Morning Blessings: Rav Aharon Karliner: Key to Happiness

The 17th of Sivan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Aharon ben Asher of Karlin, the author of Beit Aharon. He died on June 23, 1872: Every blessing is about the goodness of God and His great and unlimited kindness to us, in spiritual and material things. And we should pay attention and recognize this with our mind and our heart, everyone according to his own level, and as a result your heart will become happier and more joyful (Hanhagot Tzaddikim, page 19). [Rabbi Yitzhak Buxbaum, “Jewish Spiritual Practices” page 39]

The Karliner’s greatness is not that he understood the idea of a blessing, but that he maintained this level of consciousness with each blessing he recited. It is difficult when reciting the long list of morning blessings to maintain this awareness, but it is a worthwhile exercise to practice for this week of the Holy Karliner’s yahrtzeit.