| Greetings!
This is the eighth in a series of weekly middah emails that the Mussar
Leadership madrichim will be sending over the summer. We hope that
these messages will support you in your practice until we beginning
meeting again in the fall.
We appreciate hearing your comments.
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Steps to Practice
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Step 8
Study Torah daily - Tanach, Talmud, or the works of Jewish spiritual writers. Examine these texts through the lens of your middah. (This week's parsha, Va'ethanan, with teachings on the Sh'ma, tefilin, mezuzot, and the Ten Commandments is a great place to begin.) |
| Middah |
Frugality | Keemutz| קְמּוּץ
Be careful with your money. Do not spend even a penny needlessly.
(Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Satanov, Chesbon HaNefesh). |
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Pasukim
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A pasuk (plural, pasukim) is a scriptual verse. It is a good practice to find a pasuk that reminds you of your middah and repeat it (or sing it, if
possible) to help in cultivating that character trait. Here are some possible pasukim for this week's middah - Keemutz (Frugality).
Isaiah 55:2 Why spend your hard-earned money on something
that will not satisfy? לָמָּה תִשְׁקְלוּ-כֶסֶף
בְּלוֹא-לֶחֶם, וִיגִיעֲכֶם בְּלוֹא לְשָׂבְעָה
Proverbs 20:21 There is desirable treasure and olive oil in the
dwelling of the wise, but a foolish person devours all he has. .אוֹצָר, נֶחְמָד
וָשֶׁמֶן--בִּנְוֵה חָכָם; וּכְסִיל
אָדָם יְבַלְּעֶנּוּ
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Torah Portion
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Va'ethanan
(Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)
The Shabbat which immediately follows Tisha B'Av is called Shabbat
Nachamu - Shabbat of Consolation. It gets its name from the haftarah
which begins with the words Nachamu, nachamu ami - "Console, console my
people"
(Isaiah 40:1). This haftarah is the first of
the "seven consolations" - the seven haftarot which are read on the
seven Sabbaths following The Ninth of Av.
Parshah Va'ethanan includes a repetition of the Ten Commandments, and the verses of the Sh'ma which declare the fundamentals of the Jewish faith: the unity of God ("Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one"); the mitzvot to love God, study His Torah, and to bind "these words" as tefillin on our arms and heads, and to inscribe them in the mezuzot affixed on the doorposts of our homes.
One connection between this week's parsha ( Va'ethanan) and middah (Frugality) can be found in the Tenth Commandment: "You shall not covet... anything of your fellows." Though at first it seems that the Tenth Commandment is less about theological principles and social morals than the other nine, it is in fact closely related to the First Commandment. Those who covet the goods and possessions of
others make that very desire a god in itself. Why? Because it places
the desire to satisfy the self ahead of the true God who forbids this
practice. Therefore, coveting violates both the tenth and the first commandments. We are taught in Avot 4:1, "Ben Zoma says:... Who is rich? Those who are happy with their lot, as it is said: When you eat of the labor of your hands, you are praiseworthy and all is well with you (Psalms 128:2). You are praiseworthy -- in this world; and all is well with you -- in the World to Come. |
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Mussar Leadership classes will resume meeting at Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. For more information about who we are, visit our website.
Sincerely,
The Madrichim
Mussar Leadership
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