What are we doing? every year we have Yamim Norayim of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, whats idea of being more makpid on these days than rest of the year? whats the point?

2 Ellul Stories -Lady going to Rav about eating only kosher in Ellul (Minhag 1st or 2nd day of R.Chodesh) people used to relate to it seriously. Another story of flight where a breslev guy blew the shofar when davened shacharit at netz - to wake up!

Ellul is a time of waking up. Shalom Shwadran was walking and smelled somthing terrible and 3 arabs working eating their lunch - they got used to the food - mussar is you can get used to anything if you are working there the whole time. Our society - the whole world is like a dump, we have to shake ourselves up - break the routine - it is a wake up call.

Rav Hirsch - by Dor Hamabul - why did G-D have to destroy the whole world? The pasuk tells us in Bereishit that only 'G-d saw it' since people were so conditioned to the corruption - once in that state you wont feel need of doing teshuva anymore.- every decade somthing happens where people say ... i cant believe people are doing that!! It wears off on people over time.

Rav Twerski - when Yaakov sees Lavan's face and it wasnt like when he arrived -after 20 years once Yaakov made a lot of money - now Lavans face didnt look like it used to - so Yaakov decided its time to leave, R Twerski said that when he first arrived 20 years earlier - Lavan looked bad, 20 years later - he doesnt look so bad anymore - that is dangerous sign - its bad sign - some one changed and it wasnt Lavan- somebody changed. Everybody in the room at some point in their life they said they would never do e.t.c and then a few years later you did it - the objective didnt change - the person changed!! Part of human beings is that there is a patter of complacancy.

The Rosh yeshiva was walking with his talmud and asks him what do you se? The Talmud says an arab shephard and sheep - how many sheep? around 200? how old do you think? around 13 years old. how many hours a day do you think he is with the sheep? one boy with so many sheep - dont you think he should be influenced by them? he isnt, some how he rises above - in our soicty we are surrounded by animals, we have to rise above around our society - Yamim Norayim is a wake up call.

Idea number 2 is identification of what we are doing. e.g. once apon a time we set the world record in certain area and many eyars later doesnt know how he did it! When Ellul comes we are training and pushing and we set the bar at a certain heihgt - in the coarse of the year people are going to drop - no one will keep the intensity at the whole year. We will drop - there is no question - but we were able to set the bar at 8 feet - the rest of the year we will be bouncing up and down . e.t.c..No one davens in the shteibel on Y.Kippur! What we are doing in the coarse of the year we set the bar high - then go down - then by next Ellul the bar is even higher than the precvious year, each year we are starting Ellul at a higher point than the previous year. Eventually reach a point where our low point will be higher than a previous high point.Judaism is usually 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.

2 brisker Rav stories - started saying derogaotroy stuff on Y.Kippur - and family siad wow, answered you need to know it despite you feel uncomfortable, whats assur to say on Y.Kippur is assur to say the rest of the year. In lavaya on Erev Yom Kippur after death Brisker Rav starts saying what dead person did wrong was bad, the Rabi with his was in shock, the Brisker said you are wondering why i am telling you this now, you are a public servant and you need to know this since you have achrayit on Klal Yisrael.. If assur on rest of year also on Y.Kippur!

Third idea, the last mishna in Yoma - R.Akiva says praisworthy is Israel, bringing 2 pasukim - of Hashem is a mikvah of Israel and other pasuk is you should be purified by the sprinkling of the waters, both are description of Tahara. The idea here is that there are 2 ways of achiving Tahara - one is a mikvah - and if pobligated to be in the mikvah at that point there should be no Chatzitza - that represents a person who tries to achive Tahara by making a total change in himself - rip himself down and start again. In our day and age we cant rip ourself down totally.

Poor cant have much low self esteem, since dont have time to think about it - rich have everything so dont have much to target for! So first way of achiveing Tahara is to submerge in a mikvah which will result in a complete overhaul and transformation in personlaity. The other eay is to sprinkle the waters o Para Adumah - halacha is one drop of water can purify the person with only one drop - it is the complete opposite of the submerion in the Mikvah - the idea of the Mussarim is to pick on one thing to work on then can achive - if pick too much it could be overwhlming, it could be any area. The place where somone can work on during Yomom Norayim - pick somthing to work on- then it makes it much more easier - for peopel the best thing to do is to start doing somthing. You can only improve somthing that exists. Ikar Avioda for 19 years old bochur is too sit and learn! everything else will come! it depends where you are! An Israeli Maggid once said people are always learning up what Teshuva is - once youve learned it - you have to do it! that is the biggest avodah - for Bochur they should sit and learn! It is always important to get enough sleep. If person achives a lot in life but unpleasent when doing it - it doesnt impress som much - there are some people who function betweer e.g with less / more sleep - byt can be more pleasant or not. The trick is to push in a pleasent way.

Everything we ask for we should say brachot in the minhagim of Rosh Hashana nights. e.g. dipping apple in the honey. When Yitzchak was going to be burnt - what would have happened to Yitzchak after the Akeida ? when burnt korban on mizbayach - it was a heap of ashes  - which was called a tapuach - so reson we dip tapuach in honey is symbolising that Yitzchaks fate was sweetend and not like ashes! nice pshat but doesnt necessarily go well! The mihag brings to build life!

Rosh Hashana is a much more difficult day than Yom Kippur - but by avodat Hashem on Rosh Hashana it more difficult since have to eat with family and can conflic malach like behaviour. All physical is stripped away on Yom Kippur - but it gives you a big advantage - on Rosh Hashana one has to deal with some much people - its important to remember that you should rejoice with trembling e.g. on Rosh hashana you ahve to be sweet with the family but on the other hand need to concentrate on the intensity of the day.

Rav Sheinberg was asked about taking a preventitive medication to prevnt caffeine headaches, he matired it but was asked on the phone - can i take it prevntitivly or do you have to wait for headfache to start? Yom Kippur is not a feeling of greatness phisical wise. It is not necessarily about enjoying you have to do it.

How shoudl a person be Zocher B'din? all that are willing to be marvir on their middot - then G-d will eb marvir on their Middot - Shaarei Teshuva says that this bring a gloryious ray of hope - giving us a proper chance!

Gives story of suffering when people die and malachim bring in mitzvot and sins - and after then he brought the suffering and then asked was the person Marve on their Middot. e.g gives an example of taking persons seat in shul - that one should have tact.

Rav Slobadka story on a broken shidduch and marved his middot.

Kid in Yeshiva in America who became really frum and told everyone what they were doing - he drove everyone crazy and people made fun of him. Story about a woman who baked challot and husband and friends ate them -and was greatful people enjoyed them - since challot were baked so that people could eat them.