טיפע רעיונות פון הגאון רבי אביגדור מיללער זצ"ל

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Maintain Your Idealism
SimchaMinute by Rabbi Avigdor Miller

Sometimes you will see a man come to shul, a baal teshuvah full of idealism, he comes early every morning, doesn’t talk during davening, he’s respectful in the synagogue. After a while he begins to feel at home and he starts coming later. Sometimes he misses entirely, and sometimes he talks and behaves with gaiety, because his idealism wore off

Even when we start off with idealism, the materialism of our surroundings eventually envelopes us and overcomes us. So you must live with a certain amount of introspection, and continue to maintain and to add to your idealism
— Mesilas Yesharim 2

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Going against your passions
SimchaMinute by Rabbi Avigdor Miller

A person’s purpose in life is to mold his character. How does he mold his character? By going against the passions, the instincts, that motivate all men, and making his reason, his seichel, in control

Of course when we talk about seichel ... it means the seichel of the Torah. Seichel without Torah is only the result of your own middos, it’s yielding to your passion. Seichel with Torah means you’re going against your passions
— Ideal Marriage, Tikun Olam (#684)

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Ask Rabbi Miller

Q: What are some examples of chanoch l’naar al pi darko (educate a child according to his nature)

A: We’ll just say one example. Train a youth on his way in life. Train a youth that he should think every day at least for one half minute of Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah)

More than anything you speak about to your children, speak about Matan Torah

“Hishamer lecha u’shemor nafshecha meod pan tishkach hadevarim asher ra’u einecha.— Be careful not to forget what your eyes see.” Be careful not to forget what you saw at Matan Torah
!

“Yom asher amadita lifnei Hashem elokecha b’Chorev v’hodatem l’banecha u’bnei banecha. — The day you stood before Hashem your G-d at Horeb, and tell your children and your children’s children.” You should let your children know about it

The Rambam in Iggeres Teiman wrote, “Gadleihu al kol gedula,” more than anything you speak about to your children, speak about Matan Torah. But speak about it with hispa’alus, with excitement, what a day that was. A tremendous day, like never in all of history

People heard Kol Hashem, a sweet and dreadful voice. They fainted, they died, they had to be revived. It’s that excitement, a terrible experience, but the most happy and joyous experience

You have to explain that to your children more than anything else. If they can think every day one half minute about the giving of the Torah, that’s one of the ways of being mechanech al naar al pi darko. The Rambam said that’s the most important thing to teach your son
— Real Emunah (#E-104)
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רבותי, דאס איז נישט סתם ווערטער. דער גאון און צדיק האט פינקטליך אזוי געטוהן; און נאך אוי ווי געטוהן. ער איז געווען א נאה דורש ונאה מקיים בכל פרטיה!

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Yielding for Hashem
SimchaMinute by Rabbi Avigdor Miller

"Kol hazoveiach es yitzro u’misvadeh alav — If a person slaughters his yetzer hara and says vidui..." He says, "Hashem, I am wrong, I didn’t do right and I’m asking You to forgive me," then "Zoveich toda yichabdeni — He honors Me

The greatest honor a man could do for Hashem is to yield his own desires for Hashem... We are in this world to overcome our passions
— Building the Nation and Building One’s Self (#E-051)

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What Do You Gain from Judging Others Favorably
?
"WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS YOU SHOULD JUDGE YOUR FELLOWMAN" (Vayikra 19:15)

If we desire that our fellowman be meritorious and we therefore ascribe to him the best qualities and intentions, then Hashem rewards us "measure for measure" and He too desires our merit and He rewards us for our desire for our fellowman's merit. By our giving our fellowman the benefit of the doubt, Hashem rewards us despite our actual shortcomings
— Kingdom of Kohanim

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What's the Condition for Being Hashem's Chosen People
?
“You will be a nation that dwells alone, and you won’t be counted among the nations of the world” (Bamidbar 23:9). We are not just another people, we’re an entirely new phenomenon. Only on this condition does Hashem take us as His eternal bride; we accepted that we’ll look down on the world from the summit of loyalty to Hashem
— Most Beautiful Nation

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What Is the Test of a Great Nation
?
Another meaning of “Elokim came in order to test you” (Shemos 20:17) is Hashem came in order to make you great. The word nasos in the verse is connected to the word nes, which means “banner.”

“Raise a banner to gather our exiles”
(ושא נס לקבץ גליותינו)
(Shemoneh Esrai) means to elevate us, which is the purpose of a test. The greatness of the Jewish people stood on the foundation of their loyalty to Hashem. That foundation was laid at the giving of the Torah when they gained fear of Heaven
— Truth of the Torah

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Why Must You Appreciate Your Friends And Family
?

My Generation is my world. It is our sole opportunity, and to fritter it away is the greatest of catastrophes. One's parents, one's brothers and sisters, one's kin, one's wife, one's children, one's neighbors and employers and employees; all are his opportunities. By his relations with them, he gains the success for which he came into the world
-- Sing, You Righteous

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"א ווארט פון רבי אביגדור זצ"ל" אין די קלאסיפייד. (Y-48-a) #339

דער רמב"ם זאגט די מענטשהייט גייט אין פינסטערניש; נאר אמאל פאסירט א בליץ, עס ווערט ליכטיג אויף א רגע, און מען דערזעהט דעם אמת; אבער נאכן בליץ ווערט צוריק פינסטער.

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What Should You Have Learnt by First Grade
?

The Chovos Halevavos states that the foundation of being a Jew is gratitude to Hashem. You have to learn how to be grateful to Him. Here is a supercilious Kollel man {who derides,} "What kind of talk is that? Gratitude to Hashem?! Ha, you sound like a missionary!" But, if you don't have gratitude to Hashem, you're not beginning the whole field of Avodas (serving) Hashem. It's the pre-1A of being a Jew
-- Illuminating the Mind (#009)

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צו מאכען גרינגער, דא איז דער דעפיניציע און סינאנעם'ס (ווערטער וואס מיינען בערך די זעלבע) פון supercilious

adjective: supercilious
su·per·cil·i·ous
/ˌso͞opərˈsilēəs/

Definition of supercilious: behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

Synonyms: arrogant, haughty, conceited, disdainful, overbearing, pompous, condescending, superior, patronizing, imperious, proud, snobbish, snobby, smug, scornful, sneering

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Where's Your Starting Line
?

The Torah is like a round ring; wherever you're holding you are in the middle. Even at the beginning of the Chumash, you are already in the thick of it. In fact, when you finish the first pasuk (verse), you've already said the most important part. There's nothing bigger than this idea that the whole universe is only figments of His eternal imagination
-- Creation from Nothing (#10)

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Who Has the Most Fun
?

The frum Jew enjoys this world no less than anybody else. In fact, his entire life is flavored with the zest of the knowledge that this life is just the beginning. That's one of the most important ingredients in happiness; knowing that there is a life after this world
-- The truth of Torah

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Which Time in History Was the Most Important of All
?

No principle of the Torah is given as much attention as the principle of creation from nothing. Pesach celebrates the Exodus from Egypt, and Shavuos celebrates the Giving of the Torah; but the Creation of the Universe is celebrated not once a year, but every week (on Shabbas).... for this is the Foundation of all foundations
-- Sing, You Righteous

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SimchaMinute: The Gift of Emunah (faith)

Pharoh could have caught cold, had a fever: he could have died in Mitzrayim. They would have been busy with his funeral so they couldn’t pursue Yisrael. All kinds of things could have happened

The miracle was entirely unnecessary for the purpose of saving them. But the miracle was done just for one purpose: vayaaminu b’Hashem — to give them the gift of emunah (faith)
— Return To Hashem (#842)

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SimchaMinute: The Miracle of Healing

If surgeons find it necessary to cut out major parts of a person’s liver, he still is able to exist because what remains takes over the function of the entire liver. The entire liver was not superfluous; it just did the job better. The little bit of liver that remains gets busy and does more than it did before. It’s one of the miracles of Hashem that our bodies adjust to emergencies
— Ohr Avigdor Shaar Bechinah

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SimchaMinute: The Lessons of the Miracles

For these trusty eyewitnesses (in the desert) Hashem performed miracles that were never again shown to any generation, in order that all subsequent generations forever should benefit from the lessons which these miracles teach

Thenceforth, the laws of nature which the Creator decreed should no longer be disturbed, for the lessons of the miracles are available to all who wish to study them

— A Nation is Born

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SimchaMinute: To be a servant of Hashem

If you want to be servant of Hashem, you must busy saying with your mouth and singing with your heart the praises of Hashem for the millions of things that He’s doing to you

We barely make brachos (blessings) on a few, and even then the bracha is merely something said by rote. But there are millions of benefits that we’re enjoying constantly and it’s our job in life to express gratitude for all of them
— Happiness (#79)
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ועל נסיך שבכל יום עמנו,ועל נפלאותיך וטובותיך שבכל עת, ערב ובקר וצהרים וכו'

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שוין געברענגט פריער דער ערשטע פערעגרעף (וועגען מתפלל זיין פאר יענעם)
viewtopic.php?p=1443962#p1443962
דא איז די איבעריגע.

Thank Him for His Kindness
by Rabbi Avigdor Miller

You can practice training yourself to think unselfishly whenever you see a frum Jew in the distance. Simply say a prayer out loud wishing him hatzlachah (success) in all his endeavors. Nobody will know that you said it, but this totally unselfish act will have an effect on you. When acts like that are multiplied...

their effect will gradually train you to do things without the intention of getting more out of it

You can train yourself to look back and thank Hashem for His kindness to you

Another exercise that you can do is to train yourself to look back on your past history and see what Hashem did for you thirty years ago, twenty years ago, and so on, and thank Him for those benefits. For example, you can thank Hashem that you were married. You can thank Him that you were able to go to yeshivah when you were a boy. You might even thank Hashem that you once had a narrow escape from an accident. You can also make an extra effort to thank Hashem for benefits that you have recently experienced but that are completed

Let’s say you have just married off your last child. So you thank Hashem for arranging good shidduchim for your children. Since you are not doing this in order to get more shidduchim, that’s an honest form of thanks. All the past benefits are very important for us even though they are over and done with, as it says, "Bless Hashem, O my soul, and forget not all His kindnesses that He bestowed upon me" (Tehillim 103:2)

All the past benefits are very important for us even though they are over and done with
Since these benefits are in the past your gratitude can be completely unselfish. You can train yourself to look back and thank Hashem for His kindness to you. When you are on the verge of the grave and just about to depart from This World, you are capable of wholeheartedly thanking Hashem. Since you don’t expect to live more than 120 years, if you are 119 you don’t expect Hashem’s goodness to continue. Nevertheless you look back as you trained yourself to do and you can honestly thank Hashem with a full heart for all His kindness
— Ohr Avigdor Shaar Avodas Elokim

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SimchaMinute: For the sake of perfection

For the sake of Perfection, strive to acquire the feeling of gratitude. But you cannot be grateful to the unseen G-d if you are not grateful to visible men

We must overcome the arrogant attitude that all pleasure and happiness are owing to us, and that all men must serve us. A selfish man cannot be a true servant of G-d. We must understand that nothing is free, and that we must pay for every benefit received
— Rejoice, O Youth
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אנעים'ל רעדט דא פון נישט זיין דיין קנעכט
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33891&hilit=%D7%A7%D7%A0%D7%A2%D7%9B%D7%98

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SimchaMinute: Serving Hashem through happiness

Happiness is not in places, it’s in the mind. And therefore we learn from that model in the midbar (desert) we must enjoy life even in the simplest way that we have it. That’s the foundation for being servants of Hashem. To serve Hashem we must learn to thank Hashem always, and we thank Him only by being happy
— Happy with What He Has (#517)
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רבי אביגדור מיללער איז קיינמאל נישט געגאנגען אויף וואקעישאן בשיטה. ער האט געזאגט אז ער האט וועקשעיאן אויף אוישען פארקעוועי (דארטען האט ער געוואוינט).

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SimchaMinute: Gratitude and serving Hashem

“Ivdu es hashem bsimcha — Serve Hashem in happiness” (Tehillim 100:2)
Serve means demonstrate that you are an eved (servant) of Hashem. Gratitude causes humility and all acts of avodah (service) are forms of demonstration that we are servants of Hashem. Thus all the mitzvos are demonstrations that we are servants of our master, and we perform these forms of avodah with joy
— Praise, My Soul

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Lucky to be alive

Q: The gemara says there was a dispute between Bais Shammai and Bais Hillel whether it’s better for a man to have been created or not to have been created. What does that mean
?

A: If you learn Tanach or you look through the davening you’ll find many places where we express to Hakadosh Baruch Hu gratitude for making us. What are we grateful for? The answer is there’s no question that to be created is a great gift, with a capital G. It’s a great gift. You’re lucky to be alive

The Lomzer mashgiach once saw a sad boy, a sad yeshiva man, so he took him in the corner and grabbed him by the lapel and for a half hour he spoke to him. He said, "You lucky fellow, how fortunate you are! Do you realize how wealthy you are?" And the boy was waiting to hear the good news. At the end of the half hour the mashgiach said, "You are alive
!"

Ah, foolish human beings wondering the wealth of life. You have it only once. And people are sitting and asking if it’s better not to be alive? There’s nothing more insane than that... We should be happy we’re alive. The mere fact of being alive is a very, very, very, very, great happiness

But Bais Shammai and Bais Hillel argued about something else. If we were asked before we were born, in the state of souls, should we be born? So they decided it’s better not to have been created than to be born and to waste the opportunity. It’s like a man who is being offered a big loan by the president of the bank; you’re walking by the bank and the president comes out, grabs you and says, "Come in, I like your face, I’m going to offer you a hundred thousand dollars loan without collateral for five years

If you’re smart you’ll say, “My friend, I’d love to take it but I have to pay it back. If I don’t have to pay it back, I’ll take it

“Oh no,” he says,”You have to pay it back, and you have to pay interest too. I’m a gentile, I can take interest from you

Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not a Jew. Hakadosh Baruch Hu takes interest. And if He lets you live He expects you to pay for it. You have to accomplish something. So Bais Shammai and Bais Hillel decided that according to the minds of human beings it doesn’t pay to accept this loan

What does Hakadosh Baruch Hu do? He says I’m not asking you. "Al karkecha atah notzer — You’re created against your will." I’m not asking for your advice because I know what’s better. You’re talking as human beings talk. According to human minds, that’s the decision. But Hakadosh Baruch Hu does a kindness by doing what? By creating us. Because olam chesed yibaneh, the world was created for kindliness and this is the greatest kindliness, to be in this world

Bais Shammai and bais Hillel are only arguing from a human viewpoint. How should you say like a human? A human shouldn’t accept the opportunity to be born. But Hakadosh Baruch Hu steps in and says I know better
— Repenting in Happiness (#17)

[El Rushbo]

Ask Rabbi Miller

Q: What are some examples of chanoch l’naar al pi darko (educate a child according to his nature)

A: We’ll just say one example. Train a youth on his way in life. Train a youth that he should think every day at least for one half minute of Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah)

More than anything you speak about to your children, speak about Matan Torah

“Hishamer lecha u’shemor nafshecha meod pan tishkach hadevarim asher ra’u einecha.— Be careful not to forget what your eyes see.” Be careful not to forget what you saw at Matan Torah
!

“Yom asher amadita lifnei Hashem elokecha b’Chorev v’hodatem l’banecha u’bnei banecha. — The day you stood before Hashem your G-d at Horeb, and tell your children and your children’s children.” You should let your children know about it

The Rambam in Iggeres Teiman wrote, “Gadleihu al kol gedula,” more than anything you speak about to your children, speak about Matan Torah. But speak about it with hispa’alus, with excitement, what a day that was. A tremendous day, like never in all of history

People heard Kol Hashem, a sweet and dreadful voice. They fainted, they died, they had to be revived. It’s that excitement, a terrible experience, but the most happy and joyous experience

You have to explain that to your children more than anything else. If they can think every day one half minute about the giving of the Torah, that’s one of the ways of being mechanech al naar al pi darko. The Rambam said that’s the most important thing to teach your son
— Real Emunah (#E-104)
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רבותי, דאס איז נישט סתם ווערטער. דער גאון און צדיק האט פינקטליך אזוי געטוהן; און נאך אוי ווי געטוהן. ער איז געווען א נאה דורש ונאה מקיים בכל פרטיה!

זייער א שיינע און וויכטיגע זאך, אבער וואס האט דאס מיט עפ"י "דרכו"?

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איך מיין אז ער מיינט דערמיט דער פרט, אז זאלסט רעדען צו דיין קינד וועגען מתן תורה מיט התפעלות, מיט עקסייטמענט, געבען א שריי " אוי וואס א טאג דאס איז נאר געווען"! א אויסטערלישער טאג! וואס איז נישט קיינמאל געווען פריער און דערנאך אין היסטאריע!

דעס מיינט ער מיט דער שורה:

speak about it with hispa’alus, with excitement, what a day that was. A tremendous day, like never in all of history

און דאס איז דער דרכו פונעם קינד צו ווערען עקסייטעד נאר אויב דו ווערסט אויך עקסייטעד. מיט ווערטער אליין ביזטו נישט יוצא (ער איז נישט א פילאזאף אדער היסטאריקער, נאר א קליין קינד); דו מיזט ארויס ווייזען התפעלות דורך צו קומען צו אים.

(כ'קלער יעצט אריין אז דאס זעלבע פארקערט, ווען דער טאטע לאזט אמת'ע טרערען פאר אידישקייט אדער ווייזט ארויס התרגשות צום באשעפער גייט עס אויך אריין אין די ביינער פונעם קינד)

דער דרך פון א קינד נשפע צו ווערען, איז נישט גענוג צו הערען און אפילו זעהן, נאר מוז אויך שפירען.