The Trait of Remembrance

The Rabbis speak a great deal about how one should work on correcting his character. This is meant to be a lifelong task to always work at self improvement.

One must work at overcoming pride, in order to achieve humility. One must learn to love rather than hate. One must learn generosity and compassion and overcome cruelty and miserliness.

The Orchot Tzaddikim speaks of a trait that might be among the most important of all. He calls this the trait of remembrance.

He explains that people have a tendency to get off track and become frustrated or depressed because they forget the proper way of thinking. He lists no less than thirty things that are important to remember each day. This will allow us to stay focused and not let the difficulties of life, get the better of us.

We must always remember to have G-d opposite us at all times. This allows us to be aware of His kindnesses, and to appreciate His abundant blessings. Even when things aren’t going so well, if we remember Hashem’s loving kindness, then we learn to embrace the hardships. We understand that everything is for our ultimate good.

The trait of remembrance allows us to put things into perspective. We remember what is truly important, and what might be an annoyance that is getting the better of us. It is a way to stay focused and appreciate the beauty of life. Self improvement has many benefits. The greatest benefit is that it helps us to be positive, upbeat, and happy to be part of this world.