Healthy Parenting – Yirah – Respect for HaShem – Orlas HaLev – Teshuvah in Elul – Shemiras HaBris – Azamra – Finding the Good Point – Building a Child’s Self Esteem – What Is True Kindness? Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon.
00:00 – Introduction. This section is based on Likutey Moharan 141. Rebbe Nachman gave this teaching on Rosh Chodesh Elul Account of Rebbe Nachman’s response to hearing the shofar in Elul.
02:50 – Orlas Lev – circumcising the heart.
*04:20 – When a person has yirah – respect for HaShem – and sincere regret for mistakes, this spiritual quality will be transmitted automatically to his/her children and students. The time of year best suited for this is Elul.
06:38 – Bnei Yissachar on the process of teshuvah during Elul: Chazal say we give a bride 12 months to prepare for her wedding. Each month of the year has a sign of the Zodiac. The astrological sign for Elul is besulah – a maiden. “We give Elul (the Maiden) 12 months.” That is, we can correct mistakes from the entire year during that month.
10:37 – Q&R about negative spiritual traits being passed down to children.
11:00 – Q&R about shemiras habris. Rescuing lost souls created by pegam habris.
14:45 – This section is based on Likutey Moharan 282 – “Azamra”. The importance of self esteem. “Everyone has good!”
*18:30 – It’s easy to catch a child doing something wrong. The goal is to catch him doing something right! Story of a person shopping and got 19 of 20 items on the shopping list.
21:12 – The importance of building a child’s self esteem.
22:37 – This section is based on 2Likutey Moharan 7. כִּֽי־מְרַֽחֲמָ֣ם יְנַֽהֲגֵ֔ם וְעַל־מַבּ֥וּעֵי מַ֖יִם יְנַֽהֲלֵֽם – “…for He Who has mercy on them shall lead them, and by the springs of water He shall guide them” (Yeshaya 49:10). What is true kindness in raising a child? The highest form of mercy is to teach a child right from wrong based on the Torah.
30:35 – BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE – parable heard from Rabbi Michel Dorfman zal. Story of a kingdom where the people avoided taxes by selling merchandise secretly. Finally the king locked the gates of the city to prevent the people from dealing illegally outside the city. When a funeral procession left the city the king demanded that the coffin be opened and contraband was found. The king explained that he knew these people weren’t mourners because they weren’t crying.
37:20 – A Jew lives in Olam HaBah at the same time he is living in Olam HaZeh. True life is achieved through transmitting emunah from one generation to the next.
56:30 – Closing blessings.
58:30 – Q&R about punishment for the sins of parents or ancestors.
61:33 – Closing NOTE about today being Rosh Chodesh and the diminishing of the moon.
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