But You CAN Do Something
Sichos HaRan #27 states, "Proceed slowly, one step at a time. If you cannot do everything, it is not your fault. One under duress is exempted by G-d."
I cannot do everything. My time is divided between work and familial obligations. With an infant and a toddler at home:
I cannot attend every minyan.
I cannot attend late night shiurim.
I cannot attend every event at the shul.
Yet despite my constraints:
I can wake up and put on my tallis and tefillin and daven before leaving for work.
I can maintain a daily learning schedule by making use of time as I commute.
I can learn on my lunch break.
I can listen to shiurim in spare moments on my MP3 player.
I can daven at home.
While I cannot do everything, I can do something.
G-d willing, one day I will be able to say "I can" to those things that today I say "I cannot".
5 Comments:
Make sure you don't try and do TOO much, that's also one of the tools of the yetser hora.
Good luck.
TRK
SJ,
You are right on! Such a good attitude. I try to tell my husband exactly what you just said. Although, he does what you say you do, he feels very guilty about it. He wants to go to shul every morning, but it just doesn't always work out that he can. And I also feel guilty when I miss a ladies' meeting or some other community event. As a working mother of young children, I totally understand where you are coming from.
Thanks for being so honest and sensitive (as you always are.....)
there is a shiur by rabbi reisman on this very topic of guilt. It's at www.mp3shiur.com navi section.
Thanks. It looks like that site is down right now. I will have to check back later.
for my sake, i'm happy you've put blogging on the "i can" list.
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