Proper Outlook on Life and Religious Cognizance: Difference between revisions
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# | ==Involvement in the physical world== | ||
# Even the permissible actions such as eating, drinking, walking, sitting, standing, relations, speech, and all of a person’s needs should be done for the service of Hashem or for something that causes a service of Hashem. | # Even within the permissible activities that could be pleasurable, a person shouldn’t intend to get benefit and pleasure physically from this world but rather in order to serve Hashem as it says “BeChol Darchecha DaEhu” – “In all your ways you shall know Him”. All man’s endeavors should be for the sake of heaven. <ref> S"A 231 </ref> | ||
# A man who is hungry and thirsty and eats and drinks for his benefit isn’t praised, however, one should think that one is eating and drinking according to one’s health in order to serve Hashem. | # Even the permissible actions such as eating, drinking, walking, sitting, standing, relations, speech, and all of a person’s needs should be done for the service of Hashem or for something that causes a service of Hashem. <ref> S"A 231 </ref> | ||
# A man who is hungry and thirsty and eats and drinks for his benefit isn’t praised, however, one should think that one is eating and drinking according to one’s health in order to serve Hashem. <ref> S"A 231 </ref> | |||
## Some pious people used to say before they ate that they were eating in order to be health and strong in to serve Hashem Yitbarach. <Ref>Mishna Brurah 231:5 </ref> | ## Some pious people used to say before they ate that they were eating in order to be health and strong in to serve Hashem Yitbarach. <Ref>Mishna Brurah 231:5 </ref> | ||
# Similarly, one who sits amongst upright people, stands with Tzaddikim, or follows advice of the pure, if one does so for one’s pleasure and in order to fill one’s desires it’s not praiseworthy, however, one who does for the sake of Heaven is praised. | # Similarly, one who sits amongst upright people, stands with Tzaddikim, or follows advice of the pure, if one does so for one’s pleasure and in order to fill one’s desires it’s not praiseworthy, however, one who does for the sake of Heaven is praised. <ref> S"A 231 </ref> | ||
# Similarly, regarding sleep, it’s needless to say that at a time when one could learn or do מצות that a person shouldn’t indulge in sleep for pleasure, but even at a time when one is tired and needs to sleep in order to rest from one’s exhaust, if one does so for pleasure one is not praised, rather one should intend to sleep and proper rest to be healthy so that one’s mind isn’t unsettled and unable to study Torah because of one’s tiredness. | # Similarly, regarding sleep, it’s needless to say that at a time when one could learn or do מצות that a person shouldn’t indulge in sleep for pleasure, but even at a time when one is tired and needs to sleep in order to rest from one’s exhaust, if one does so for pleasure one is not praised, rather one should intend to sleep and proper rest to be healthy so that one’s mind isn’t unsettled and unable to study Torah because of one’s tiredness. <ref> S"A 231 </ref> | ||
# Similarly, relations mentioned in Torah, if done with intent is to fulfill one’s pleasure, that’s disgraceful, if one intends to have children to serve him and fill his place, that’s not praiseworthy, rather one should intend to have children that will serve Hashem or intend to fulfill the mitzvah just like repaying a debt. | # Similarly, relations mentioned in Torah, if done with intent is to fulfill one’s pleasure, that’s disgraceful, if one intends to have children to serve him and fill his place, that’s not praiseworthy, rather one should intend to have children that will serve Hashem or intend to fulfill the mitzvah just like repaying a debt. <ref> S"A 231 </ref> | ||
# Similarly in speech, even speech of wisdom one must have intent for the service of Hashem or something that leads to His service. | # Similarly in speech, even speech of wisdom one must have intent for the service of Hashem or something that leads to His service. | ||
# The general rule is that a person is obligated to pay attention on his ways and to weight his actions with the scales of intellect, and when one sees something that leads to the service of Hashem, do it, and if not, don’t do it. Someone who practices these guidelines serves Hashem all the time. | # The general rule is that a person is obligated to pay attention on his ways and to weight his actions with the scales of intellect, and when one sees something that leads to the service of Hashem, do it, and if not, don’t do it. Someone who practices these guidelines serves Hashem all the time.<ref> S"A 231 </ref> | ||
# | == Cognizance of the Creator== | ||
# One should think “שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד” meaning, "Hashem is before me always" and it should remind us to act in the proper way (with fear of heaven) at all times and places. <Ref>This is the Rama's (1:1) first comment on Shulchan Aruch. </ref> | |||
==Fulfilling the 6 constant mitzvot== | |||
# There are six mitzvot which one is constantly obligated in fulfilling by thinking about them at all times: 1)Belief in Hashem, 2)Believing there is no other god 3)Hashem is one 4)Love of Hashem, 5)Fear of Hashem, and 6)Not straying after the sights of one's eyes (inappropriate sights) and the thoughts of one's heart (which contradict Torah values). <ref>Biur Halacha 1:1 D"H Hu quoting from Sefer HaChinuch's introduction. </ref> Some explain that this doesn't obligate us to actually think about fulfilling these mitzvot all the time but rather that whenever one does think about these mitzvot one fulfills a mitzvah or alternatively by acting in the proper way with a sense of fear of heaven and faith (as above) one fulfills these constant mitzvot. <ref>Piskei Teshuvot 1:3 </ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 09:58, 15 June 2011
Involvement in the physical world
- Even within the permissible activities that could be pleasurable, a person shouldn’t intend to get benefit and pleasure physically from this world but rather in order to serve Hashem as it says “BeChol Darchecha DaEhu” – “In all your ways you shall know Him”. All man’s endeavors should be for the sake of heaven. [1]
- Even the permissible actions such as eating, drinking, walking, sitting, standing, relations, speech, and all of a person’s needs should be done for the service of Hashem or for something that causes a service of Hashem. [2]
- A man who is hungry and thirsty and eats and drinks for his benefit isn’t praised, however, one should think that one is eating and drinking according to one’s health in order to serve Hashem. [3]
- Some pious people used to say before they ate that they were eating in order to be health and strong in to serve Hashem Yitbarach. [4]
- Similarly, one who sits amongst upright people, stands with Tzaddikim, or follows advice of the pure, if one does so for one’s pleasure and in order to fill one’s desires it’s not praiseworthy, however, one who does for the sake of Heaven is praised. [5]
- Similarly, regarding sleep, it’s needless to say that at a time when one could learn or do מצות that a person shouldn’t indulge in sleep for pleasure, but even at a time when one is tired and needs to sleep in order to rest from one’s exhaust, if one does so for pleasure one is not praised, rather one should intend to sleep and proper rest to be healthy so that one’s mind isn’t unsettled and unable to study Torah because of one’s tiredness. [6]
- Similarly, relations mentioned in Torah, if done with intent is to fulfill one’s pleasure, that’s disgraceful, if one intends to have children to serve him and fill his place, that’s not praiseworthy, rather one should intend to have children that will serve Hashem or intend to fulfill the mitzvah just like repaying a debt. [7]
- Similarly in speech, even speech of wisdom one must have intent for the service of Hashem or something that leads to His service.
- The general rule is that a person is obligated to pay attention on his ways and to weight his actions with the scales of intellect, and when one sees something that leads to the service of Hashem, do it, and if not, don’t do it. Someone who practices these guidelines serves Hashem all the time.[8]
Cognizance of the Creator
- One should think “שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד” meaning, "Hashem is before me always" and it should remind us to act in the proper way (with fear of heaven) at all times and places. [9]
Fulfilling the 6 constant mitzvot
- There are six mitzvot which one is constantly obligated in fulfilling by thinking about them at all times: 1)Belief in Hashem, 2)Believing there is no other god 3)Hashem is one 4)Love of Hashem, 5)Fear of Hashem, and 6)Not straying after the sights of one's eyes (inappropriate sights) and the thoughts of one's heart (which contradict Torah values). [10] Some explain that this doesn't obligate us to actually think about fulfilling these mitzvot all the time but rather that whenever one does think about these mitzvot one fulfills a mitzvah or alternatively by acting in the proper way with a sense of fear of heaven and faith (as above) one fulfills these constant mitzvot. [11]
