Aug. 22, 2023

Unlocking the Power of Small Spiritual Commitments: 5 Kabbalos To Consider Making for the Holy Month of Elul

Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Amazon Music podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon Amazon Music podcast player icon
Season 5

Can you imagine the impact on your spiritual journey if you made small, consistent commitments? That's the potency of Kabbalos - spiritual duties - which we explore in this episode, especially their role during the holy month of Elul. Drawing wisdom from Rehav Mattisyahu Solomon and Rav Meir Stern, we discuss how these small commitments can lead to significant victories without overwhelming oneself. Rav Meir Stern offers profound advice on changing habits to overcome sin, advocating for step-by-step changes rather than radical, all-at-once attempts.

We also share five practical Kabbalos to incorporate into your everyday routine. From a bedtime routine that sets the tone for a more productive day to mindful screen time, these suggestions are designed to foster a deeper connection with Hashem. We will also look at how to harness the power of focus and mind control, as the Alter of Kelm taught, to enhance Torah study. And remember, the beauty in Aleinu awaits those who infuse intentionality into their prayers. So, are you ready to make a transformative Kabbalah commitment this Elul? Tune in and take that first step with us.

Support the Show.

Join the WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content! JOIN HERE
----------------

----------------

Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com



WEBVTT

00:00:01.983 --> 00:00:10.723
The following topic and call to action is backed by hundreds of years of tradition, if not thousands.

00:00:10.723 --> 00:00:33.411
It is a topic that the literature on it seems to be never ending, and some of the greatest men of our generation have called the following item following entity the go to and fool proof method for maximizing the potent power that is latent in the holy month of Elul.

00:00:33.411 --> 00:00:54.468
It is the topic of cabalos, spiritual commitments, a small little commitment that we can make to take on an extra action in our days to help gain a victory and to prove triumphant on the upcoming and impending day of judgment.

00:00:54.468 --> 00:01:01.531
There are two halachos to keep in mind from two great rabbis about the topic of making cabalos.

00:01:01.531 --> 00:01:09.572
Number one comes from the great Rehav Matessio Solomon, the Lakewood Mashiach, who told us that don't make a cabalos that is too large.

00:01:09.572 --> 00:01:17.278
That will immediately fall apart, although it's exciting at the beginning, for it will not remain enduring and successful.

00:01:17.278 --> 00:01:21.248
But cut it in half, whatever it is that you had in mind and start there.

00:01:21.248 --> 00:01:34.912
Furthermore, the great Rehav Mairstern, the Rosh Hashiva and the Muayra Da'astra, the great leader of the town of Pseic, new Jersey, clifton, new Jersey and few towns are Mashiach, their great Torah leader like Pseic.

00:01:34.912 --> 00:01:58.710
Well, rehav Mairstern told us that in this great way, if you are trying to overcome your certain addictiveness, your stuckness to sin of maybe eating non-kosher, so don't make a commitment not to just give it up all of a sudden If there is that certain restaurant, make a commitment that you are not going to walk on that street.

00:01:58.710 --> 00:02:05.206
He said, tipish, don't walk down the street but take a different route, and perhaps that will be your successful cabala.

00:02:05.206 --> 00:02:11.592
With that in mind, here is five different cabalos that you can perhaps endeavor to take and add to your schedule.

00:02:11.592 --> 00:02:18.847
I tried gathering these from smarter people than I, and they have some rabbinic backing and there is some depth through it.

00:02:18.847 --> 00:02:19.990
Perhaps they will be helpful.

00:02:19.990 --> 00:02:20.521
Here we go.

00:02:20.521 --> 00:02:21.626
Let's jump in number one.

00:02:21.826 --> 00:02:26.145
It isn't by coincidence that we are told that the Jewish day begins at night time.

00:02:26.145 --> 00:02:30.256
My Rasheeva always begins the beginning of Elosvah with the same talk.

00:02:30.256 --> 00:02:34.908
If you want to wake up in the right mindset and have a good day, well then have a good night.

00:02:34.908 --> 00:02:49.769
Make yourself a bedtime, change into your pajamas, pjs or jammies and grab yourself a nice book, a Torah book, your kriyashima alamita.

00:02:49.769 --> 00:02:58.953
Think good thoughts, go to sleep on time, with a certain orderliness, and then, hopefully, you will wake up refreshed and ready to roll.

00:02:58.953 --> 00:03:01.867
So a cabala for a good bedtime is our first one.

00:03:01.867 --> 00:03:08.768
A second one Well, revitzchak Berkowitz said one of the first things we don't know about technology is just how much time we actually spend on it.

00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:14.540
Set up a screen time on your phone so you won't get distracted and just scrolling through your phone.

00:03:14.540 --> 00:03:22.460
Great, more time by making a screen time on your phone, a schedule, and perhaps this will be our second practical cabala.

00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:23.563
Lastly, sorry.

00:03:23.563 --> 00:03:25.008
Thirdly, another cabala.

00:03:25.449 --> 00:03:33.966
The altar of Kalim said that it is imperative that we have mind control to be able to stay focused on a topic for more than five minutes to be successful in our Torah study.

00:03:33.966 --> 00:03:49.846
So, in order to master the art of mind control, see how many times you can think about something and then you become distracted and then you can come back to that item, that little workout, that concentration gym of coming back to the thought at hand.

00:03:49.846 --> 00:03:52.151
That builds up your mind control muscle.

00:03:52.151 --> 00:03:57.252
So a cabala for this and your commute in the morning try to get through kriyashima, the first paragraph.

00:03:57.252 --> 00:03:59.907
Shema ishama, ishama kina, masama khadbiya, hafta ishama l'kecha.

00:03:59.907 --> 00:04:09.622
See how many times probably more than 40 or 50 times happens to me that I get distracted and then you can keep coming back to thinking and just translating and meditating on the words of kriyashima.

00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:16.473
Fourth, take a healthy walk for 15 minutes a day and put your headphones in and listen to us here.

00:04:16.473 --> 00:04:29.946
When you join together the healthy walk, it has a certain relaxness about it, a certain opening up of the senses of the mind, a socialness, a certain calmness, and when you put some Torah in it can be really rejuvenating.

00:04:29.946 --> 00:04:31.230
That's our fourth cabala.

00:04:31.230 --> 00:04:36.899
Fifth, lastly, have some intention when you say aleinu at the end of davanin.

00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:42.057
It's packed with so many famous ideas, seems to summarize a lot of tefila.

00:04:42.057 --> 00:04:52.488
And when you make a cabala commitment to say aleinu with intention, with concentration, it helps you also to stay the whole davanin until the end, to really close the deal.

00:04:52.488 --> 00:05:01.980
So here it is, five cabalos you can make today to improve your connection to Hashem and take full advantage of the holy month of elul.