Today, the Seventeenth day of Kislev, is the Yahrtzeit of one of the
Mussar Giants, (the Alter of Navardok). Set forth below is a sampling
of the words and deeds of this great Torah Personage (excerpted from
Sparks of Mussar by Rabbi Chaim Zaitchik).
1.
R Yosef Yozel entered into a discussion about Torah and Mussar with a
maskil in an inn. In the midst of the discussion, the maskil ordered
his servant to harness the horses and make ready for the journey. R
Yosef Yozel immediately stopped the conversation. Why? wondered the
maskil. I do not discuss things for the sake of discussion, replied R
Yosef Yozel, but for the sake of discovering the truth and acting upon
it. Now how can you order your servant to prepare for the trip you have
planned in advance? After all, it is possible that as a result of our
discussion you will have to embark on a new course! But from the order
to your servant, it is obvious that your mind is set, and our
discussion is just idle talk to pass the time. That is not my way of
doing things. And with that R Yosef Yozel got up and left.
2. To
a nonreligious person who came to ask him something, R Yosef Yozel
said, According to your words, you are a heretic, and I am forbidden to
speak to you. But I will prove to you that you have left the path of
Torah not because of intellectual conviction, but because of
materialistic desires.
3. I have always tried to rule out falseness from all my ways,
said R Yosef Yozel. And I pray to G-d to reveal the unbiased truth to
me.
4. Blessed is the man who relies on Hashem. The blessing is that not only does
he receive his material needs, but he also binds himself to Hashem through his
Bitachon--his faith.
5. If you see that someone came to the station after
the train he wanted already left, do not say that the man was late and missed
his train, but that he came early for the next train. For everything is in the
hands of Heaven.
6. Some people, said R Yosef Yozel, allow their minds to be a free hotel
open to all. Anyone who wishes can dump his trashy thoughts there. R Yosef
Yozel himself meticulously guarded the purity of his mind and soul.
7. A good Jew is not a taker, but a giver. The giver gets much more than the
receiver, for the receiver gets only something of limited monetary value,
whereas the giver acquires for himself a good and pure heart.
8. A person who has not worked to correct his midos is like a blind man who has
never seen light.
9. The inspiration that comes while learning Mussar is
like a flash of lightning at night. Although it lasts but a second, at least the
traveler will now be able to find his way.
10. A person who hesitates to climb spiritually because he is bound by habit is
like a peasant who is afraid to travel first class because he is used to
expectorating (colloquially known as spitting) freely.
11. A person who uses his mental ability solely for worldly pursuits instead of
for understanding the true Heavenly light is like a villager who finds a
magnificent sculpture and uses it as his scarecrow.
12. A person should
give up his whole future for today, so that he will not waste all his todays for
one tomorrow.
The Alters words were meant not only for himself and his
close students, but for each one of us, as well. There is much to learn from
each one of the above adages. Something to think about over Shabbos...
Important Numbers
