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SJSinNYC
sometimes it’s better to get a little cheaper and not as good than wait 10 years to get something that is really important. Also, I heard that there are second hand furniture that you can get from old people or something. most were made way back when, when they actually made things to last! Then you can put in some money to make it nice and there you have a great piece of furniture that will last forever and looks good to!
🙂
squeak, some of your usenet posts are hilarious.
were, rather.
sometimes it’s better to get a little cheaper and not as good than wait 10 years to get something that is really important. Also, I heard that there are second hand furniture that you can get from old people or something. most were made way back when, when they actually made things to last! Then you can put in some money to make it nice and there you have a great piece of furniture that will last forever and looks good to!
I’ve gone to those places and haven’t found anything yet. Right now my son enjoys riding his tractor around our living room, so at least someone likes it 🙂
One thing that helps me is,when I do look at fancy homes, cars, jewelry,… I just remind myself that maybe, those people maybe are taking away from their Olam Habeh. I try to make myself content with what I have.
On furniture: we moved into my husband’s grandmother apartment and had “inherited all her furniture. Dining room,Bedroom set, & living room. The couches lasted for a while, but after a few kids, it had seen better days, so we had to get a living room set. The dining room set also was pretty solid, except a couple of years ago, we were sitting at the shabbat table and it suddenly gave way. We had to prop it up temperarly,with a unused fish tank we had around. If It didn’t break, I would have still had it. I miss it :(. The buffet is nice, but needs to be refinished and that would run in the few hundreds to do. The china cabinet is also in great condition, till it got hit with a baseball and I just never got a chance to replace the glass pane (I told those kids over and over, “No ball playing in the house” Oh well, kids will be kids!! The bedroom set was her’s so’s it’s pretty solid, albeit it could use a paint job. I tell myself that no one goes into my bedroom to see what I got, and if Hashem wanted me to get a new bedroom set, I would have one in a second. What I have, is what Hashem wants me to have for my mission in life. I think it is a matter of priorites between WANTand NEED. Before I do purchase something, I ask myself, do I want this or do I need this??”
One thing that helps me is,when I do look at fancy homes, cars, jewelry,… I just remind myself that maybe, those people maybe are taking away from their Olam Habeh. I try to make myself content with what I have.
I don’t think thats a nice way to think about it. Maybe a better way is that if YOU had it would take away from YOUR olam habah? Just because someone has all the fancy things in the world, doesnt mean they won’t have a great chelek in olam habah.
“I don’t think thats a nice way to think about it. Maybe a better way is that if YOU had it would take away from YOUR olam habah? Just because someone has all the fancy things in the world, doesnt mean they won’t have a great chelek in olam habah. “
good things in this world can and do take away from olam haba as yesurim take away from gehinnem!
sorry SJS, actually, I do think that people do take away from their Olam Habeh by having things in access, I mine why are we in this world anyway, to aquire possessions, or aquire mitzvoth??? A person does have the freewill to chose what they want. I think L’fem tzera Agara, the harder the work, the bigger the reward. If someone does have it easier in this world, and has to work less , they ARE taking away from their own Olam Habah. I don’t have help,(too cheap to pay) but I also tell myself, especially when I clean L’kvod Shabbat, that at least I am getting the reward preparing for Shabbat, rather then a Day Worker. So in response to your reply, how I am thinking, I feel that I am correct and if it helps me in dealing with having less, then I am for the better of it.
Intelligent, thanks, you pretty much summed it up.
mazal,
you can make yourself feel better about it without the need to knock others. For example, your case of preparing for shabbos by doing the cleaning yourself for shabbos that is a bigger mitzvah than having someone else do it, (the gemara says this explicitly), so it should make you feel better about not being able to hire cleaning help. But why do you need to be judgemental of those that do hire cleaning help? You don’t know their situations and nisyonos so why judge them? Same with a bigger house, fancier stuff, you should feel proud of yourself for being satisfied with less gashmiyus without knocking those that have more.
mazal77:
As far as you know, Hashem wants you to earn millions of dollars a year, live in a fancy house and drive a Lexus, and support all of the Kollelim.
As far as you know, Hashem wants you to eat dry bread and be an example to us all.
As far as you know, Hashem wants you to sell your furniture (even as is) to support Kollel Bochrim.
As far as you know, Hashem wants you and your family in a one room apartment in Mea Shiarim and you will have to answer why you have a house (and internet!).
Hate to be realistic, but we do not KNOW what Hashem wants.
As an additional point, Hashem punishes anyone who withholds him/her self from pleasure they should of had in Olam Hazeh. (Nedarim 10a) (seems Nedarim is popular today 🙂
I believe most people these days, even with housekeepers, clean/prepare for Shabbos.
good things in this world can and do take away from olam haba as yesurim take away from gehinnem!
do think that people do take away from their Olam Habeh by having things in access, I mine why are we in this world anyway, to aquire possessions, or aquire mitzvoth??? A person does have the freewill to chose what they want. I think L’fem tzera Agara, the harder the work, the bigger the reward. If someone does have it easier in this world, and has to work less , they ARE taking away from their own Olam Habah
While both of you may be trying to be good people, I think you are little bit off the mark here. Are you trying to say that someone born into a wealthy family automatically has a lower level in olam habah because of the nice things they have?
I was always taught that its WHAT you do with your situation, not specifically the situation you are born in. So, if you are rich and have lots of money/possesions, but do a great deal of chesed, that is a big schar. If you are poor and donate your time (that you can afford), you get a big schar. Neither is necessarily greater than the other (I don’t know the cheshbon).
I think today my posts are coming out a bit murky, so I am not sure if I am being clear.
[FYI I don’t have cleaning help either. But I don’t think it makes me any better than people who have help]
charlie & gavra, I am not knocking anyone down who has hire help. I wrote in my post this is how I view preparing for Shabbos for MYSELF, because I don’t have the money for help. This is how I cope to spritually infuse my housework. When I had a hard pregancy, I had friends who helped me get someone to help out. If others need the help, kol hakavod. As I once heard someone say, to her husband about her having help, “even the Immahot had maids”, so please don’t misunderstand me.
mazal,
I understand now and I think that’s a great attitude. Thanks for clarifying.
mazal77: Agree with charles. Moral support is always helpful.
Ra Ra Ra! GOOOOOOOOOO Mazel77!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
All of one’s acts, from the mundane to the G-dly, should be “spritually infused”. We are here (in part) to make the Gashmius into Ruchnius.
However, to clarify, I don’t think we should be the ones to say how big people’s olam haba will be based on their material wealth on this world. I simply mean that there is something to having plenty on this world instead of in the next. Of course we cannot begin to understand how these things work and I’m sure it’s possible that there are rich people with all the good on this world who will have a bigger olam haba than someone with the worst tzaros on this world. I hope i didn’t make it sound like we are able to pass judgement.
about cleaning ladies, i presently cannot afford one, but plan on getting one as soon as I am able to. Some people need it in order to run the household decently.
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