Character Development

We do a great job in guarding our homes on Passover from chametz. But what about our hearts? Shouldn't we be guarding them against all kinds of non-kosher emotions like hate and jealousy?

99% of movies, TV and Modern Society will tell you that its much better to be a macho than a meek person. We all know what Macho's are like – tough guys on the surface, a lot of bravado and all-too-often tyrannical. Girls ooh and ahh at the Macho, but the ones who marry one end up miserable...

Don't let society tell you that the important things in life are the curves in your figure or your six-pack abs. Health is important, but a healthy body is not everything. Most horses are much healthier than we are and stronger too. So what makes us any better than a horse?

The pig has a complaint. Why does everyone give it a bad rap? Why is it the archtype of crudeness and bad character? There are plenty of unkosher animals in the world. Why is the pig singled out for such discrimination? Here's a message to live by...

Humility is a wonderful trait, the opposite of arrogance. One who attains humility saves himself untold grief and circumvents many of evil's ensnarement. The Almighty cherishes every morsel of effort that a person invests in seeking humility, as we learn in today's lesson on the classic book of ethics, "Ways of the Righteous."

Arrogance is the first "gate," or chapter, of the classic ethics book "Ways of the Righteous," which we learn in today's lesson. The author addresses this character trait first because it's the root of many additional character flaws. In fact, it's the most damaging of negative character traits. Learning how to avoid it is therefore the foundation of character refinement.

"The Ways of the Righteous" is one of Judaim's prime guidebooks to character refinement and improvement. We humans have the bodies of mammals but the souls of angels. The more we strive to refine character, the more our souls can channel our bodies in the upright path. This wonderful book teaches how to do just that. Today's lesson introduces us to the art and challenge of improving our character.

No one strengthens character from eating chocolate ice-cream. Coping with difficulty is like spiritual resistance training that strengthens one's spirit. Therefore, when the Almighty wants to uplift a person to a higher spiritual level, He first sends them some sort of verbal abuse. Verbal abuse breaks a person's heart. Yet, in striving to overcome a broken heart, a person builds an emotionally-stronger heart. Here's a lesson in spiritual resistance training...

Metaphorically, raw gold symbolizes the soul, whose mission on earth is to refine and purify itself from its unrectified blemishes. Extreme heat is not a punishment for the raw gold, but a mode of purification. Extreme tribulations in like manner remove the blemishes from the soul.

A semitrailer was cruising down Florida Route 887 on the way to the Port of Miami tunnel. The driver saw a warning sign that fifteen feet was the maximum height for entering the tunnel. He was sure that his rig was no higher than 14'6" – he made a big mistake. The truck was actually 15'1"...

Our sages tell of a wise old man who sits at a crossroads and warns travelers, "There's a road whose beginning is rocky and its end is smooth, and there's a second road whose beginning is smooth and the end is rocky." The wise man is relating a fact of life that applies both to material and spiritual endeavors, as we learn in the following thought-provoking parable.

Nicknames are dangerous. Our name is by far one of our most important assets and determines so much in our life, as we'll learn today.