I really, really like cheesecake.
Unfortunately, as of lately, there's been a tragedy: certain bakeries have been making it waaaay too sweet. You barely even taste the cheese! There's an excessive amount of cream, sugar, crumbs, and fruits. What's up with that?!
Oreo double fudge cheesecake.
Pumpkin pecan cheesecake.
Chocolate marble fudge crumb cheesecake.
Coffee mocha cheesecake.
Lemon cream cheesecake.
MA ZEH?!!
Truly a cheesecake corruption.
I can make way better cheesecake on my own but ummm...you see, thing is...
I don't bake much. The reason is kind of pathetic. I'm waiting to get married, so that my husband can appreciate my cookies and cakes. If I bake them, I'm usually the only one who ends up eating them. EATING A BATCH OF 40 COOKIES = PROBLEM.
Kal Vachomer, a 5,000 calorie cheesecake.
So, no homemade cheesecake this year.
Too bad. My zivug is really missing out on some potentially-yummy-moderately sweetened-life-changing cake. TELL HIM TO HURRY UP!!
(yes, I know I'm a bit nutty. But who likes normal people, anyway?)
TEFILLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. We love tefillah! Know what the proof is? Know that feeling of the yetzer hara trying to convince you to keep sleeping and not wake up to pray, but then you DON'T LISTEN TO HIM. You wake up on time and pray and then you feel sooo charged! So accomplished and spiritual. You feel like you can do anything and everything. Bring on the day! Right?? Right!
Baruch HaShem, I have really amazing tzadikot as friends. My amazing friends have taught me some super duper Tefillah concepts:
1. Sing your tefillot to HaShem (like to the tune of your favorite song)
2. Pray for healthy self-esteem and self-image
3. Pray to know how to pray well
4. Pray to be close to HaShem
5. Pray for your fellow Jews that you "don't like" to be healthy, have a good parnassah, find a shidduch, etc. -- it will encourage ahavat yisrael in your heart
6. Every morning, recite the tefilla composed by the Chafetz Chaim to help you keep shmirat halashon. (Found in the "lesson a day - shmirat halashon" books and many siddurim.)
7. Before you say shema & go to sleep at night, thank HaShem for 2 acts of chessed that He performed for you. (Ex: "HaShem, thank You so much for helping me make my train on time this morning!"
Quick & nice dvar Torah regarding the holy chag of Shavuot:
Many of us may be familiar with the following teaching from Chazal: Bnei Yisrael stood under the mountain, and G-d gave them a choice: either accept the mitzvot or the mountain will be over your heads.
So basically – mitzvot or immediate death. What kind of choice is that??? Wouldn’t most people choose mitzvoth, simply because they don’t want to die? How is that bechira?
A Holy Rav who wrote a mussar book explains that Torah isn’t just a lifestyle. Torah is life! A Jew can’t really live without Torah. Sure, he’s breathing, but where’s the sustenance? The only way a neshama can truly be alive and happy is if it is connected to HaShem. How can one connect to HaShem? Through keeping the Torah and mitzvot!
During matan Torah, it was so clear to Bnei Yisrael that Torah was the right way to go. Chazal isn’t telling us that they didn’t have bechira, rather – it was that the choice was SIMPLE. Life with meaning? Or death?
That form of bechira can be compared to a person choosing to come up for air while swimming. Of course you’re going to come up for air! Is there bechira in that scenario? Sure. But it’s just so clear and obvious to a person, and so, he doesn’t even think twice to do so.
AHHHH...how awesome clarity is. How difficult it is when a person can't make decisions. A Jew must never give up!! Keep praying to HaShem to find your answers and meaning. To find your connection to Him. And b"H you will receive all of the answers -- simply because you sought them. Clarity is the biggest bracha.
May we all be zochim to receive such clarity in Torah/life this Shavuot!
Chag sameach! :)
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Love that thought! I never heard it explained that way! That's such a cool way of looking at it!
ReplyDeleteThe choice was so obvious to them so of course they chose to live a life of torah, mitzvos and connection to Hashem!! I love that comparison of coming up to breath when swimming - it makes so much sense!!
If you ever have any issues getting rid of delicious home baked cheesecakes I will be glad to take them off your hands.
ReplyDeleteDevorah - I also thought it was pretty cool! I've learned that midrash (is it a midrash?) so many times and never understood it till I heard the above explanation.
ReplyDeleteAzriel Tzvi - my homemade cheesecake is reserved for my husband (and guests!) but I'll keep your suggestion in mind :D
"(and guests!)"
ReplyDeleteWhat makes one zoche to have that privilege?
ya i also want to be your guest. your table is probably filled with so much divrei Torah
ReplyDeleteTikva4Eva:
ReplyDeleteSince you place a high value on Divrei Torah, I invite you to join my web site for quick easy Divrei Torah in English, with exact sources for every Torah quote:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DerechEmet/
Somebody who both of us know is already a member :-)
PS: In real life, people who value Divrei Torah have invited me to be their guest because of my Divrei Torah.
Azriel Tzvi - they have to daven really, really hard. :D
ReplyDelete(I'm kidding. B"H when I'm married and have my own holy home, guests shall be invited. Or can invite themselves. Though, as a sidenote, I never felt comfortable inviting myself -- like when I was in seminary -- to other people's homes. It's always better to invite others, rather than to wait for others to invite themselves)
tivka4eva - I wish!
Mr. Cohen - what do you mean by that last line?
Sefardi Gal, I meant that some Jews invited me for Shabbat because they know I have lots of Divrei Torah to say.
ReplyDeleteI now share my Torah quotes with almost 700 Jews, using my web site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DerechEmet/
It is clear what Mr. Cohen meant, he wants you to invite him also.
ReplyDeleteIn shana alef I didn't like asking anybody to come to their homes, I stayed in every week except 10, 7 were out shabbatot with yeshiva, by the end of shana bet I barely stayed in. If you don't ask you probably won't be asked.
I guess I'll just have to keep davening to get invited to your table... :p
Mr. Cohen - ah, good. I got worried for a minute!
ReplyDeleteAzriel Tzvi - bli neder, you're all invited over after I'm married b"H :)
I also stayed in a lot during shana alef...but that kinda changed after my friends forced me to stop acting like a hermit.
I still struggle with the calling thing. But ma laasot? I'm in Israel at least once every year, and I always need to call people. So, you get used to it.
Kinda.
Not really.
Sefardi Gal, what did you think I meant?
ReplyDeleteI was not asking anyone to invite me (which would be silly, since I do not know where anyone from this blog lives), but I have to admit, the idea of spending Shabbat at the same table with Sefardi Gal does sound kind of cute, now that I think about it.
Perhaps there should be some sort of "Divrei Torah/interview with Sefardi Gal" Shabbaton arranged. I think that would please many of the commentators on this blog, myself very much included.
ReplyDeleteI'll provide the cheesecake be it necessary and a D'var Torah for Seudah Shlishi. I'm thanking you all for your generosity in advance.
Mr. Cohen - I have no idea. :)
ReplyDeleteTikva4eva - LOL oh stop. I'm blushing. Trust me when I say I write these divrei Torah as a chizzuk for myself. An interview would just prove how nutty I really am ;)
Sefardi Gal I was just looking at your blog for some procrastination (I've promised myself that I won't log into my blog gmail account until after finals, and B'H haven't gone on yet so I'm stuck to commenting like this, but you were right - it does help to look at blogs once i a while to relax :) anyhow, I read this post and it's crazy how much you sound like me - I literally am exactly the same with baking!!! haha and i also have SUCH tzadikot for friends it's not normal! and i love singing tefillah too! IY'H we can email this summer, I'd love to hear your views on life :):) xxxx LifeLover
ReplyDeleteSo...anyone want an invite?
ReplyDeleteI'm married and living in Israel :)