 | The Bedtime Shema
| | | Master of the Universe, I hereby forgive anyone who angered or antagonized me or who sinned against me - whether against my body, my property, my honor or against anything of mine;
whether he did so accidentally, willfully, carelessly, or purposely; whether through speech, deed, thought, or notion; whether in this transmigration or another transmigration - I forgive everyone.
May no man be punished because of me.
May it will be Your will, ha Shem, my G!d and the G!d of my forefathers, that I may sin no more.
Whatever sins I have done before You, may You blot out in Your abundant mercies, but not through suffering or bad illnesses.
May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, ha Shem, my Rock and my Redeemer.
| | Book of Micah 7:18-20 (For Tashlich)
| | | Who is a G!d like You?
You forgive sins and overlook transgressions.
For the survivors of Your People; He does not retain His anger forever, for He loves Kindness; He will return and show us mercy, and overcome our sins.
And You will cast into the depths of the sea all their sins;
You will show kindness to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, As You did promise to our fathers of old.
| | Prayer of Teshuvah, Renewal
| | | Turn us back to You, O G!d, and we shall return. Ha-shiveynu Adonai aylecha v'na-shuva, chadeysh yameynu k'kedem.Adonai Adonai, Compassion and Tenderness, Patience and Forbearance, Kindness and Awareness, Bearing love from age to age, Lifting guilt and mistakes and making us Free. Adonai Adonai, Eyl rahum v'hanun,
ereh apa-yim,
v'rav chesed ve-emt.
No-tzeyr chesed la-alafim,
nosey avon va-fe-sha v'hata-a v'nakey. Click Here to Order Rabbi Arthur Segal's Books:
The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal:
A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the
Torah and Talmud
| | | | | The Month of Elul : The Time to Prepare for a Meaningful High Holy Day Season, via Real Personal and Spiritual Transformation and Renewal
| | | Shalom My Dear Chaverim, Talmidim and Rabbanim:
On August 10 at sundown begins the Month of Elul.
Traditionally, farm animals were tithed to the Temple in Jerusalem on the First of Elul. Just as the farmers counted and inspected their flocks, the rabbis taught that G!d counts and inspects us as His flock.
Elul is the time to "get ourselves right" with G!d and with our fellows if we have not already done so during the year. - Elul's Chesbon ha Nefesh (An Inventory of our Soul)
- Selicoth's Vidui (confession)
- Rosh Ha Shana's Tashlich (casting away our defects)
- Yom Kippur's Teshuvah (making amends)
The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew is currently used world wide as a step-by-step guide to achieving true spiritual Teshuvah, Renewal, and Transformation.
When we finally go to a Selicoth service (if we go at all) and the rabbi mentions Teshuvah - since this day is only a week or less before Rosh Ha Shana - we do not have the time, if we have the willingness, to really transform.
This is why so many of us do the Tashlich service, casting our defects into moving water, only to find they have found their way back to us by the time we get home.
This is also why many of us carry resentments into Yom Kippur services, and fail to leave them behind.
Listening to a lecture about Teshuvah is not the same as doing the process leading up to true Teshuvah. A More Joyful, Peaceful and Spiritual Life
is only a few steps away.
Rabbis (myself included) often speak of such things as Teshuvah, Tashlich, Vidui and Selicah, but rarely are these concepts presented in a context that makes sense to everyday modern life.
 My book, The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew, teaches you how to transform your life into one that is happier, more peaceful, and more spiritual, regardless of what is going on in the world around you.
And it is all written in the context of modern-day life.
In this book, I distill the teachings of our sages and rabbis that have been passed along for thousands of years, along with lessons from the Torah and the Talmud.
But unlike other Jewish spiritual texts that you may have read, or sermons you may have heard, this book presents these lessons in a concise, easy-to-read, easy-to-follow life transformation process that you can follow step-by-step at your own pace.
You will learn:
- That "normative" Judaism as you have known it throughout your life is not really Judaism at all, why it may leave you uninspired, and how spiritual renewal will help you recapture that inspiration (Chapter 1).
- That your ego can be your own worst enemy, and how to win the battle against it (Chapter 2).
- How to stop struggling for control over things you cannot control, and be happier because of it (Chapter 3).
- How spiritual renewal conquers the fears and character flaws that are holding you back in life (Chapters 4 and 5).[Chesbon ha Nefesh, Vidui]
- To actually get rid of your character flaws forever (Chapter 6). [Tashlich]
- How to turn negative relationships in your life positive (Chapter 7).(Selicah and Teshuvah]
- How simple it is to make prayer a regular part of your days...without going back to Hebrew school (Chapter 8).
- How to find peace of mind through meditation (Chapter 9).
- How to simplify life's toughest decisions
(Chapter 10). - How spiritual renewal transforms you into the best individual you can be, and how to stay on track (Chapter 11).
- How to celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish Holidays with meaning (Chapters 12 and 13).
- How to live with happiness, joy, and freedom every day of your life (Chapter 14).
The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew is only $19.99 (plus S&H) when you purchase your copy from Rabbi Arthur Segal's online bookstore. That's $5.00 off the Amazon price.
Click the link below to order.
As we say on every day of Elul up to and including Yom Kippur:
''May you be written and sealed for a good year. '' Shalom u'vracha, Rabbi Arthur Segal | | | |
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