Ten Minutes of Meaning (Part 128): Eliminating the Imperfections - Mesillas Yesharim

good morning bogartov welcome back to ten minutes of meaning our weekly study of mesilas yasharam the wonderful and the great ramchal whose your site is coming up ramos sato who gave us the gift of messily susharam the 12-step program pinnacles how we can better improve ourselves live our best or better lives and realize the potential the reason for which we are here i want to thank our generous sponsors of the series for the year dear friends kanye grinstead in memory of her beloved father mr aaron timber aaron benitzak and this morning is also sponsored by judy and joel pomerance and children in commemoration of the first year site of milton goldman this coming shabbos also the euro side of the he was a very special uh husband father and zadie milton goldman thank you so much for your generosity we are in the middle of perique test zion we are in chapter 16 in missiles yashar we have gone through zahiros how to live a life of consciousness conscientiousness mindfulness to be thoughtful to be present in all that we do not that we've mastered it not that we've perfected it but we've studied it and we're working on it this reason once we're mindful we've trained our mind that we're in control of our thoughts our actions our deeds now as reasons now we can unleash alacrity and zeal now we can show energy and enthusiasm in order to go perform in order to go pursue the values that we hold dear we then moved on to nikias how to identify the character traits the attributes that we want to purge from within ourselves we want to improve we then moved over to precious how to live a life we're entitled to live with once we've proven we can live without how to be disciplined how to have self-control and sovereignty to not give into instinct and to impulse into appetite to be in control and now we move over to tahara the idea that we don't live for happiness we live for holiness the notion of a purity of our thought of our intentions of our actions again a very high level we're not suggesting it's where we begin nor are we suggesting that it's easy to achieve it's a very high level but it's something to aspire to and it's something we're capable of so continuously we have a sacrifice to carbon in the temple called the minha the flower offering and the flower offering in the basement in the temple was sifted through thirteen sieves tells us that the flower itself was sifted many many times in order to eliminate imperfections in order to ensure that whatever passed through and whatever was then ultimately offered to god was pure didn't have imperfections contaminants shikhwar tahar lagamri mikho so that it was guaranteed to not have any so contaminated when it comes to the higher altar when it comes to the service that we do with our lives to god in order to become part of a perfect and supreme service so the idea is to examine to reflect to evaluate our lives what's driving me what's my intent what's my motive and to try to become pure to try to become pure now as we've said and as we'll continue to get to better to do something for the wrong reason than not do it at all but of course the ideal is to do the right thing for the right reason and therefore one only knows that if they're contemplative and thoughtful if we make time and space to think what drives me what is my motive what is my intent why am i doing this can i eliminate imperfections can i eliminate contaminants can i try to all have is a perfect intent says i'm not suggesting that anything less than this if there's any ulterior motive or any other intent or any personal pleasure that you derive then don't do it i'm not saying that davin and learn and give stuck and volunteer for do all the right things even for the wrong reason is better than not doing it at all but what i am saying god of course will reward us for doing the right things even for the wrong reason however our reward is proportional our reward is even greater when we do the right things for the right reason so to stop to ask ourselves what drives us why why do i want more money why do i want more things why do i want prominent friends or followers why do i want to be learning right now is it so that i get accolades is it so that i get the respect why do i want the keyboard why do i want the aaliyah or to be the balfilla why do i want to be the chairman why do i want to be the committee head why do i want to be on the board of directors each thing that we do we should ask ourselves why what's motivating us in our own marriage the selfless things that we seem to do are they selfless are we doing it to serve ourselves or are we driven benevolently are we driven altruistically for wanting to give and wanting to do good to our spouse to our children we will be our best selves not only when we do the right things but when we are aware of why we're doing those things is it for the right reason um he says describes i'm speaking about the most perfect the most whole the most complete type of service if you truly love god if you're in a relationship with god then we're doing the right things for the right reasons we're doing it to have a pure pure service it's directed only to hashem and not to anything else i'm not looking for honor or glory or i think it'll make me more money or to win me more friends or influence or power but rather it's a relationship i'm invested in with god i love god and i care about god and any amount that you distance or fall short from this level is reiterating do the right things even for the wrong reason but the degree that is driven by the wrong reason will compromise the beauty of doing the right thing you know your spouse asks you to do something you want to meet their need for those who don't know this sunday is mother's day get ready be forewarned it's only wednesday you still have time so why do you want to honor your wife your mother on mother's day the woman in your life the woman you appreciate the maternal person is it because they deserve the honor the glory you want to make them happy is it about you i think about this when i look at social media on mother's day every year i put out a post first of all to be sensitive to those who are longing and wishing and dreaming to be mothers on mothers day fathers on father's day there are people who are single and who don't have the opportunity yet to build a family there are married people struggling with infertility you have to be sensitive but i always look and i always wonder these very emotional outpouring of love and affection online to people who aren't even online so people have parents who don't have social media accounts and they're proclaiming their love their devotion online with a picture and i love you and you're the greatest and here's all my love and devotion to you and i can't help but wonder why why post online if the recipient if the subject that you're speaking about won't even see it isn't there write a card privately is the goal that they know how much you love them and admire them how much affection you have for them or is the goal for everyone else to know that you love and appreciate and that you are somebody who honors them what's the goal what's the motive we have to stop and always ask ourselves is it tahor is it pure or has it been impacted by imperfect by imperfections we strive for and we aspire to pure motive in all that we do allah this is what king david said whom do i desire in the heavens and besides you i wish for nothing else on earth your word is when people buy a diamond they look for the what is the four case carrot clarity it's four cease carrots clarity what are the other ones i forgot but a person wants to make sure that the imperfections aren't there you buy gold have the imperfections been removed have they been purged have they been burnt have they been eliminated are there imperfections in the gold and the silver and says ramchal if you demand perfections and you color thank you nathan from boca if you demand perfection in your jewelry shouldn't you aspire for perfection in your own motive in our own lives if we're looking for perfection you buy a car you walk around that car make sure there's no scratches make sure there's no dents make sure there's no damage make sure there's no imperfection in all these areas of our life in jewelry in furniture in cars we look and we want to make sure there are no imperfections but what about in our own lives what about in our own actions and deeds what about in our own thoughts and behaviors are we equally concerned with eliminating the imperfections trying to make sure we're doing not only the right things but doing the right things for the right reasons and this is what it says the words of hashem are pure as silver purified in the crucible on earth refined sevenfold so god is perfect and we demand and look for perfections and we should also demand that among ourselves if you serve god truthfully authentically not about you your ego your honor your glory not about others noticing but it's about god it's about that relationship it's about only caring what is the bonus am i giving him is he happy with me so you're not going to be satisfied with minimal fulfillment nor you're going to be willing to accept silver mixed with imperfection avodah mu revis a service of worship that is tainted that's compromised by ulterior motives we're going to want it to be perfect and pure and beautiful this is what our rabbis taught us that a person who doesn't as it was originally meant as it was intended they will never receive bad news do things for the sake of the one who created and speak about them for the sake of heaven we do things la shmoop we should do the things in our marriage not so that other people say he's a great husband she's a great wife but because we're devoted to the other we should do things for our children not so that others will notice and say what a great father what a great mother but rather because it serves our children and we should do things for the rebounders not so that others will say wow how holy how righteous how religious but rather because invested in that relationship with hashem if we demand perfection in things in material possessions and goods we should aspire for more perfections to eliminate the imperfections in our own motive and in our own life mother's day is a perfect example where do i want to express that love that affection do i want to do it to the recipient the subject the beneficiary the target of who i want to praise and acknowledge and thank or do i want the entire world to see me thanking them and think more of me where do i want what's the best mechanism to deliver that and will they see that and what's my motive in all that i do what's my motive what's driving me why am i doing it and to stop ourselves and to realize we're in control and to try to eliminate impure motives and always do things for the right reason we continue 845 living with a moon i hope you'll join us tonight 9pm we're going behind the beam with revenge levine the grandson of the tzadzik of you shall aim of arya levin for a fantastic conversation he's an amazing person his stories are outstanding extraordinary i hope you'll join us for both subscribe here on youtube in order to be notified in real time every time we go live until next time stay happy stay healthy and stay holy