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Lubab:
Yes. Depression, which is the opposite of happiness is really a person who focused all his energy in on himself. When our energies are focused outwards towards improving the world around us and helping others, this makes us happy. Of course we must take good care of ourselves, but doing so is only a tool to better help us fix up the world around us.
When our energies are directed outwards, towards a goal that is greater than just serving ourselves, we are happy, but when too much energy is focused in on ourselves we become introverted, narcassistic and depressed and will also cause a person health problems R"LTZ and he won't live as long because his life won't be something he really enjoys participating in.
The Torah aims to get us to act the first way. That's why it often says that "Tzedaka" (giving of yourself for others) is "THE mitzvah" the only mitzvah. It includes all the others.
Here's a great article me and R' Walters wrote about Happiness a while back: http://www.revealtheessence.com/readarticle.php?article_id=7
Tzvi Ben Roshel1:
--- Quote from: Lubab on June 17, 2008, 12:27:41 AM ---
--- Quote from: Tzvi Ben Roshel on June 16, 2008, 03:53:00 PM ---Hi Lubab- long time no c.
I was just wondering about something, already a long time, but maybe you can answer it.
I think I read somewhere online, and I think it was a writing from the late Lubavitcher Rebbe. If I am correct, he wrote that we shouldn't pray for Jews to make Tishuva because if for example one says please G-d let person X make Tishuva by keeping Shabbat or keeeping Kashrut, etc. etc. you invoke Dinim (Judgements) agains't the person.
Is this true, or did I read wrong into it? Also what should we do besides spreading Torah to Am Yisrael, in helping people including ourselves make a full, proper Tishuva no matter what level we are in. Also should we pray for people or not? Sometimes when I pray (personal prayer) I say for example "Please Hashem , may you have mercy on your people, may Jews return to you in truth, and may every Jew be shown the truth, but not through Judgements, but through your (extra) Kindness. And may the whole World proclaim your Oneness,that you are G-d, and that your Torah is Emet (truth), and your nation (of Israel) is Emet." Is this okay?
--- End quote ---
Good to hear from you Tzvi,
I am nearly certain the Rebbe has not said such a thing as there is a clear Talmudic directive to pray for the return of the wicked. (can try to get the source upon request...story involving R' Akiva and some bandits I believe). Further, in our davening the word "VeSachnia" in the Amida is a prayer for some evil people to repent and in Aleinu we clearly pray "Lehafnot Aleicha KOL Rishei Aretz" (may ALL the the evil people turn to G-d). The Rebbe has spoken about these passages on several occasions.
The personal prayer you write there sounds very similar to one we say on Yom Kippur with a touch of the Aleinu prayer. It may be good, but I try to stick to the exact language Chazal have laid out for my prayers in general plus tehillim of course as their exact formulations are tied to deeper meanings that we don't always know about. There is a time for personal prayers but in those situations we speak from the heart, and don't try to come up with our own set formulations. I personally think what you came up with there is great, but who am I to say that should be an established prayer?
P.S. You might have been thinking of the statement of the Baal Shem Tov who says Lashon Hara is bad for "3 people": the speaker, the listener and the one spoken about. The question is raised, why is the one who was spoken about being punished? What did he do wrong? He answers that now that one has brought that sinners sins to light by speaking about it to others, G-d must now judge him for those sins to prevent a Chillul Hashem whereas He could have been more lenient had the sin remained a private matter.
To do a proper teshuva one must figure out what he's been doing wrong, confess and make a firm commitment not to do it in the future. It's a specific process and one shouldn't take on everything at once. Everyone needs to pick one thing that they know they should be doing better and start making small changes each day to correct that trait and soon it will become second nature for them to do the right thing. Issues involving treating our fellow man are of paramount importance as it was Sinat Chinam which caused this Galut.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for your answer.
Maimonides:
Dear Lubab:
What is your opinion of Pidyon Ha-Ben?
Should it still be a tradition now since there is no Temple right now and how many mohels are really legitimate Kohanim?
In addition what if a Jewish family is poor and cannot afford five silver coins?
Things like this turn-off many Jews from Judaism because it causes them to see religion as an organized scheme to steal them of their money.
Lubab:
--- Quote from: Maimonides on June 23, 2008, 10:10:50 PM ---Dear Lubab:
What is your opinion of Pidyon Ha-Ben?
Should it still be a tradition now since there is no Temple right now and how many mohels are really legitimate Kohanim?
In addition what if a Jewish family is poor and cannot afford five silver coins?
Things like this turn-off many Jews from Judaism because it causes them to see religion as an organized scheme to steal them of their money.
--- End quote ---
Hi Maimonides,
With a name like that you should know that Pidyon Haben is not just a tradition.
It's one of the 613 commandments codified by the Rambam and in Rambam's Mishne Torah and Shulachan Aruch.. It's Jewish law.
It's also in the Torah so it's a Biblical commandment.
So it's something we really need to do whether we understand it or not and I don't believe the obligation to do it is annulled or changed in any way after the Temple is destroyed as the act is not really tied in any way to something that existed in the Temple.
It's quite obvious to anyone whose looked into it that it's not about getting peoples' money . It's a relatively rare event in a synagouge because a lot of requirements need to be met (C-section birth doesn't get one, first baby must be a boy etc.) and it's not that much money after all (about 60 bucks) plus the Kohen usually returns the coins to the father as a gift after the ceremony.
Anything in Judaism, or anything in any feild can seem stupid and become a turn-off or it can be very powerful and meaningful based on our perspective or how much we know about it.
Doing this is fulfiling a commandment of G-d and we are conncting to Him by doing what He wants, something that would never be possible had he not given us commandments like these.
There is also deeper meaning in the mitzvah if we are willing to look at it from the "inside" instead of just looking at it as an outsider.
A deeper meaning of this mitzvah is that we are meant to give our best (our firstborn) to the service of G-d. It means we need to use our greatest gifts talents and energies to fulfill our highest purposes, serving G-d, perfecting the world etc. and this really applies to everyone at all times.
Nobody is forcing anyone to do it if they don't see the value in it. We have free choice. Those who see the value in it are willing to pay for it.
Even a neccesary operation can seem vile and pointless to someone not at all familiar with medicine. Someone who know the benefits sees the importance and value and that's why they are willing to pay for it. Same thing here.
We do go to exta effort to find not just any Kohen, but a person who is known in the community to be a Kohen for at least three generations which gives him a legal presumption that he is a Kohen (They even found a genetic link between Kohanim, I heard).
Should we give up this holy commandment with all it's revealed and hidden benefits just because some who are not willing to look deeper into what's really going on will be turned off? I think the answer is pretty clear. Let's keep the commandment and educate ourselves and others about it instead.
P.S. You don't do it with the mohel or at the bris generally, you do it 31 days after birth.
Shlomo:
Rabbi Lubab,
What made you decide to be a Rabbi? Was there a certain event that happened in your life or did you make the decision over a long period of time?
-Shlomo
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