Jewish Spiritual Practices Quotes

“The point is that everything great and small happens by Divine Providence, and that even these small afflictions are sent from God as punishment, to get our attention, and that they too can make atonement for us.”
― Yitzhak Buxbaum, Jewish Spiritual Practices

“A person should be grateful to the Holy One, blessed be He, when afflictions come upon him. Why? Because these afflictions draw a man to God. (Tanhuma, Ki Taitzai, 2) A person should rejoice when afflictions come upon him more so than when good comes to him. Because when good comes to you, sins are not forgiven; but when you receive afflictions [with love], your sins are forgiven. (Sifre, V’etchanan, 32)”
― Yitzhak Buxbaum, Jewish Spiritual Practices

“15:4:4 The main purpose of learning and involvement in Torah study is to make yourself into a throne for the Divine Presence. When you are dirty with all kinds of sins and transgressions then the Shechinah can’t come to rest on you because each and every sin is like a thorn that hurts Her. To remove this obstacle, confess your sins before you begin to learn Torah. (Kav ha-Yashar, chap. 53)”
― Yitzhak Buxbaum, Jewish Spiritual Practices

“Greet everyone warmly, and greet them first. Do not ignore others or pretend that you do not see them. The rabbis teach: Receive everyone warmly and with joy. (Avot 1:15, 3:16) Always be first in greeting all men with the blessing of peace. (Avot 4:22)”
― Yitzhak Buxbaum, Jewish Spiritual Practices

“When you are with a fellow man, say to yourself, “I am going to fulfill the commandment of ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ with this very person now.” For the Baal Shem Tov taught that love your neighbor meant that you are to love the person you are with at the moment.”
― Yitzhak Buxbaum, Jewish Spiritual Practices

“This also is for good. Everything that the Merciful One does, He does for good. If this is good in His eyes, how much more so in mine. Blessed is God (Baruch HaShem). Praise God. God-willing. Such was God’s will. With God’s help. May this [affliction] be an atonement for me.”
― Yitzhak Buxbaum, Jewish Spiritual Practices