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Friday

י"ט אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

Friday
י"ט אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

חיפוש בארכיון

259. Mussar (The study of self-perfection) (1)

The importance of learning Mussar is well-known and publicized, to the extent that when Chazal said “I created an evil inclination; I created Torah as an antidote!”, the commentators say that it refers to the learning of Mussar. As a general rule someone who does not learn Mussar regularly, will never have really experienced the fear of sin, and his ways will be perfect in his own eyes, and he will think in his heart that he is a fine upright Jew. Even if he hears words of Mussar or studies them once in a blue moon, it will have no effect on him at all, and about such a person it is said that “Wicked people are considered dead even when still alive!”, as they are like dead people who do not sense at all the fear and love of Hashem through the fire of the flame of Hashem to know what to do, and because of this they will not rejoice over the ability to fulfil the commandments of Hashem like someone who has found a vast treasure, nor do they mourn their sins like someone whose close relative has died and is lying in front of him, as really they should, and everything depends on the purity of the soul.

“My brothers and my nation, take this sefer Torah, and with this, and like this learn well, so that you should have it good; listen and enliven your soul, and achieve gladness and joy in this world and the world to come” (From the author’s intro.)