Friday, May 21, 2004
We continue our countdown to Mattan Torah with short daily quotes from Messilat Yesharim:
-- From Ch. 24
"You should fear and worry about what you are doing or are about to, lest there be or come to be something in it that is not fitting for G-d's honor, as we have explained above .... [and] you should constantly think about what you have *already* done, and fear and worry that some transgression might have unknowingly come your way."
"Only Moses found it easy to obtain this sort of fear, thanks to his great attachment to G-d, while others have certainly been greatly deterred by their corporeality. However, every pious person should try to achieve as much as possible."
-- From Ch. 25
"The only way to acquire this sort of fear is to contemplate two truisms: that G-d's Presence is found everywhere and that He involves Himself in everything, great and small. Nothing is hidden from Him, either because of its vastness or its insignificance. Whether a thing is great or small, scant or imposing, He constantly sees and understands it .... When it will become clear to you that wherever you are, you are standing before the Divine Presence, you will arrive at the fear and dread of stumbling in actions that would not be fitting before G-d's profound Glory."
"But this will only touch you personally if you constantly reflect upon and observe it. For this sort of thing is beyond our ordinary perceptions, and the mind can only grasp it after much meditation and contemplation. And even after it will have made an impression, that impression will be easily lost if you do not constantly work at it. Just as a lot of contemplation is the only way to attain constant fear of Heaven, diversion of attention (either purposeful, or because of external interference) or lack of concentration is the way to lose it. And all diversion of attention is a taking away from the state of constant fear of heaven."
"The fear of Heaven does not come naturally. In fact, it is very unnatural to us, because of the limited, this-worldly nature of our senses. It only comes to us with study. And the only kind of study that brings it to us is constant diligence in Torah and its path, which involves reflecting and meditating upon this at all times -- when you are relaxing, traveling, lying down, and awakening. The veracity of this -- that the Divine Presence is ever-present, and that we stand before G-d each and every moment -- must be set in your mind. Only then can you truly fear and revere G-d."
(c) 2004 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
You can always contact Rabbi Feldman at feldman@torah.org
May this series on Messilat Yesharim, which is offered in loving memory of my recently departed uncle, Chaim ben Avraham Stone a"h, serve as an aliyah for his neshama.
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Get your own copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” by logging onto http://www.aronson.com/jbookstore/ and typing in "The Gates of Repentance".
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has translated and commented upon "The Gates of Repentance", "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). And his new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available from Judaica Press.
His works are available in bookstores and in various locations on the Web.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled "Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal".
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-- From Ch. 24
"You should fear and worry about what you are doing or are about to, lest there be or come to be something in it that is not fitting for G-d's honor, as we have explained above .... [and] you should constantly think about what you have *already* done, and fear and worry that some transgression might have unknowingly come your way."
"Only Moses found it easy to obtain this sort of fear, thanks to his great attachment to G-d, while others have certainly been greatly deterred by their corporeality. However, every pious person should try to achieve as much as possible."
-- From Ch. 25
"The only way to acquire this sort of fear is to contemplate two truisms: that G-d's Presence is found everywhere and that He involves Himself in everything, great and small. Nothing is hidden from Him, either because of its vastness or its insignificance. Whether a thing is great or small, scant or imposing, He constantly sees and understands it .... When it will become clear to you that wherever you are, you are standing before the Divine Presence, you will arrive at the fear and dread of stumbling in actions that would not be fitting before G-d's profound Glory."
"But this will only touch you personally if you constantly reflect upon and observe it. For this sort of thing is beyond our ordinary perceptions, and the mind can only grasp it after much meditation and contemplation. And even after it will have made an impression, that impression will be easily lost if you do not constantly work at it. Just as a lot of contemplation is the only way to attain constant fear of Heaven, diversion of attention (either purposeful, or because of external interference) or lack of concentration is the way to lose it. And all diversion of attention is a taking away from the state of constant fear of heaven."
"The fear of Heaven does not come naturally. In fact, it is very unnatural to us, because of the limited, this-worldly nature of our senses. It only comes to us with study. And the only kind of study that brings it to us is constant diligence in Torah and its path, which involves reflecting and meditating upon this at all times -- when you are relaxing, traveling, lying down, and awakening. The veracity of this -- that the Divine Presence is ever-present, and that we stand before G-d each and every moment -- must be set in your mind. Only then can you truly fear and revere G-d."
(c) 2004 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
You can always contact Rabbi Feldman at feldman@torah.org
May this series on Messilat Yesharim, which is offered in loving memory of my recently departed uncle, Chaim ben Avraham Stone a"h, serve as an aliyah for his neshama.
********************************
Get your own copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” by logging onto http://www.aronson.com/jbookstore/ and typing in "The Gates of Repentance".
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has translated and commented upon "The Gates of Repentance", "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). And his new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available from Judaica Press.
His works are available in bookstores and in various locations on the Web.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled "Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal".
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