## Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice

###### Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:1
[Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bnei%20Machshava%20Tova/s/Principles%20and%20Advice/r/1:1)

הַפָּסוּק מְיַסֵּר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹמֵר: "וַתִּשְׁכַּח א-ל מְחֹלְלֶךָ" (דְּבָרִים לב, יח).

**Experiencing the Divine, trans. Yaacov David Shulman, 2018:**
**Overcoming Our Forgetfulness**
The Jewish people were rebuked for having “having forgotten God, Who formed you” (Deuteronomy 32:18).


###### Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:2
[Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bnei%20Machshava%20Tova/s/Principles%20and%20Advice/r/1:2)

זֶהוּ עִקַּר הַסִּבָּה שֶׁמַּרְחֶקֶת אֶת הָאָדָם מִן אֱלוֹקָיו.

**Experiencing the Divine, trans. Yaacov David Shulman, 2018:**
This forgetfulness is the principle factor that distances a person from God.


###### Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:3
[Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bnei%20Machshava%20Tova/s/Principles%20and%20Advice/r/1:3)

וּבִתְפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי ר' אֱלִימֶלֶךְ (רַבִּי אֱלִימֶלֶךְ מליז'נסק) זצללה"ה אָמוּר: "תְּהֵא מַחְשַׁבְתֵּנוּ זַכָּה צְלוּלָה וּבְרוּרָה וַחֲזָקָה" (תְּפִלָּה קֹדֶם תְּפִלָּה).

**Experiencing the Divine, trans. Yaacov David Shulman, 2018:**
In the prayer that he composed, R. Elimelech of Lizhensk states, “May our mind be pure, clear, clean and strong.”


###### Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:4
[Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bnei%20Machshava%20Tova/s/Principles%20and%20Advice/r/1:4)

וְכָל אִישׁ יוֹדֵעַ, שֶׁבְּאִם הָיָה רוֹאֶה בְּעֵינָיו מַמָּשׁ אֵיךְ הוּא עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי ד', לֹא הָיָה לוֹ שׁוּם יֵצֶר הָרַע, אַדְּרַבָּא, אֶת כָּל נַפְשׁוֹ וְכָל נִשְׁמָתוֹ הָיָה מוֹצִיא בְּדִבּוּרִים קְדוֹשִׁים לִפְנֵי ד', עַד שֶׁיִּתְבַּטֵּל כֻּלּוֹ וְיִתְכַּלֵּל עַל יְדֵיהֶם בּוֹ ית'.

**Experiencing the Divine, trans. Yaacov David Shulman, 2018:**
Everyone knows that if he were to literally see with his own eyes that he is standing before God, he would cease to have an evil inclination. Instead, he would pour forth his entire spirit and soul in holy words to God until he would become nothing and be absorbed into God.


###### Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:5
[Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bnei%20Machshava%20Tova/s/Principles%20and%20Advice/r/1:5)

וְלֹא זוֹ אַף זוֹ, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁרַק דַּעְתּוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ חֲזָקָה בד', גַּם כֵּן מַרְגִּישׁ כָּל אֶחָד בְּעַצְמוֹ בִּטּוּל הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע, וְכָל אַרְסוֹ שֶׁמְּפַעְפֵּעַ בְּחוּשֵׁי גּוּפוֹ בְּטֵלִים אָז לד'. וְהָאם אֵין כָּל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל מַרְגִּישׁ, לְמָשָׁל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים וּבִפְרָט בְּעֵת כָּל נִדְרֵי וּנְעִילָה, בִּטּוּל כָּל תַּאֲוָה, הִרְהוּר וְרָצוֹן לֹא טוֹב, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמַּחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ בָּרָה חֲזָקָה אָז בד'.

**Experiencing the Divine, trans. Yaacov David Shulman, 2018:**
But we do not have to go so far. Everyone feels how his evil inclination ceases to exist even if he no more than focuses his mind and thought strongly upon God. Then all of its poison, which usually bubbles through his senses, is nullified before God. For example, on Yom Kippur (particularly, during Kol Nidrei and Neilah) doesn’t every Jew feel that all his lusts, fantasies and improper desires no longer exist, since at that moment his thought is clear and strongly focused on God?


###### Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:6
[Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bnei%20Machshava%20Tova/s/Principles%20and%20Advice/r/1:6)

כָּל עִקָּר חִסָּרוֹן שֶׁל נְפִילַת הָאָדָם הוּא "וַתִּשְׁכַּח אֵל מְחֹלְלֶךָ", שֶׁנּוֹפֵל מִמַּחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ וְאֵינה זכָּה בָּרָה וַחֲזָקָה תָּמִיד כְּמוֹ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים וְכַדּוֹמֶה, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם יִרְצֶה הָאִישׁ לְחַזֵּק וּלְהַגְבִּיר אֶת דַּעְתּוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ, לֹא יוּכַל לְהַתְמִיד כָּךְ בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ זְמַן יוֹתֵר אָרוֹךְ.

**Experiencing the Divine, trans. Yaacov David Shulman, 2018:**
The very essence of the imperfection caused by our human descent is that “you have forgotten God Who has formed you.” A person descends from his mindfulness. It is not always pure, clear and strong as it is on Yom Kippur and other such times. Even if someone wanted to strengthen and empower his mind and thought, he could not maintain this mindfulness consistently for any significant period of time.


###### Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:7
[Bnei Machshava Tova, Principles and Advice 1:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bnei%20Machshava%20Tova/s/Principles%20and%20Advice/r/1:7)

וְכֵיוָן שֶׁכֵּן, כָּל עֲבוֹדָתֵנוּ צְרִיכָה לִהְיוֹת אֵיךְ לְחַזֵּק אֶת מַחְשׁבתֵּנוּ לְהַרְחִיבָהּ לְחַזְּקָהּ וּלְשַׁכְלְלָהּ וּלְקַשְּׁרָהּ לד' ית', שֶׁלֹּא רַק בַּזְּמַנִּים אֵלּוּ, בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּקִיעוֹת, יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים וְכַדּוֹמֶה, רַק גַּם תָּמִיד תִּהְיֶה בָּרָה חֲזָקָה וּקְשׁוּרָה בַּקְּדֻשָּׁה.

**Experiencing the Divine, trans. Yaacov David Shulman, 2018:**
And so all our work must center on how to strengthen our mindfulness: how to broaden it, empower it, perfect it and bind it to God—and not only during such times as shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but so that it will always be clear, strong and bound to holiness.