Growing Each Day - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

historyteach · 03-05-2005, 03:04 AM

Growing Each Day

By Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski

"If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it.â€

â€” Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 4b

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us that is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!

TODAY I SHALL ...
... try to avoid striving for material excesses, and increase my efforts to provide my soul with spiritual nourishment."

Gratefully taken from http://www.jewishworldreview.com/

Each Sabbath, we stop pursuit for material gains and focus on the growth of our spirits; our knowledge of G*D; and G*D's will for us. Each week, this day of rest is a means to escape the rat race and rejoice in the blessing I have; to slow down and be grateful; to focus on what is real in this life;and to feed our souls. It is a day that I have come to appreciate more and more...
Shabbat Shalom!
(Peace on the Sabbath!)

Hopefloats · 03-06-2005, 07:58 AM

LOVED this Teach...Great share....and as we know we can think once we graduate from school, we will be happy. THEN we add college to the list to complete us. THEN we may say OH once we are married with kids..my happiness will be. THEN we want the house with the little white fence...and suddenly we find that ALL of those things were not what our happiness is really about.

TO keep wanting more and more is to keep trying to fill that void. We can only fill that avoid by filling UP our inside. By nurturing our spirit and our soul and becoming one with God..
At least that is what works for me.
Love,
Hopefloats

historyteach · 03-07-2005, 07:31 PM

Me too, Hope...
Me too.

Shalom!

**Ann** · 03-07-2005, 08:29 PM

I love this too, Teach. In hindsight, many of my happiest moment in life came when I had nothing. When I got my first job, working for peanuts and was just beginning life's journey as an adult, I felt happy and free and had fun doing things that didn't cost much. I think I knew then that it didn't really matter how much money I had, that if I could be happy broke then I could be happy no matter what.

My mother always taught me that the measure of a person had nothing to do with how rich they were, or how beautiful, but how beautiful their heart was. The things I value most in life are from the heart.

Hugs
Ann

CAPTAINZING2000 · 03-07-2005, 08:36 PM

U had a great mother

**Ann** · 03-07-2005, 08:40 PM

Yes I did, Zing. She was one terrific lady, indeed.

Hugs
Ann

Foreknown7 · 03-09-2005, 03:27 PM

The assertion to fill the void by "becomming one with God" assumes we are not "one" with or "right" with Him to begin with.

How does one become one with God?

How does one achieve righteousness(rightstanding with God)?

What is nurishment for the soul? what is it to nuture the soul?
What about our spirit?

historyteach · 03-09-2005, 03:53 PM

Foreknown;
You say this:
"What is nurishment for the soul? what is it to nuture the soul?
What about our spirit?"
I ask...With all due respect...
Is there a difference?

Search for the ONE...
By whatever noun you may use...
Search...
With love...
Shalom!

03-05-2005, 03:04 AM	#1 (permalink)
historyteach To Life! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 9,303	Growing Each Day Growing Each Day By Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski "If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it.â€ â€” Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 4b Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss. People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10). The one part of us that is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth. How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs! TODAY I SHALL ... ... try to avoid striving for material excesses, and increase my efforts to provide my soul with spiritual nourishment." Gratefully taken from http://www.jewishworldreview.com/ Each Sabbath, we stop pursuit for material gains and focus on the growth of our spirits; our knowledge of GD; and GD's will for us. Each week, this day of rest is a means to escape the rat race and rejoice in the blessing I have; to slow down and be grateful; to focus on what is real in this life;and to feed our souls. It is a day that I have come to appreciate more and more... Shabbat Shalom! (Peace on the Sabbath!) __________________ IMAGINE

03-07-2005, 07:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
historyteach To Life! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 9,303	Me too, Hope... Me too. Shalom! __________________ IMAGINE

03-07-2005, 08:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ann Forum Leader Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: By The Lake Posts: 25,172	I love this too, Teach. In hindsight, many of my happiest moment in life came when I had nothing. When I got my first job, working for peanuts and was just beginning life's journey as an adult, I felt happy and free and had fun doing things that didn't cost much. I think I knew then that it didn't really matter how much money I had, that if I could be happy broke then I could be happy no matter what. My mother always taught me that the measure of a person had nothing to do with how rich they were, or how beautiful, but how beautiful their heart was. The things I value most in life are from the heart. Hugs Ann __________________ “Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ~Winnie the Pooh~

03-07-2005, 08:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
CAPTAINZING2000 Psalm 118:24 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: ILLINOIS Posts: 9,445 Blog Entries: 1	U had a great mother __________________ LIFE IS GOD'S GIFT TO YOU WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE IS YOUR GIFT TO GOD J - Jesus first O - Others next Y - Yourself last John 14:6

03-07-2005, 08:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
Ann Forum Leader Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: By The Lake Posts: 25,172	Yes I did, Zing. She was one terrific lady, indeed. Hugs Ann __________________ “Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ~Winnie the Pooh~

03-06-2005, 07:58 AM	#2 (permalink)
Hopefloats Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: With Good Spirit Posts: 378	LOVED this Teach...Great share....and as we know we can think once we graduate from school, we will be happy. THEN we add college to the list to complete us. THEN we may say OH once we are married with kids..my happiness will be. THEN we want the house with the little white fence...and suddenly we find that ALL of those things were not what our happiness is really about. TO keep wanting more and more is to keep trying to fill that void. We can only fill that avoid by filling UP our inside. By nurturing our spirit and our soul and becoming one with God.. At least that is what works for me. Love, Hopefloats

03-09-2005, 03:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
Foreknown7 Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Indpls. In. Posts: 2	The assertion to fill the void by "becomming one with God" assumes we are not "one" with or "right" with Him to begin with. How does one become one with God? How does one achieve righteousness(rightstanding with God)? What is nurishment for the soul? what is it to nuture the soul? What about our spirit?

03-09-2005, 03:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
historyteach To Life! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 9,303	Foreknown; You say this: "What is nurishment for the soul? what is it to nuture the soul? What about our spirit?" I ask...With all due respect... Is there a difference? Search for the ONE... By whatever noun you may use... Search... With love... Shalom! __________________ IMAGINE

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