Monday, September 9/ ט’ אלול

Reflect on the different ways of serving Hashem by using all of my energies and talents.  This includes duties of the heart alone, duties of the heart together with the limbs (davening, learning Torah), and duties of the limbs alone (sukkah, lulav, tzitzis, mezuzah, Shabbos, Yom Tov and Tzedakah).  Reflect before doing a mitzvah and while doing a mitzvah that I care to devote my heart to Hashem only.  Focus on trying to do a mitzvah perfectly out of awe of Hashem.  Think about the meaning and words of tefillah

Additional insights from HoRav Malinowitz:

Am I as devoted and thoughtful about my avodas Hashem as I am, say, in something having to do with what I want to be or accomplish regarding temporal, this-worldly matters?

Do I work on doing my avodas Hashem better?  Do I give thought on how to improve it?

And there are different types of mitzvahs! — and I have to figure out how to do each one to the utmost of my abilities!

Would I travel to a class twice a week on “How to daven better?”  Would I pay money to learn how to improve my character?  How to avoid loshon hara?

Aren’t these matters at least as important as, say, success in your work or improvement in your personal relationships?