video lessons – Page 8 – Study Torah Online: Live and Interactive Torah Learning with Rabbi Eliyahu Shear

Mesillat Yesharim – The Path of the Just #23 – Chapter 4 – Acquiring Watchfulness [Study Torah]

How does one acquire the trait of Watchfulness? Watchfulness is the very first trait on the ladder to success in terms of real life growth.

Learn Talmud – Berachot #40 Daf 15a Part 1 (Koren Talmud Bavli) [Hearing The Words of the Shema]

The best approach to take before davening – and the correct approach – is that before reciting the Shema and davening in the morning, one must relieve oneself, wash one’s hands and then put on Tefillin. One must prepare oneself before davening so that when one accepts the Kingdom of Heaven – one does so in absolute purity.

Lessons in Tanya #49 – Chapter 23 Part 3 Chapter 24 Part 1 – [The Sinner is Lower than the Kelipah]

Torah is greater than the performance of Mitzvot. A person who can understand this will be overcome with a sense of tremendous fear when he engages in the study of Torah. He realises ultimately that he is cleaving to God Himself – who is concealed within those words and is really one with them.

Mesillat Yesharim – The Path of the Just #22 – Chapter 3 – Divisions of Watchfulness [Accounting]

Those who want to progress and grow correctly in life – and those who want to develop themselves to reach the goal of life would do well to listen to those who have already succeeded. Those who follow such individuals in life – will succeed themselves. Those who choose not to, do so at their own peril.

Lessons in Tanya #47 – Chapter 23 Part 2 – [Torah and God are One]

The Alter Rebbe tells us that the forefathers are the Merkava – the Chariot of God. Just as a chariot does only the will of its owner, so too did the forefathers fulfill the will of God completely. Their every movement, their every word, their every thought was directed to God and for His purpose.

Mesillat Yesharim – The Path of the Just #21 – Chapter 3 – The Divisions of Watchfulness [The Maze]

Those under the dominion of their evil inclinations should know well that they are in the dark. But the truth is that most often they cannot see this. They don’t realise they are in the dark. It takes a person who was already gone through the darkness and come out, to know what the darkness is all about. They are also most suited to be able to help others out of that darkness.

Learn Talmud – Berachot #39 Daf 14a Part 2 / 14b (Koren Talmud Bavli) [Order of Paragraphs of Shema]

We continue with the laws of interruptions that may be or may not be made at certain places during the recital of the Keriat Shema. One such a place is the very end when we say the word “Emet”. Thereafter a paragraph follows with the word “VeYatziv” We follow the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda that no interruption may be made between these two words.

Lessons in Tanya #47 – Chapter 22 Part 2 / Chapter 23 Part 1 – [Mitzvot are the Limbs of the King]

Holiness only rests upon something that is nullified to God. This is the difference between the Sitra Achra (the Other Side i.e. evil) and holiness. It is the way of Sitra Achra to consider itself independent of God – as if it is charge of itself. But the truth is that evil still acknowledges God. It just believes that it is in charge of things – while God (so to speak) is just there. As if they have no obligation towards God. The Sitra Achra maintains its own status – its own level of arrogance.

Mesilat Yesharim – The Path of the Just #20 – Chapter 3 – The Divisions of Watchfulness

There are two types of errors that the physical / material world causes us in life.

Learn Talmud – Berachot #38 Daf 13b Part 2 / 14a (Koren Talmud Bavli) [Activities Before Prayer]

What is the situation of falling asleep when reciting the Shema? It seems that one should at least recite the first line – then all is well. If one falls asleep then, at least one has recited that most important verse.