- How was everyone's experience thinking about Seder/Order?
- Something to think about (benefits of re-watching a movie seen many times already)...
- What does Vision mean when he says "Humans think order and chaos are somehow opposites and try to control what won't be..."?
New Topic: Charitzut - Determination
Rabbi Mendel of Satanov:
- A bird gets caught in a trap once, then knows to avoid it the next time.
- Alternatively, a dog goes toward the person who offers it food and runs away from someone who wields a stick.
- Humans also follow this instinctive path until they develop the freedom to intercede with the animal soul and look ahead to what may happen -- but most of us cannot distinguish clearly between what will be positive and what will be negative...
- One challenge in this is the need to make quick decisions, since most endeavors require speed, so that the appropriate time does not pass, and we need firmness (stubbornness?) so that we can overcome obstacles..
1. How do we make decisions about what will happen, so that we can prepare?
2. In what ways do we tend to 'get it wrong'?
3. What are the most common obstacles to achieving our goals?
(ה) מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת חָ֭רוּץ אַךְ־לְמוֹתָ֑ר וְכׇל־אָ֝֗ץ אַךְ־לְמַחְסֽוֹר׃
(5) The plans of the diligent make only for gain;
All rash haste makes only for loss.
All rash haste makes only for loss.
(א) מחשבות חרוץ. אדם ישר המתהלך באמת ובמשפט חרוץ: (ב) אך למותר. להצלחה ולריוח באות: (ג) וכל אץ. דוחק את השעה:
(1) The plans of a diligent person Heb. חרוץ, an honest person who walks in truth and according to the established judgment. (2) lead only to advantage They come to prosperity and profit. (3) whereas every hasty one One who forces the time.
R. Mendel of Satanov:
- A person who is knowledgable in one area confronts an unknown topic/phenomenon
- This person thinks, doubts, plans for a long time, with no resolution
- This person can think of reasons for one response or another, or the person delays days or even years and as a result loses out on any benefit.
- To illustrate the point: A person looks for a friend to study Torah, but the person delays and avoids due to obstacles...until the person that they wish to study with finds another study partner and the first has, as a result, lost a month or year of Torah study....Similarly, a person who has the opportunity to do a mitzvah...and the person delays until others take the opportunity to do the mitzvah...
- Clearly, previous experience does not always prepare us for unknown experiences, challenges, phenomena...
- Is R. Mendel suggesting we make our best guess/estimate and trust our 'gut'?
-'Homework' - Choose 1 task we've been delaying on/uncertain about and explore what about the task is causing us to delay and not to take an action?