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I'm doing this one Mitzvah at a time. Tomorrow I start my first Mitzvah.
When I began to become Torah Observant, my Rav gave me a great piece if advice. "baby steps"
Increasing your relationship with Hashem can only be done with mitzvos, and you should view your journey like this: first you turn towards Hashem. Check, looks like you've done that. Then you treat increasing your arsenal of mitzvos like a ladder. If you take too many rings if the ladder at once, you'll slip off and likely fall to the bottom. So take it one step at a time. First grab the low hanging fruit. For some that is kashrus. For others it may be Shabbos. Still others need something easier, like just commiting to not answer the phone or watching the tv between midnight and 6 am. :-)
Good luck on your journey. You've found emes (truth to its deepest essense). Your life will change in ways you can't even imagine here at the beginning.
When I began to become Torah Observant, my Rav gave me a great piece if advice. "baby steps"
Increasing your relationship with Hashem can only be done with mitzvos, and you should view your journey like this: first you turn towards Hashem. Check, looks like you've done that. Then you treat increasing your arsenal of mitzvos like a ladder. If you take too many rings if the ladder at once, you'll slip off and likely fall to the bottom. So take it one step at a time. First grab the low hanging fruit. For some that is kashrus. For others it may be Shabbos. Still others need something easier, like just commiting to not answer the phone or watching the tv between midnight and 6 am. :-)
Good luck on your journey. You've found emes (truth to its deepest essense). Your life will change in ways you can't even imagine here at the beginning.
Okay, so I just spoke with the Rabbi for about an hour and he showed me how to put on Tefillin, the blessings, and to read the Shema. I guess I should go out and buy a Tefillin now. I know of this local shop that sells them, but he recommended that he get it for me from a shop in NYC from a "trusted" supplier. Does it really matter where I get a Tefillin from? I bought the Artscroll Siddur from this local Jewish shop and I know they sell Tefillin there too.
I also asked him about some of the mishachists in Chabad and his answer was very confusing. I guess Chassidics believe that every generation has a leader for the Jewish people and for this generation it was the Rebbe. He said it was common to give these leaders the title of Messiah. I then asked him if there were two different types of Messiahs and I honestly couldn't understand his answer. I really don't think he worships the Rebbe, but he definitely venerates him as a special leader.
Finally, do any of you know of any week-long or 3-day retreats that teach Orthodox Judaism to newbies? It can be everything from prayers, rituals, and cooking. I'm specifically looking for dates around 3/13 - 3/23 around the NYC area.
Keep in mind he stated "have an unbroken chain of religious tradition" and not a genetic chain. Also notice he left out Mizrahi.
Yeah my bad. The Romaniote, Bukharian, Yemenite, Baghdadi, Cochin, etc. Jewish traditions also never had the sudden hardening of hashkafot and chumrot that the Ashkenazi Orthodox community had after the haskalah. Unobservant people can still go to synagogue without feeling unwelcome if they're not wearing black and white, and people still eat in each other's homes without first judging each other on their skirt lengths and hair coverings.
Yeah my bad. The Romaniote, Bukharian, Yemenite, Baghdadi, Cochin, etc. Jewish traditions also never had the sudden hardening of hashkafot and chumrot that the Ashkenazi Orthodox community had after the haskalah. Unobservant people can still go to synagogue without feeling unwelcome if they're not wearing black and white, and people still eat in each other's homes without first judging each other on their skirt lengths and hair coverings.
Okay, so I just spoke with the Rabbi for about an hour and he showed me how to put on Tefillin, the blessings, and to read the Shema. I guess I should go out and buy a Tefillin now. I know of this local shop that sells them, but he recommended that he get it for me from a shop in NYC from a "trusted" supplier. Does it really matter where I get a Tefillin from? I bought the Artscroll Siddur from this local Jewish shop and I know they sell Tefillin there too.
I also asked him about some of the mishachists in Chabad and his answer was very confusing. I guess Chassidics believe that every generation has a leader for the Jewish people and for this generation it was the Rebbe. He said it was common to give these leaders the title of Messiah. I then asked him if there were two different types of Messiahs and I honestly couldn't understand his answer. I really don't think he worships the Rebbe, but he definitely venerates him as a special leader.
Finally, do any of you know of any week-long or 3-day retreats that teach Orthodox Judaism to newbies? It can be everything from prayers, rituals, and cooking. I'm specifically looking for dates around 3/13 - 3/23 around the NYC area.
Sounds like you're on your way to greatness. And yes, it does matter where you buy your tefillin. There are only a few places in America where I would buy tefillin to be absolutely sure they are kosher. If you want to PM me, I can offer you a couple good choices. A starter pair is going to cost a minimum of $500, just so you know...
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