Faithful Deeds

Yeh... this is why I hate cleaning the kitchen... always needing to be cleaned! Never ever does it have more than an hour of clean. When things are always not able to have a finish, I'm less likely to enjoy them. Giving my 100% all, isn't in the clean kitchen because the kitchen cannot ever be 100% its all! So, what in my life can reach 100% that makes me want to give 100%? There is only one thing that completes me. Torah study. The examination, the findings, the questions, the layers of repeated ideals... that's when I'm 100% full engaged and getting 100% or more back from it to add to my life to use now and again in the future.. Reply

Soulful Deeds A deed performed with the wrong intention is like a body without a soul.
A spiritual deed is defined by it's intention.

Before every deed we need to ask the question:
"For whose benefit am I doing this deed?"

Instinctively we have a hidden agenda to benefit myself. The ego cunningly justifies the act as being for the benefit of the other.

It is doubtful if we can be soulful until our nature adopts a spiritual form. Reply

Chana, I agree There is so much further to go in observance...and my growth is so slow...I cannot hope to be doing everything in the time allotted me.

I thought I was almost shomer Shabbos. But a friend (my chevrusa) gave me a book that has hundreds of stringencies that I never heard of. I cannot even remember them all, much less do them. It's so discouraging.

How can I even think of trying to climb the endless ladder in this book:? And that's concerning only the one mitzvah of becoming shomer Shabbos. It turns out that despite all the things I've stopped doing, I'm nowhere near keeping Shabbos.

It was really really difficult to stop driving. I'm now a non-participant in the (always Saturday) birthday celebrations of my brother's grandchildren.

How can my friend have thought this book would help me???

At this point it's all I can do to maintain mitzvos I've gained so far. But it does not seem worthwhile to do ten more mitzvos when there are thousands more needing doing. Reply

'trying to stay positive' to Chana from Scranton - your comment made me feel so thankful that this daily dose is a wonderful reminder to take time to think an action through well, and only then, proceed to do it. to me personally, it has nothing to do with doing things perfectly! Reply

Trying to stay positive To begin something with a positive view and keep going with faith.......its not an easy task, with so many tasks to do.

Being a Baal Teshuva, even though I am trying to do things everyday in the "right way" I am making mistakes all the time. The thing that worries me, is that no matter what I do , I may not achieve a 100% in all I am obligated to do, and In the end the Heavenly court will find many things I did wrong....and I will have to go through the purification process .......it feels impossible to stay positive sometimes when I know I will never get an A in everything I do. In fact , its scares me to know that no matter how much I grow, I may not have acheived my "expected" potential. Maybe this time around I did much worse than in my last life...I may have added more since. How can I know? Reply

Thank you for posting this article Rabbi Tzi. Always trust in God and never doubt your faith. Reply

Simply Great! Simply great saying! Reply

Faithful Deeds Dear Chabad,
Thank you for these words of wisdom. I hope to apply it in my life. Reply

This is so true... What a wonderful saying. Reply

This is excellent advice. Now where do I find advice on how to make myself assimilate excellent advice? Reply