אגרת הרמב"ן

"Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and do not forsake the teachings of your mother." (Proverbs 1:8)

(3) You shall each revere his mother and his father, and keep My sabbaths: I the LORD am your God.

(16) Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may long endure, and that you may fare well, in the land that the LORD your God is assigning to you.

Accustom yourself to always speak all of your words calmly, to every man and at every time. In doing so you will prevent your anger from flaring, which is a bad attribute in a man which may cause him to sin. And accordingly said our Rabbis, may their memories be a blessing: (Nedarim 22a) "Anyone who gets angry - all of Gehinnom holds sway over him, as it says: (Kohelet 11:10) 'And remove the anger from your heart, and take away the bad from your flesh', and 'bad' can only mean Gehinnom, as it says (Proverbs 16:4): 'And the sinner, he too, will have his day of bad'."

(136) ANGER: Let us now discuss anger. There is an anger-prone person about which our sages said: "whoever gets angry is as if he worships idols" (Zohar Korach daf 179, Rambam Deos 2:3, Shab.105b). This person gets angry on anything that is done against his will. He becomes filled with wrath till his heart is no longer with him and his judgment is lost.

(140) There is another type even less than this. This person is difficult to anger and his anger does not damage and destroy. Rather, it is a small anger. How long does his anger last? It lasts only an instant and not more. From the time his anger's natural stirring is roused till the time his understanding rises up against it. This is what our sages, of blessed memory, referred to saying: "difficult to anger and easy to appease". Behold, certainly this is a good portion, for it is human nature to be roused to anger and if one overpowers it so that even at the moment of anger itself, it will not ignite much and he overcomes it so that even this small amount of anger does not linger within him for a long time, rather it quickly passes and goes away - he is certainly worthy of praise.

Reish Lakish said: Any person who becomes angry, if he is a scholar, his wisdom departs from him, if he is a prophet, his prophecy departs from him. If he is a scholar his wisdom departs from him, from Moses, as it is written: “And Moses became angry with the officers of the host, (Numbers 31:14). And it is written: “And Elazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle: This is the statute of the law, which the Lord commanded Moses” (Numbers 31:21), by inference that had become hidden from Moses due to his anger.

...and you see people that when they are upset, and strengthen their anger,they don't pay attention to what they are doing, and do things hat they would never do if they weren't upset. Because the anger removes the intellect from the person, until he is consumed by the anger, and he enters into quarrels. Therefore, one who is angry cannot control himself from sinning..... However, if one's intellect overcomes his anger, and he doesn't speak or act out of rage, he can then be recognized for his wisdom.

When you will have freed yourself from anger, the quality of humility will enter your heart which is the best of all good traits, as is written(Mishlei 22:4), "The consequence of humility is fear of G-d."

In the wake of humility: As a consequence of humility, fear of the Lord comes. Another explanation: Humility is the main attribute, and fear is secondary to it and a “heel” to it, a mat for its feet.

Through humility you will also come to fear God. It will cause you to always think about (Pirkei Avot 3:1) "where you came from and where you are going," and that while alive you are only like a maggot and a worm as after death, and before Whom you will eventually stand for judgment, the Glorious King, as it is written (Chronicles II, 6, 18) "Even the heaven and the heavens of heaven cannot contain You" -- "How much less the hearts of people!"(Mishlei 15:11), It is also written (Jeremiah 23:24), "Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord."

(10) The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD; all who practice it gain sound understanding. Praise of Him is everlasting.

(1) A song of ascents. Happy are all who fear the LORD, who follow His ways. (2) You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors; you shall be happy and you shall prosper.

When you think about all these things, you will come to fear God who created you, and you will protect yourself from sinning and thereby be happy with whatever happens to you. Also, when you act humbly and modestly before everyone, and fear God and sin, the radiance of His glory and the spirit of the Shechina (Divine Presence) will rest upon you, and you will live the life of the World to Come!

In the hour that the the King Messiah comes, he stands on the roof of the Temple, makes himself heard to all of Israel and says:
"Humb​le ones, humble ones, the time of your redemptio​n has arrived, and if you do not believe this, look at my light that is shining."​

It it is shining just on you, and not on idol worshipers, as it says: "behold the darkness shall cover the earth. And just at that hour, Hashem will illuminate the light of Mashiach and those who follow Him.

Just as our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were blessed, with everything, from everything, everything, so should we be blessed, united, with a complete Brachah, and may we say Amen

(1) Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed Abraham with everything.

(33) Isaac was seized with very violent trembling. “Who was it then,” he demanded, “that hunted game and brought it to me and I consumed it all? Moreover, I ate of it before you came, and I blessed him; now he must remain blessed!”

(9) Esau said, “I have abundance, my brother; let what you have remain yours.” (10) But Jacob said, “No, I pray you; if you would do me this favor, accept from me this gift; for to see your face is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me favorably. (11) Please accept my present which has been brought to you, for God has favored me and I have all that I need.” And when he urged him, he accepted.

(undefined) And now, my son, understand and observe that whoever feels that he is greater than others is rebelling against the Kingship of Heaven, because he is adorning himself with His garments, as it is written (Psalms 93:1), "The Lord reigns, He wears clothes of pride."

The Sages taught in a baraita: A person should always be patient like Hillel and not impatient like Shammai. An incident involving two people

who wagered with each other and said: Anyone who will go and aggravate Hillel, will take four-hundred zuz. One of them said: I will aggravate him. That day was Shabbat eve, and Hillel was washing his head. He went and passed the entrance to Hillel’s house and said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Hillel wrapped himself and went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to him: I have a question to ask. Hillel said to him: Ask, my son, ask: "Why are the heads of Babylonians oval"? He was alluding to and attempting to insult Hillel, who was Babylonian. He said to him: My son, you have asked a significant question. Because they do not have clever midwives. They do not know how to shape the child’s head at birth.

He went, waited one hour, returned, and said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? He, wrapped himself and went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to him: I have a question to ask. He said to him: Ask, my son, ask. "Why do Africans have wide feet"? Hillel said to him: You have asked a significant question. Because they live in marshlands. He said to him: I have many questions to ask, but I am afraid lest you get angry. Hillel wrapped himself and sat before him, he said to him: All of the questions that you have to ask, ask. The man got angry and said to him: Are you Hillel whom they call Nasi of Israel? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: If it is you, then may there not be many like you in Israel. Hillel said to him: My son, Why? The man said to him: Because I lost four hundred zuz because of you. Hillel said to him: Be vigilant of your spirit. Hillel is worthy of having you lose four hundred zuz and another four hundred zuz on his account, and Hillel will not get upset.

What cause does one have for pride? Perhaps his wealth? "The Lord impoverishes and enriches" (I Samuel 2:7). Perhaps his honor? It belongs to God, as it is written (I Chronicles 29:12), "Wealth and honor come from You." So how could one adorn himself with G-d's honor? And one who prides himself in his wisdom surely knows that God "takes away the speech of assured men and reasoning from the sages" (Job 12:20). Thus, all are equal before God, since with His anger He lowers the proud and when He wishes He raises the low. So humble yourself and G-d will raise you up!

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: These are people who are considered important [yekarim] in this world and unimportant [kefuyim] in the World-to-Come. This is like Rav Yosef, son of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who became ill and was about to expire. When he recovered, his father said to him: What did you see? He said to him: I saw an inverted world. Those above, were below, while those below, were above. He said to him: My son, you have seen a clear world. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: And where are we there? Just as we are here, so are we regarded there.

Therefore, I will now explain to you how to always behave humbly. Speak gently at all times, with your head bowed, your eyes looking down to the ground and your heart focusing on God. Don't look at the face of the person to whom you are speaking. Consider everyone as greater than yourself. If he is wise or wealthy, you should give him respect. If he is poor and you are wealthier or wiser than he, consider yourself to be more guilty than he, and that he is more worthy than you, since when he sins it is inadvertent, while you act knowingly!

(17) Words spoken softly by wise men are heeded sooner than those shouted by a lord in folly.

If you speak gently, without screaming, your words will be heard and accepted

A humble person will judge everyone favorably. An example of this is when one of the Chasidim asked: How did you merit to be the leader of your generation? He replied: Because anyone whom I encountered who, I attributed greatness upon them. He he was wiser than me, I would say he is greater in his fear of G-d because of all his wisdom. If I were greater in wisdom, I would say that he is greater because when I sin, I do so willfully and he does so unintentionally. If I were older than he, I would say: my transgressions are greater than his, and if he were equal in wisdom and age, I would say that his heart is greater than mine as I know how I've sinned and I don't know about his sins. If he was wealthier than me, I would say that he's given more Tzedakah than me.

And as a result of this, I would be humbled by everyone.

(undefined) In all your actions, words and thoughts, always regard yourself as standing before God, with His Shechinah (Divine Presence) above you, for His glory fills the whole world. Speak with fear and awe, as a servant in the presence of his master.

In all that I do, I place G-d's image before me, and why? Because he is always to the right of me, supporting me that I may not falter.

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: That day was their festival day and they all went to their house of idol worship; and she told them that she was sick and could not go, as she said to herself: I have no day on which Joseph will attend to me like this day. The verse states: “And she caught him by his garment, saying: Lie with me” (Genesis 39:12). At that moment his father’s image [deyokeno] came and appeared to him in the window.

Act with restraint in front of everyone. When someone calls you, don't answer loudly, but calmly, as one who stands before his master.

Ulla said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because people had no shame before each other, as it is stated: “They acted shamefully; they have performed abominations, yet they neither were ashamed nor did they know humiliation. Therefore, they will fall among the fallen, they will fail at the time that I punish them, said God” (Jeremiah 6:15).

(12) I see a need for a man to be meticulous and weigh his ways each and every day like the great merchants who continuously evaluate all of their business matters in order that they not degenerate. He should fix definite times and hours for this weighing so that it not be haphazard but rather with the greatest regularity for it yields great results.

Take heed to study Torah constantly, so you will be able to fulfill it's commands. When you arise from your learning reflect carefully on what you have studied, to find a lesson in it that you can be put into practice. Examine your actions every morning and evening, and in this way every one of your days will be spent in returning (to God).

(8) Every Jew is obligated to learn Torah: whether he is poor or rich; whether he has a full and healthy body or whether he is a person who is suffering; whether he is young or whether he is very old and his strength is weak; even if he is a poor man who supports himself from charity and knocks on each door; and even if he is a husband of a wife and children. He is obligated to have a set time to learn Torah [both] during the day and the night as it is written "You shall think about it day and night."

(17) Shimon, his son, says, "All my days I grew up among the Sages, and I did not find anything good for the body except silence. And the exposition [of Torah] is not what is essential, but the action. And whoever increases words brings sin."

Remove all worldly concerns from your heart during prayer. Prepare your heart before God, purify your thoughts and think about the words before you utter them.

(1) One who prays needs to intend in their heart the meaning of the words which are coming out of their mouth. They should think as if the Divine Presence is before them, and remove all distracting thoughts from themselves, until their thoughts and intention are pure in their prayer. And one should think, if they had to compose one's words before a king of flesh and blood, how they would prepare the words and say them with great intention, without any stumbling, hence [one should do this] all the more so before the King of kings, the Holy One of Blessing, He who sees all thoughts.

Do this each and every day of your life, in all of your activities and you will not come to sin. This way all your words, deeds and thoughts will be proper, your prayers will be pure, clear, clean, appropriate and acceptable to God, as it is written (Psalms 10:17), "When their heart is directed to You, listen to them."

The crux of davening is that while one is reciting every letter from the Tfillah, one should visualize every letter, its form and syllable in her mind, and imbue it with holiness, that it should be a seedling to imbue the heavens with spirituality and light.

Read this letter at least once a week and not less. Fulfill it, and in so doing, walk with it forever in the ways of the Lord, may He be blessed, so that you will succeed in all your ways. This is how you will succeed and merit the World to Come which is reserved for the righteous. Every day that you shall read this letter, heaven shall answer whatever arises in your heart to request, forever. Amen, Sela!

(22) But for a man in whom this longing does not burn as it should, a good advice for him is to act with zeal by force of will in order that this will bring an inner awakening of this longing in his inner nature. For the external movement rouses the inner ones and certainly the external movement is more in his power than the inner ones. Thus, if he exercises what is in his power to do, this will lead him to also attain what is not in his power. For an inner joy will awaken within him and a desire and longing through the power of acting fiery, externally, by the force of will. This is what the prophet said- "let us know, let us run to know the L-rd" (Hoshea 6:3) and "After G-d they will go, who shall roar like a lion"(Hoshea 11:10).

In the hour that the the King Messiah comes, he stands on the roof of the Temple, makes himself heard to all of Israel and says:
"Humb​le ones, humble ones, the time of your redemptio​n has arrived, and if you do not believe this, look at my light that is shining."​

It it is shining just upon you.