January 26, 2012
January 25, 2012
January 21, 2012
January 20, 2012
Your Willingness to Forgive Others Can Extend Your Life
Basically, what this states is that if you are willing to overlook the bad acts of others and to forgive other people for their sins, your life can be extended even past the time that G_d originally had planned for you.
SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
New Lease on Life
At times, the willingness to overlook and forgive can cause a person’s life on this world to be extended, even after Heaven has decreed that his time has come. The Talmud relates (Rosh Hashanah 17a):
R’ Huna, the son of R’ Yehoshua, fell ill. R’ Pappa went to visit him. Upon seeing that he was unconscious, R’ Pappa told them [R’ Huna’s attendants], “Prepare provisions for him [i.e. ready his burial shrouds].’’ In the end, R’ Huna recovered. They [R’ Huna’s attendants] asked him [R’ Huna], “What did you see [while unconscious]?’’ He told them, “Indeed, that is how it was [that death had been decreed upon me]. But the Holy One, Blessed is He, instructed them, ‘Because he does not exact his measure, therefore, do not be exacting with him.’ As it is written, ‘He forgives transgressions and passes over sins’ (Michah 7:18) — whose sin does He forgive? One who passes over sins.’’
Therefore, one should cling to this sacred attribute constantly. In this way, it will be good for him in this world and in the World to Come.
Chofetz Chiam: Confirming Suspicions & Dealing with Humiliation
A Lesson A Day
25 Teves, 5772 / January 20, 2012
SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
Day 115 – Confirming Suspicions
The Torah does not accept circumstantial evidence as proof of a person’s guilt. Thus, when one suspects an individual of improper behavior, he may not decide that his suspicions are correct based on the person’s reactions to accusations or other strange behavior that strongly points to his guilt.
Nevertheless if, in addition to the circumstantial evidence, such suspicions are subsequently supported by someone else’s claim to have actually witnessed the person engaging in such behavior, one does have the right to believe that his suspicions are correct.
However, to whatever degree possible, the listener is still obliged to judge the perpetrator favorably; he must seek to understand his motives and should not be swift to condemn him.
Moreover, one may not pass on the information without fulfilling the preconditions for relating negative information for a constructive purpose.
SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
Dealing with Humiliation
The author of Sefer Chareidim writes:
Whenever someone insults or humiliates me in public, I place a scale before my eyes: On one side are my sins, on the other side are the insults and humiliations which have been directed toward me. I see the side of my sins weighing down lower and lower, and I choose to bear my disgrace in silence and tell myself that I deserve it. I do this whenever faced with any sort of distress, be it through another’s word or deed (Sefer Chareidim 4:5).
The average person would prefer to suffer humiliation if this will prevent him from suffering monetary loss, as when his property is threatened by fire or other means of devastation. How much more should one be willing to suffer humiliation if this will save his soul from punishment? Certainly, then, one should react to humiliation with silent acceptance.
January 19, 2012
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January 15, 2012
January 14, 2012
January 13, 2012
January 12, 2012
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