kingdavid

Beautiful question. I’ll share my perspective as someone whose life has been deeply shaped by Chassidus.
Without the Ba’al Shem Tov, my Yiddishkeit would likely be much more about performance and much less about connection. The revolution he started wasn’t just new practices – it was democratizing access to Hashem. Before him, deep spiritual connection often felt reserved for the greatest talmidei chachamim. He taught that a simple Jew davening with kavanah or saying Tehillim with a broken heart can reach incredible heights. That changes everything about how I approach avodas Hashem daily.

What being a Chassid means to me: It means believing that Hashem wants my heart more than my perfection. It means that when I struggle – whether with learning, davening, or yes, even with the yetzer hara – the struggle itself has value when done with sincerity. It means seeing every moment, every interaction, every challenge as an opportunity for dveikus. The Chassidishe approach taught me that falling and getting back up with renewed determination is sometimes greater than never falling at all.

It also means having a derech in avodas Hashem – the specific teachings, niggunim, and approach of my Rebbe and his Rebbe before him. There’s something powerful about being part of a chain going back generations, each link adding depth and understanding.
Practically: Without Chassidus, I don’t know if I would have survived my own struggles. The emphasis on joy in serving Hashem, on the preciousness of every Yid regardless of their level, on the power of a good resolution even after falling – these ideas literally saved my Yiddishkeit during dark times.

@flamingOTD,
I hear your genuine concern. Let me be clear about the distinction:
Attraction between boys and girls is explicitly discussed throughout our mesorah – Chazal, mussar sefarim, Shulchan Aruch all address the yetzer hara in this area because it’s meant to lead to marriage and building a bayis ne’eman. Every gadol acknowledges this exists and needs to be channeled toward kedusha.
The other issues you mentioned are fundamentally different with their own separate halachic considerations.
What I’m saying: A girl with normal feelings of attraction should know she’s not terrible, understand boundaries and kedusha, and have safe adults to guide her – not be left alone until she acts out and gets threatened with expulsion.
What I’m NOT saying: That every feeling needs validation or that we adopt modern therapeutic approaches that contradict Torah.
The reality: Right now our kids are learning about these topics anyway – from phones, friends, the street – just not from us and not with Torah values. Age-appropriate chinuch rooted in mesorah isn’t the slippery slope. Silence that leaves them confused and ashamed is what’s actually failing them.
There’s a difference between acknowledging the yetzer hara the Gemara discusses and the modern ideologies you’re worried about. I’m advocating for the former, not the latter.
Does this help clarify?

Commonsaychal,

You’re absolutely right that these struggles are normal and common, but the way schools handle them makes things way harder. Here’s why:
Fear and lack of knowledge: Most schools genuinely don’t know how to talk about this stuff. They’re scared that discussing it will “put ideas in girls’ heads,” so they choose silence, thinking that protects you. It doesn’t.
Cultural shame: There’s deep shame around anything related to attraction or physical feelings. The adults were raised the same way and don’t know how to break the cycle.
“Protecting innocence”: Schools think staying silent preserves innocence. But silence doesn’t equal innocence – it just leaves girls confused and alone with normal feelings.
The backwards result: You struggle with completely normal teenage feelings, have no guidance or safe person to talk to, and then get threatened with expulsion when caught. It’s the opposite of helpful.
What you actually deserved was education that these feelings are normal, guidance on healthy boundaries, safe people to talk to, and support – not threats.
You’re not broken or bad. You’re a normal teenage girl navigating complex feelings without the education you should have had. I’m really glad you found people helping you improve.
Does this help clarify things?

you can reach out to https://guardyoureyes .com/ – they have great resources to help with these struggles

tomato dip

Typically, human monkeypox spreads through very close, intimate contact, and it also can be spread through droplets.

Is this internet nisyonos related? If yes, please reach out to GYE (GuardYourEyes)

The 12 steps were not designed to replace religion and of course, a Jew is always expected to fulfill all requirements in Halacha. For example, although the mitzvah of teshuva is supposed to be done in a very specific manner as defined in halacha, this still does not make step seven “wrong” in any way by not requiring amendments to be done in this manner-one is not exclusive of the other. Similarly, if our Torah requires daily Torah study, this still does not make the 12 steps wrong by not requiring it as one of the 12 steps. Don’t forget-only Jews are required to observe Halacha, while non-Jews are expected to observe only the 7 mitzvos of Bnei Noach. There is no reason why the 12 step program should require Torah study. In fact, if they did require Torah study, it would be a problem in Halacha!
Here’s the bottom line: If the AA founders told people to abandon their religions of origin and exclusively
observe the 12 steps, the critics would have a point-but the exact opposite is true. The AA literature exhorts its members to still observe their religion of origin & consult with their Rabbis.

Amazon Price: $25.99 per pound. But it has bad reviews: “baked in the Ukraine – came broken into tiny pieces”

People have been predicting moshiach’s arrival for centuries but nobody knows. Maybe they want it to happen so much that they make silly calculations about it and convince themselves that its true. Some people become so absorbed in these calculations and moshiachs arrival date, they dont live like they should. We should not focus on these things. Live a good life, helping people and doing the right thing. It is very possible that moshiach will come very soon but its also very possible that he will not.

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try:

Peanut Butter PC

Forget about sandwiches stuck in your VCR or crayons melting in your car… Today’s children have access to the center of your digital life. Just think of all the work and memories you have socked away on your computer’s hard drive. Now picture your kids (and their friends) playing bongo on the keyboard, or summarily executing your Word files with the swoop of a mouse. It’s not just possible… it’s probable.

Peanut Butter PC works to protect your electronic valuables by creating a fun and friendly desktop environment. One which provides access to only the programs and websites you choose. Best of all, your kids can’t break out of their desktop. Peanut Butter PC works from Startup to Shutdown providing the perfect learning environment while giving you peace of mind. And when you need to take control back, just enter a special key combination, and your back in Windows (with your files just as you left them).

do you work for the IRS?

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1) Emunah. Believe that hashem runs the show and everything he does is good for us.

2) Know that when we have happiness, we have hashem with us and when we are depressed hashem leaves us

THE CITY OF HAPPINESS IS IN THE STATE OF MIND

Whatever Israel does here , they lose.

For every so called Hamas leader they kill , 10 new leaders arise.

Hamas has full backing from Iran and the whole Muslim world, and ALL other countries at that!

The world hates us and they always will.

REPLY TO

“I learned somewhere that davening very loud makes one m’k’tanei ha’amana. As if HKB”H can’t hear unless he yells.”

THAT ONLY APPLIES TO SHEMONEH ESREI

someone asked me what is the esrog really worth…

I replied, whatever you pay for it, that becomes the value of it (the mitzvah is worth more if you pay more for it – so paying $5 a set the last minute is not recommended)

(1) He has a nice voice (very important when all you do is talk);

(2) He’s likeable (unless you are in the crosshairs of one of his drone attacks);

(3) He’ll tax the rich and make those selfish people pay their fair share (until he runs out of other people’s money)

(4) He needs four more years to…put it all together (because he messed up so badly during the first four years–during his practice round as President).

Besides the mitzvah of “to be fruitful and multiply” it is also a chesed that hashem did with the person that he gave him a spouse so he can realize his faults and correct them. Hashem called it “lo tov heyos headam levado… eizer kenegdo”