The meaning of hakarat hatov

While making the goody bags for my math fair project, i decided to listen to a shiur on line. This shiur is from The Smuz and it's called "Rich, Richer, Richest." I would like to share with you one of the points that Rabbi Shafier mentions:

The definition of haratat hatov is not appreciation, but recognition. The inyan of being makir tov, is one based of recognition that there is something being done to you that is good. Consequently, Don't just wolf everything down in two minutes, but take the time to appreciate and acknowledge what H'Shem has given you.

Another important point Rabbi Shafier mentions is the importance of perspective. I know that this has been mentioned many times and I'd like to repeat this idea in context with the word 'rich.' When people ask themselves, "Am I rich," what are they measuring their situation against to determine the answer? If they were to measure their richness against a poor man's possessions, then they would find themselves rich, indeed. But we don't, we use the term to reflect, "Is there anyone who have more then me, if so I"m not rich, is not then I'm rich."



Using this measuring technique, we will never be rich. Because there is always someone with more money or possessions. It is, therefore, important that we you should be thankful and grateful for the thing that is being done.

I think that this is a very important concept that we need to have clear in our minds. If we are aware of the amazing details that are orchestrated by H'Shem for our good, then we can only be happy and grateful. But first we need to recognize. So the next time you sit down to eat, notice the colours of the food, smell the flavours, and taste the textures with time and patience. judge our wealth with against the statement, "Do have have more then I need to be comfortable?" Do you have any luxuries? A cell phone perhaps? You can live without it, eh? How about a camera? There are many other luxuries that common people live with, but don't need.

I don't want to go through his whole drasha. Feel free to check out the link above. It's a website that offers free downloads.

Have a great week!

Try to be a better eved H'Shem by recognizing all the SMALL things he does/has done for us!

Good Night, with a twist

I hope that everyone had a great shabbat. I want to share an insight that I learned over shabbat from Rabbi Baruch Leff's book "Shabbos in your Soul." He mentions there that shabbat is what connects our mitzvout of the week to olam haba, giving us the ability to earn zechus. Since we live in a gashmiut world, it is not possible for us to attain zechus through gashmiut actions. What we need is a connection to ruchnius. Shabbat is this connection.

(this learning should be a zuchus to the neshama of rabbi nachemiah ben moshe - I'm pretty sure that's Rabbi Kibel's name.)

What is shabbat? Shabat is a gift from HaShem's ganiz, treasure chest, that He's given to US! It's mein olam haba, it's not gashmiut, but ruchnius. Like our neshama, HaShem puts it in this olam haze and allows us to have a chance to connect to olam haba. Without it, our mitzvout would not be able to earn us zechus in olam haba. This is why our chachamim call creation 'sheshis imei bareshis'. Why 6 days and not 7, because on the 7th HaShem didn't create, He gave us shabbat. He installed the link between olam haba and olam hazei, for us. This explains why we say 'mekadesh hashabbat' in shemone esrai of shabbat, because we didn't make it (like the yom tov) HASHEM makes it ang GIVES it to US.

So, not only does shabbat allow for us to stop and rethink our lives and weeks, it allows us to attain zechus through our mitzvout during the week. It's the missing link.

How lucky are we to have this matana tova. B"H, we'll use each week with the knowledge that shabbat is coming to link us to olam haba and grant us a time to attain heights in ruchniut.

Have a great week! Shevua Tov.

Sarah Rutti

P.S. I just wanted to remind you that today (america time) is Rabbil Kibel's 2nd yartzeit, alav hashalom. If you could take a moment today and say a perek of tehillim or learn something in the zuchus of an aliah to his neshama, that would be great. It's one small thing that you're able to do for him, since you can't do mitzvout in olam haba.

Busy Week

B"H! it's erev shabbat (the day before shabbat) and the week is finally ending! It's been a very long week for me, running from school and babysitting and homework, though very productive. I'm a LITTLE worried about running dry but I'm gonna try my best not to and just keep going and enjoy every spare minute I get!
So, I relaxed tonight, finally answering some of the neglected friends and email (sorry :-( ) B"H< I'll be in bed soon and asleep, allowing for an early rise and more productivity in the morning.
I'm starting to research (quickly) for my english essay and I'm even ahead in french homework! Yeah me!
I hope you're all doing well and having a great time thinking about shabbat and then end of a week/ beginning of a new week.
I'm working like CRAZY on sunday so I won't be too availible, but I miss you all!

Shabbat Shalom.

I'll try to add something about the parsha (weekly Torah portion) tomorrow morning. :D

It's been raining, 3 weeks and counting...

Apparently, there's been a typhoon from Japan that has swept across the pacific ocean and hit the west coast. As a result, Vancouver has been drenched in three weeks of downpours. I personally don't mind, as I love the rain and find it's sound relaxing and calming. Surprisingly, as well, I haven't gotten sick of it just yet. But, it is still raining.

It's the perfect weather when all you have time to do is sit and do homework. That is why I've been able to have no life but school for the past little while, and I apologize for my absence in posts.

We were luck last weekend, when the weather did allow for some outdoor adventures, and I was able to go socialize with other human beings. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to go outdoors with others when it's raining, but most people don't want to go out when it's raining so it turns into a solo experience.

There is something to learn from this though, too much of anything isn't good.

I'd like to apply that sentence in this case. I'm hoping that mud slides will not occur on the north shore, and that the Fraser river will not overflow its dikes.

For only so much of anything is good, excessive is just that, excessive.

So, have a goood night, week, and month!

Sarah Rutti.

Apple Fair

Today I wen to an apple fair down by the famous University in Vancouver. I went with two other families because they're husbands weren't available to come and they needed another pair of hands to take care of the collective 8 kids, BY'H. It was really fun and I enjoyed tasting all the different kinds of apple that they grow in Vancouver and being out with PEOPLE and not just with my books.
One of the really interesting things about whole fair is that there are SO many different types of apples and they all taste the same. You'd think that apples are apples, how many different flavours can you really get out of apples. But here, there were TONS of different types will all different flavours.
So I started thinking 'Wow, HK'BH (G-d), it's amazing how many different types of fruit You made, but look at all of these different flavours in one fruit!'
I wanted to share that idea with you, as well as the experience. Besides for being very frightened by the mere size of the campus, and woodlands around the area, I really enjoyed the fair. I felt that it was a sort of welcoming party for fall.
I hope that you are all doing well and that school and work are going well. Keep on smiling.

Rosh Chodesh Chesvon

The time has come, it's rosh chodesh chesvon, (first day of a new month). Many people call this month 'mar chesvon' because there are not chagim during this month, were there are during tishrei and kislev, the two adjacent months to chesvon.

We also know that, in general, rosh chodesh has a special meaning for women in particular.

How can we apply this concept to ourselves?
I found a very nice article on aish called 'The Gift of the New Month.' You want a deeper explanation, she goes through it very nicely.

In short, I'd just like to say, that the moon represents the ability for renewal and rejuvenation. Similar to the concept that one must fall to get up again. Here too, one can attain a certain amount of chizuck (inspiration) from the moon as it reminds us that we can always pick ourselves up again.
This perspective is very useful as well enter Chesvon. Here, we're leaving the month or intense joy and revival, to enter a comparative dessert. What message should we take with us?

The message that we must retain as much of the spiritual elevation from tishrei as we can, an hold it for not only the next month but the next year. We will fall but we MUST get up and learn from our mistakes and put ourselves back together again, just like the moon does, and be hole.

I'm sorry that I didn't properly develop this theme. I'm tired (though that's normal and therefore no excuse) if ANYONE is confused by poor communication skills at this hour, please let me know I will take the time to clarify. Have a GREAT rosh chodesh and shabbat!

Shoresh.

Take care of the world

Although I'm tired and about to go to bed, I wanted to writing something for Leah.


We know that the world around us has been set in motion by HKB"H (G-D) as we read in the parsha (weekly Torah Portion) last week. He created everything in this world before creating humans. This has tought us that this world if for us to us and take care of. As Adam is asked to be the shomer (guard)of the garden.

How can we apply with concept to our personal lives? Well there are many ways. To name a few, one could be more environmentally friendly and reduce, reuse, and recycle. Right now, annoyingly, the city of Vancouver is under strike so there's not public recycling collection, which is making 'some people's' lives difficult. But, there are other ways to help.

Secondly, one could be kinder to the things living on this planet, with us. One could make a bracha and be mekadesh the ruchnius of every object. I could go on, but you get the message.

Lastly, I just wanted to mention something that just came to my mind about the idea of chessed (kindness) that I learned from "Ahavas Chassed." It writes that the actions that we do habitually, holding the door for the next person, helping someone pick up their spilled goods, could be come a mitzvah of chessed if we have the kavana (intention) that that's why we're doing it.

I could elaborate on this idea, but I really need to go to bed... so I'll try to pick it up later. I just wanted to write something, besides for me annoying personal updates.
Thanks again for your time. Good night/day.

Feeling On Top

B"H! (Thank G-d) I've been able to complete my homework! I still have more to do tomorrow :S, but that's always the case. I was even able to enjoy the presence of my family for two hours, and babysit for 5 hours, and still complete my hw!

B"H, my french hw and studying will be done in time for my quiz and test, this week.

Thanks for putting up with my up dates. I'll try to sit and write something inspirational really soon. Just give me some time, eh?

Have a great week, good luck to everyone in their own respective work and assignments.

All the best :D
Sarah

YES!

This is for SEP, thanks for the respective picture that you put on your blog I really liked it and now have found a cute one as well, though yours I like better!

I'm very proud of myself, I'm not listening to a shiur (class) on tefillah (prayer) and I have a great hour of learning with Mrs. M.

B"H! (thank G-d) I did a lot of hw, though I'm still confused about some of the IF function :S.


Otherwise, I"m leaping up and hoping to stay up for a little bit. I'm gonna go to sleep now and wake up early so that I can accomplish as much as possible.

So oh yeah!

I hope that everyone is having a great day! Here's other pictures that I put on my other blog Just for Fun

One check for me!

I am breathing and being productive, b'H! (Thank G-d)
I just finished my take-home midterm. YAH! I figured out that I can cut and past pieces of a pjf file onto a word document, thus allowing me to retain the over all look of the midterm that was emailed to me and still be able to answer the questions. YAH!

So now I'm going to go daven minch (pray the afternoon prayer) and then I'll attack excel and try to teach myself IFs and stuff like that.

Then, later, I'm gonna charge at my french hw, scary, and see how much I'll be able to do. B"H! (thank G-d) I have another day to do more homework! And I might not even need the whole thing, but I don't want to jinx it....

I hope you're having a great day and had a great chag (holiday) Look forward to my continuation of Crystal's Secret Adventures next sunday!

It's All going to work out.

So, this is my exam schedule for next week:

Monday -

• (canada) Thanks Giving. NO SCHOOL! means
  
• a.) homework attack, all day long.
  
• b.) babysitting at night, yes I'm crazzy.

Tuesday-

• BCAP 1200 excel practical
• Math take-home midterm due.
  

Wednesday-

• Geology Lab Exam
• English Essay due.

Thursday-

• Dictée en français.
  

Friday-

• Examen en français, unité 1 et 2.

Isn't that a great week! Well, lets just say that by the 15th I'll be one happy camper, if everything goes well and I'm able to retain my GPA.
B"H (G-d willing) everything will work out just fine. He's taken care so far and I'm sure, since I'm doing the best that I can, He'll continue in the future.

Have a great chag (holiday) Thanks for listening.

Green Is the Theme.

I'm about to go write the rough draft for my english essay, even though it's 20 to midnight. B"H, (abbreviation for hebrew saying 'G-d Willing.' the - replaces a o) I'll finish with something workable by 1 am. I really hope this goes well and that I'm able to GET TO SLEEP.

I might just post the rough draft here.

Since I've been spending ALL of my time doing homework, and not socializing, this is going to have to be my connection with other beings for the moment.

Thank you all for listening.

Oh, btw, my essay is going to define a recurrent 'green theme' that appears throughout many poems. Using quotes from the passages, themselves, and my own 'brilliant' ideas, I'll make my first totally creative college essay. Up until now they've all be RESEARCH.

Anyhoo... thank again.

A tout a` l'heure.

Just to let off some steam, after working on my math assignment for the past two hours!, I'm gonna share with you my accomplishment. Don't worry, you don't have to read or understand it, it will make me feel better though!

20a.) The student is correct to put the 3 over the hundreds place, the 1, because 7 isn’t going into 2, it’s going into 21. However, the student forgot to follow suit with the 49. 7 is not going into 4, it can’t, it’s going into 49, and should then be put over the 9, giving an answer of 307.

b.) Firstly, the student forgot to put the 2 over the 13, not just the 1, because 4 is going into 13, not 1. Additionally, 4 can go into 13 four times, to equal 12 with a remainder of 1.

50a.) 24 x 11 = 264, 14 x 11 = 154, 62 x 11 = 682. I seems that when a two digit number is multiplied by 11, the product is a thee digit number, whose first and last digit are that of the original number, and whose middle number is the sum of the first and second number.

b.) If you replace the two digit number by ab and plug it into the equation, it becomes clear why this happens, and that is holds true for any two digit number. :

A lot of the graphs wouldn't show up... so that's that. have a great chag.