Lets take on Kabbolos. We can bring Moshiach closer together!

WARNING:

TAKING PART IN THE FOLLOWING PROJECT WILL HAVE A POWERFUL EFFECT ON YOUR LIFE AND YOU DEFINITELY WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. YOU WILL BE HAPPIER, MORE FULFILLED, AND FEEL LIKE YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. DONT SAY I DIDNT WARN YOU!

PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING AND THINK ABOUT THE IDEAS MENTIONED. YOU DONT HAVE TO START TODAY. LET IT PERCOLATE IN YOUR MIND A BIT.

THESE THINGS WILL LIKELY REQUIRE SOME CHANGES IN YOUR SCHEDULE AND SOME OF YOU WILL HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO YOUR WIVES THAT YOU DID NOT JOIN A CULT LOL!

The fast days of 17 Tammuz and 9 Av, and the time between them, commemorate the tragic process of the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem.

The fast of the 17th of Tammuz, the day of the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, marks the beginning of the Three Weeks”. The fast of the 9th of Av, commemorates the day of the actual destruction by fire of the Holy Temple, and is the last day of the Three Weeks. The three weeks is a period of mourning over these destructions.

The purpose is to see if I can get at least 10 people (obviously the more the better)to be Mekabel to do/ learn something daily to improve themselves, and thereby bring Moshiach closer. I want to try this for 12 months. Then maybe we will look into other projects and extending them.

I will list a # of ideas and you can choose any or all but please let us know what you think, what you chose and why if you dont mind. Once you start, you have to check in daily and tell us that you did it. If theres anything interesting to add please feel free to share with us. You can tell your friends about this project. If you convince someone to take part then you have a chelek in his aliyah.

Thank you for your cooperation.

I am going to throw out a random list of things some are easy some are harder. Feel free to chime in with your own ideas. Im sure many of you will have plenty to add. First I will start with

Limud

1. Learn Daf Hayomi Bechavrusah or alone/ with a Hebrew/yiddish/English Artscroll shas(so that you actually know it)

3. Learn a Daf or Amud of Mishnah Berurah Yomi

4. Learn Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Yomi

5. Learn Chok LYisrael yomi

6. Be Maavir Sedra with Rashi (if you already are, add Ramban, if you already do Ramban add Ohr Hachayim)

7. Learn a Perek of Mishnayos a day

8. Attend a daily… or weekly shiur.

9. Listen to a daily shiur on any topic on http://www.torahanytime.com/

10. Learn a half hour, hour or more whatever you can britzefus. (Uninterrupted learning, no shmoozing or distractions. Shut your phone off if you can)

Teshuvah

1. Do Teshuvah. We all have something to do Teshuvah for. Go through the 3 steps of Teshuvah in sefer Shaarei Teshuvah or use another sefer dealing with Teshuvah, and do a Teshuvah Sheleyma.

2. If you have hurt someone CALL THEM UP and apologize. Do you have a Rebbe, Teacher, childhood classmate that you harmed and you know in your heart that you need to ask Mechilah? Pick up the phone. Make that call.

3. If you arent ready for a full Teshuvah, cut something improper out of your life.

Movies, TV, Non Jewish music, Shmiras Eynayim (this is very hard and you will not be very successful at first. You will have to daven a lot for Hatzlacha and be very determined. Dont expect perfection but try your best. Check out http://www.guardyoureyes.org/)Sports (following or going to games whichever you are ready for)

Loshon Hara. Learn Shmiras Halashon and sefer Chofetz Chaim and be mekayem it as much as you can.

Middos

This will usually require a mussar sefer to go along with it so find one that is appropriate.

1. Choose a Middah. Any Middah you want to change or improveand try to work on it for a month. Then try another Middah the next month and every month you do a new Middah. You can also try 2 middos. Middah 1 you work on the first month, middah 2 the second, Middah 1 the 3rd. Middah 2 the 4th and so on.

2.10 Steps To Greatness By Rav Avigdor Miller z”l

Do the following once a day. (if this is too much, maybe do one/day)

1. Spend 30 seconds thinking of Olam Haba

2. Say once “I love you Hashem”

3. Do one hidden act of chesed.

4. Be like Hashem who lifts the humble, say something to encourage someone.

5. Spend 1 minute about what happened yesterday (cheshbon hanefesh).

6. Your actions should be l’shem shamayim (say once during meals)

7. Look into someone’s face and think – I’m seeing a tzelem Elokim

8. Just like Hashem’s face shines on us, give someone a big smile.

9. When saying “malbish arumim”, think about the great gift of garments.

10. When reciting the words, “If I forget you, Yerushalayim…,” sit on floor and think of loss of Yerushalayim (privately, 1 second).

Tefillah/Shul

1. Iyun Tefillah, learn the perush Hamillos and learn what the Davening is about and start having Kavanah. Theres a number of sefarim on Tefillah that are great. Shearim Bitefillah, or Rav Schwab on Prayer, or Rav Zef Leffs book on Tefillah which is quite good. Im in middle of it myself. Its a process and you wont have kavanah right away you must build it up.

2. Stop talking needlessly in shul. Officially it is assur to shmooze in shul at all. Im sorry if I just gave some people a shock but the seforim talk very harshly about shmoozing in shul even NOT during the davening. Kal Vechomer during. No more talking during Chazaras Hashatz kaddish and Krias Hatorah.

3. Stop flying through davening. try to say every word clearly.

4. Help clean up the shul. Put away seforim siddurim….after the tefillos. Put the chairs back in place. Clean off the cups…that may be on the floor or on the tables. There are many stories of tzaddikim that used to do these kinds of things. It may sound like its beneath you. If it sounds that way to you then its probably JUST what you need to do.

Chesed/Tzedakah

1. Try to be Mekarev an unaffiliated (secular)Jew. For info on what you can do please go to http://kiruv.com/

2. Try to do a daily act of chesed to someone. It can be any chesed for any Yid.

3. Give Tzedakah daily. Especially good if you have a bit of a stingy nature. You will see a marked change in your generosity and feelings towards others in a short time.

4. Try to smile or at least NOT FROWN when you give the collecter the money. How many times do we give Tzeddakah in a degrading manner? Make him feel human.

5. Smile at people even if you dont know them. Most people will smile back and you will feel great.

Mitzvos

1. Take a Mitzvah and make it YOUR MITZVAH. Learn everything about it and be mekayem it 1000% with all the kavanos. Spare no expense and spend as much time as necessary. If its Lulav and Esrog, find the nicest set even if it takes you hours of searching and costs you $500 for the set. This will also have a huge chinuch impact on your kids if they see your love for mitzvos so let them see you doing this.

2. Make Brachos bekavanah

3. Bentch from a siddur and have Kavanah

4. Learn the taamei Hamitzvos from the sefer Hachinuch.

This is what I came up with for now. Theres lots and lots more so feel free to suggest other hanhagos.

I am undecided on what I will start doing. I will either start sefer Cheshbon Hanefesh, Mishnah Berurah yomi, or sefer Hachinuch soon. Or all 3 I will see how much time I can set aside.

Hatzlacha to us all. I really hope we get a nice group to join this worthy project. Rememebr the power is doing it daily and posting here about it. That will give you an Achrayus and make you feel like you are part of a choshiveh group who are working on themselves and that idea will give you the strength to not shvach up. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.