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What does Hashem want of us?



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rimon613




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 4:57 am
I feel very confused. I don't know what Hashem wants of me. Everyone has different interpretations of how the Torah says we should live life and I am just very confused. I want to know what is our purpose here on earth? Is there anywhere in the Torah where is clearly says what our mission is as human beings on earth?
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heidi




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 5:13 am
Not answering from an intellectual point of view, so if it's not what you wanted, feel free to disregard.
I honestly believe that Hashem wants for us what a parent wants for his child. To be happy while doing good things. So to me that means keeping halacha or at least striving to keep halacha to my very best ability, but at the same time enjoying life. Eating good kosher food, buying beautiful tzanua clothing. Having interesting conversations without lashon hara (OK, not there yet, but it's something to strive for). Going to Broadway shows, going on tiyulim to see the wonders of nature. Taking my children swimming.
A lot of posters here and people I meet in real life seem to think that it's all about doing Hashem's will here in this world, in terms of halacha, to reap the rewards of Olam Haba. So why bother enjoying any of the gashmiyut in this world, when it's so nothing compared to the rewards of Olam Haba?
To me, this is a rejection of all the bounty and good Hashem has given us. Why would Hashem have created so much amazing gashmiyut if not for us to enjoy it in a Torah true way?
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5mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 5:36 am
We just read Balak this week in Israel.

The haftorah (from Micha) ends with:
ומה ה דורש ממך כי אם עשות משפט ואהבת חסד והצנע לכת עם א-לוקיך
What does Hashem want from you? Only to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

So there you have it. As they say, all the rest is commentary.

(Edited for typos)
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 6:07 am
5mom, I went back to your post and am so tempted to just delete everything I typed below Wink

The Ramchal says that Hashem created this world to have whom and what to do good to. (Don't ask me to elaborate. My head explodes more over this than any discussion over evolution.) Our task is to imitate Hashem and do good in this world. It doesn't mean neglecting ourselves - as is famously said about v'ahavta lereiacha kamocha, you can't love/like someone else if you don't love/like yourself - but it does mean negating the ego.

The greatest good is connecting to Hashem. (Again, watch out for exploding head pieces.) (Actually, read on and it's easy to access Very Happy ) When you think about it, when do you feel the most good? Not in the immediate sense but when you think about it later? When you're doing something of real connection and content. I can read Rabbi Miller and try to access his teachings on loving Hashem, I just heard that sometimes when crossing busy streets he'd yell, knowing no one would hear him anyway, I love you, Hashem. But I can definitely try to live my life in a way that makes the shem Shamayim misaheiv al yadi, which is really the flip side and just as essential a part of loving Hashem.

Back to the first paragraph, being good. We're born selfish, with grasping hands, and if we've worked on it, die with open hands, not trying to grab and take and get. All the relationships we have in life are designed to maximize our giving muscles, especially marriage and parenthood. On a deep, innate level, we crave marriage and parenthood, leave the lofty thoughts out of it. But those relationships especially are "shortcuts" to our developing ourselves as givers because of the greater opportunities available. Those people who aren't married or parents can still become great people and givers and we're all blessed to know and/or know of people who fit that bill.

OK, is this helping the conversation at all?
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5mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 6:21 am
PinkFridge wrote:
5mom, I went back to your post and am so tempted to just delete everything I typed below Wink

The Ramchal says that Hashem created this world to have whom and what to do good to. (Don't ask me to elaborate. My head explodes more over this than any discussion over evolution.) Our task is to imitate Hashem and do good in this world. It doesn't mean neglecting ourselves - as is famously said about v'ahavta lereiacha kamocha, you can't love/like someone else if you don't love/like yourself - but it does mean negating the ego.

The greatest good is connecting to Hashem. (Again, watch out for exploding head pieces.) (Actually, read on and it's easy to access Very Happy ) When you think about it, when do you feel the most good? Not in the immediate sense but when you think about it later? When you're doing something of real connection and content. I can read Rabbi Miller and try to access his teachings on loving Hashem, I just heard that sometimes when crossing busy streets he'd yell, knowing no one would hear him anyway, I love you, Hashem. But I can definitely try to live my life in a way that makes the shem Shamayim misaheiv al yadi, which is really the flip side and just as essential a part of loving Hashem.

Back to the first paragraph, being good. We're born selfish, with grasping hands, and if we've worked on it, die with open hands, not trying to grab and take and get. All the relationships we have in life are designed to maximize our giving muscles, especially marriage and parenthood. On a deep, innate level, we crave marriage and parenthood, leave the lofty thoughts out of it. But those relationships especially are "shortcuts" to our developing ourselves as givers because of the greater opportunities available. Those people who aren't married or parents can still become great people and givers and we're all blessed to know and/or know of people who fit that bill.

OK, is this helping the conversation at all?


Sure it's helping. You've elaborated on what the Navi said.
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amother
Ruby


 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 7:16 am
I agree with everything posted above, just adding that ideally we should enjoy the physical pleasures of the world in a way that brings us higher spiritually. This can mean seeing G-ds hand everywhere in nature, dressing well for our husbands and to feel good so we do good, and as mentioned above, developing our relationships so that we can give endlessly. In Jewish philosophy, the physical and spiritual are not two separate entities, like a pp made them out to be. They are infinitely connected.
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greenfire




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 9:39 am
the parsha of the manna teaches us that hashem wants us to feel connected every single day & not just on days that we 'need' him - believing that our existentialism is only because of god

ultimately to create a dwelling place for Hashem on earth ... לעשות דירה זו בתחתונים
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 12:28 pm
amother wrote:
I agree with everything posted above, just adding that ideally we should enjoy the physical pleasures of the world in a way that brings us higher spiritually. This can mean seeing G-ds hand everywhere in nature, dressing well for our husbands and to feel good so we do good, and as mentioned above, developing our relationships so that we can give endlessly. In Jewish philosophy, the physical and spiritual are not two separate entities, like a pp made them out to be. They are infinitely connected.


I agree. But I think I've heard Rebbetzin Feigie Twerski say that we should feel put together for ourselves, so when we pass a mirror we're not depressed by what we see, (Maybe not in so many words. Maybe flip that, so that we can smile easily at what we see. Something like that.)

But you have 2 important points.
We should enjoy the physical. If you give someone a gift, don't you enjoy seeing them enjoy it?
But we have to enjoy it properly. If you give your child, say a water gun (for want of a better example) you don't want to see him terrorizing his sister with it. And you want him to acknowledge it came from you and not to take it for granted.
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syrima




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 17 2016, 9:36 pm
Rav Hirsch spoke about seeing the Alps as something that Hashem would want us to do, not sure if he would say the same about Broadway shows...
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