Purim: Self Nullification and Fixing the Original Sin

Notes from https://soundcloud.com/shlomo-katz/purim-w-rav-kluger-3-the-sneaky-klipa-of-haman-rav-shlomo-katz

The underlying blemish behind the original sin that the snake convinced us of was injecting within us a G-d complex, a belief that I'm the master of my own universe and I don't need G-d. Haman the Amelaki knew that he had mastered the G-d complex discipline when he saw people (in particular, Jews) bowing down to him.

People who try to imbue their lives with holiness have to be vigilant about not falling into the trap of the G-d complex, perhaps even more so than other people. To quote Rav Katz, there are those who "carve G-d into their schedules, but not out of their schedules". One of the most insidious ways that Haman and Amalek can inject their venom is to convince us to worship like a slave rather than a servant. A slave's relationship with his master is a forced relationship bound by external factors, whereas a servant chooses the relationship for his own benefit.

I can try to achieve ישוב הדעת by setting up my schedule so that I go to the mikveh, I learn daf yomi, I daven netz, I have a lunchtime havruta, etc... But how do I react if something interrupts my schedule? What if I'm asked to say tehilim for soldiers at the expense of my schedule? If I get to a doctor's office and I see there a chumash that's not containing this week's parsha, or I see a volume of Talmud that's not what I'm learning in daf yomi do I decide not to open the book because it's not what I'm learning?

This is called ישוב הדעת של קליפה. I need to be vigilant to recognize this קליפה and to deal with it when it attacks. Many times G-d has lovingly sent those closest to me to inform me that this קליפה has attacked me. My response must of course include flexibility but with the balance of not completely throwing away my schedule.