and unfulfilled. Hence, they were not only failures at Torah [which they had made of secondary concern] but in business as well.

How many people who have millions feel poor and lacking! I have met them and you have met them. Whatever they have is never enough. I once saw that the reason Chazal call money "מאד" [as in the drasha בכל מאדך - בכל ממונך] is because unlike other תאוות where one is at least TEMPORARILY satisfied when attaining them, money is different. When a person gets money, he thinks right away "how can I turn this into more money" and it never ends. We all know PLENTY of people who could EASILY retire but never do because they want more and more. So they are up bright and early at 5:45 am and work yet another stressful day in order to earn money they don't need. So they are left with little Torah and little satisfaction from their work.

   

The only was to live peacefully in the world is to fix your middos. One way to do this is to be satisfied with what you have and thus you won't have to suffer from anger, hostility, hatred, jealousy etc. etc. Those who have bad middos live miserable lives and in their distorted perspective, few things ever go right and they walk around angry and disillusioned always in competition with the rest of the world to get MORE. 

"אמר רבב"ח אריו"ח משום ר"י ב"ר אילעי, בא וראה מה בין דורות ראשונים לדורות אחרונים, דורות ראשונים שעשו תורתן קבע ומלאכתן עראי זו וזו נתקיימה בידם, דורות אחרונים שעשו מלאכתן קבע ותורתן עראי זו"ז לא נתקיימה בידם".

יסוד השלוה, אפילו בעוה"ז, תלויה גם היא בתיקון המוסר הכללי והפרטי. כי בהיות האדם מוכתר במדות טובות ביראת ד' ובאמונה, הוא משתמר מהרבה דברים המכשילים את כחו ומכבידים עליו את סבל החיים, ומסתפק ג"כ בשמחה ונחת גם מהמעט שיזמין לו ד'. אבל בהיותו ממעט במוסר אז לא יאמר די בכמה שישיג מההון, ומדותיו שנפגמות נוטות לתאוה העוברת גבול שמהרסת אשיות בריאותו ומולידה חלאים בו ובזרעו. ע"כ גם אם יאסוף עושר, לא יספיק לו ולא ינוח לבבו ולא ימצא בהם קורת רוח שלמה. ע"כ דורות ראשונים שעשו תורתן קבע, והיא הדריכה אותם אל דרך המוסר האמיתי, ליראת ד' ולמדות טובות והגונות, ומלאכתן עראי, זו וזו נתקיימה בידם, כי המעט הספיק להם בהיותם בעלי מדות יקרות וגופם הי' בריא ונפשם שמחה בעמלם. דורות האחרונים, שעשו מלאכתן קבע, שהדאגה על החומריות מלאה את לבבם ולא הניח מקום ראוי לדאגות המוסריות, ותורתן עראי, זה וזה לא נתקיימה בידם, כי נתקלקלו המדות ומנוחת הלב נטלה, ולא יאמר די בקיבוץ רכוש רב, ולא ימצא קורת רוח בעולם בכל קניניו. א"כ גם הרב שהוסיף לקנות ע"י ריבוי הזמן לא התקיים בידו, כי לא יוכל למלא צרכיו שנתרבו כדי ערך תאות נפשו, וממילא נקרא באמת שזה וזה לא נתקיימה בידם. ועיקר שם עראי וקבע, אין תלוי כ"כ בזמן, כמו בהסכמת הדעת, שהדבר שמחזיק האדם לעיקר הוא קבע, גם שמסבות יעסוק בה מעט זמן. [עין איה] 

40 Million Reasons To Say Thank You

"We thank Hashem three times daily in the Modim tefillah for the miracles He constantly performs for us. How can we become more cognizant of those miracles to concretize and enhance our appreciation of all that He does for us? For openers:

Our heart pumps blood about 40 million times a year.

Our liver performs 500 functions a day.

We blink 6 million times a year, which protects our eyes from dust and relaxes them.

Our kidneys filter about 200 gallons of blood a day.

All the blood vessels in your body measure about 60,000 miles."

It's Not About Winning

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with the relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and paused. Then they all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down’s syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.” Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for 10 minutes.

[Chicken Soup For The Soul] 

A Final Act Of Kindness

President Abraham Lincoln often visited hospitals to talk with wounded soldiers during the Civil War. Once, doctors pointed out a young soldier who was near death and Lincoln went over to his bedside. 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” asked the President. 

The soldier obviously didn’t recognize Lincoln, and with some effort he was able to whisper, “Would you please write a letter to my mother?” 

A pen and paper were provided and the President carefully began writing down what the young man was able to say: “My dearest mother, I was badly hurt while doing my duty. I’m afraid I’m not going to recover. Don’t grieve too much for me, please. Kiss Mary and John for me. May God bless you and father.” 

The soldier was too weak to continue, so Lincoln signed the letter for him and added, “Written for your son by Abraham Lincoln.” 

The young man asked to see the note and was astonished when he discovered who had written it. “Are you really the President?” he asked. 

“Yes, I am,” Lincoln replied quietly. 

Then he asked if there was anything else he could do. “Would you please hold my hand?” the soldier asked. “It will help to see me through to the end.” 

In the hushed room, the tall gaunt President took the boy’s hand in his and spoke warm words of encouragement until death came.

[The Best Of Bits And Pieces] 

Two Nickels And Five Pennies

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” 

“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. 

“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. 

“Thirty-five cents,” she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. 

“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table, and walked away. 

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. 

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies—her tip. 

The Best of Bits & Pieces

The Most Caring Child

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap and just sat there. 

When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry.”

Chelsea - Abortion Improves The GMP

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton claimed trillions of dollars were added to the U.S. economy over the more than four decades since Roe v. Wade was decided by the Supreme Court while speaking at a pro-choice event Saturday.

Clinton, daughter to former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, hosted the Rise Up for Roe event in New York. She was speaking to the potential threat to reproductive rights posed by President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Bret Kavanaugh, and why people should care.

"Whether you fundamentally care about reproductive rights and access right, because these are not the same thing, if you care about social justice or economic justice, agency – you have to care about this,” Clinton said, according to the Media Research Center.

Clinton continued: "It is not a disconnected fact—to address this t-shirt of 1973—that American women entering the labor force from 1973 to 2009 added three and a half trillion dollars to our economy. Right? The net, new entrance of women—that is not disconnected from the fact that Roe became the law of the land. 

[Newsweek]

AHHHHHHHH!!!! Kill sixty million [!!! - that is a statistic I saw] innocent babies [or if you wish "living, breathing, feeling beings, often with arms, legs, a nose, a heart etc. etc. who were developing into full-fledged human beings"] in order to improve the economy. Isn't that a DANGEROUS way of thinking?? Wouldn't it help our economy to kill the old and infirm as well? 

And what about all of the physical pain endured by the mothers? And what about all of those women who later regretted their actions? And what about all of the women who died from botched abortions? Is everything worth it so that people can buy nicer cars? 

I believe that her remarks were evil and reflect a sick attitude that true freedom is only achieved when one can be selfish and hurt others in order to attain some real or imagined personal benefit. 

I wonder how Chelsea would have felt if Hillary had opted to abort HER in order to further her career? 

Whattya say Chelsea??

And her claim that women added three and a half trillion dollars to the economy? Where did she get that statistic from?