{"id":120,"date":"2013-04-30T15:53:13","date_gmt":"2013-04-30T15:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/growingupwithtorah.com\/?p=120"},"modified":"2020-08-20T22:44:44","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T22:44:44","slug":"raising-up-our-intent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/04\/30\/raising-up-our-intent\/","title":{"rendered":"A Happy Wife a Happy Life – Making it L'shmah"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wish I remembered how this came to me, but I recently had a great insight worth sharing. I think I was learning a Rambam from Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah for my MJI class. It’s about l’shmah<\/em>, relationships, and growing up.
\nThere is an interesting idea that a l’shmah<\/em> (“for the sake of,” without any selfish intent) mitzvah has the ability to raise up and transform non-l’shmah acts into l’shmah<\/em> ones. Rav Chaim Volozhin talks about the idea when it comes to Torah study, and in a similar vein the Baal HaTanya mentions it in terms of a persons prayers – prayers with intent raise up prayers with no intent.
\nThe Rambam discusses another idea. He explains that one of the reasons we have so many mitzvahs is that in order to exist in Olam HaBa, the world to come, it is necessary to have performed at least one mitzvah l’shmah<\/em>.
\nThis is what I want to say:
\nChazal (Our Sages. What you say when you don’t remember the source reference exactly) tell us that L’olam adam yasok b’torah u’v’mitzvos afilu sh’lo l’shmah.<\/em> A person should always involve himself in mitzvahs and Torah study, even with selfish intent. There are other sources that contradict the idea. The idea is, when the purpose of the lo l’shmah<\/em>\u00a0(selfish) act is to get to l’shmah<\/em> – than it is l’shmah<\/em>.
\nWe perform Mitzvahs and study Torah within the context of a loving relationship with Hashem. In such a relationship each member will act for the benefit of the other and for the sake of the relationship itself. Two people who are getting their needs met exclusively for their own reasons are using each other, even if it is consensual.
\nIn a committed relationship, we don’t always want to give what our spouses want or need. Sometimes we have to do it for fear of\u00a0repercussions, to keep on their good side, or maybe even bribe ourselves with the knowledge of a “reward” we will receive – like our favorite dinner etc..
\nBut sometimes our higher self shines through, and we do something for the other just because we know it would make them happy. We reveal that everything else we may have done for selfish reasons was a part of the bigger picture – our true desire to benefit the other and form a unity greater than the sum of our parts.
\nSo that one l’shmah<\/em> act doesn’t just lift up the other tainted acts, that one sincere prayer doesn’t just give wings or a soul to the others…they reveal what was really there all along…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wish I remembered how this came to me, but I recently had a great insight worth sharing. I think I was learning a Rambam from Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah for my MJI class. It’s about l’shmah, relationships, and growing up. There is an interesting idea that a l’shmah (“for the sake of,” without any selfish … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “A Happy Wife a Happy Life – Making it L'shmah”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[21,24,37],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":252,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/01\/torah-and-psychology\/","url_meta":{"origin":120,"position":0},"title":"Torah and Psychology?","date":"September 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Do I hold of Torah psychology? First lets define terms. Does the concept of Torah psychology exist? Nowadays, people have issues. It\u2019s debatable whether they always had them, they only just started noticing they have them, or they always had them but now we have a lot more people having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":266,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/06\/torah-and-psychology-ii-surprise\/","url_meta":{"origin":120,"position":1},"title":"Torah and Psychology II? – Surprise!","date":"November 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Is this the prequel or the sequel to my Torah Psychology article? I\u2019ll let you be the judge, but I\u2019m definitely asking for your opinion about the topic covered. I hope to take you for a bit of a ride with this article. 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