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Conquer Your Clutter

A short insight on Parshat Bereishit

By Chana Weisberg

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Conquer Your Clutter: A short insight on Parshat Bereishit

Do you have too much "stuff" in your life? Here's how to master your clutter without letting it master you.

Topics:

Creation of Man, Priorities, Bereishit

By Chana Weisberg

Chana Weisberg is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org and host of the Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories podcast. She lectures internationally on issues relating to women, relationships, meaning, self-esteem and the Jewish soul. She is the author of six books. Her latest book, Shabbat Delights, is a two-volume series on the weekly Torah portion.

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16 Comments

Anonymous November 2, 2016

Reading the interesting comments I am wondering if a person who experienced some form of grief could end up with no love or attachment to ''things''. Seeing an Artist who no longer painted because of a serious hoarding issue being helped by a clinical psycologist (and he was able to recover) really showed me that we cannot function as humans if we don't have any healthy attachments and or the ability to recognise that we all have a worthy mission to fulfill, big or small. Reply

Anonymous California October 31, 2016

Doesn't Work If You Live with a True Hoarder As recently as 3 months ago I again confronted my husband of 48 years about our excessive accumulated clutter (house, garage, two vehicles, 3 paying for storage units, 3 on site storage units, and multiple "tubs" of overflow. He literally went into a rage, pounding the walls, screaming, and demanding that those get rid of "their" stuff before touching his. Am almost 80, cataracts, and other health issues make attempting to sort through piles and piles of "things" difficult and physically painful. Only you can take care of "your belongings". Hoarders have a mental illness. Reply

JDV October 30, 2016

Clutter What happens when one person wants clutter free and the other, a hoarder?
An argument! Reply

Anonymous California October 30, 2016

Kondo's book--Audible.com I got rid of it; I wish I did not get rid of statements and filed papers that has lain quietly; because I found I needed files within months. Reply

Yael Brooklyn NY 11225 October 30, 2016

Very cool! Love this message! Reply

Beryl Shooter Australia October 30, 2016

Conquer your clutter Thank you for your insighful video about creation and its relevance to clutter. As a hoarder - it gives me enormous joy to to have something in the cupboard that is of use to a teacher, somebody setting up home or simply using what I have for further creation of something for myself or somebody else, thus waste not want not!! Reply

Anonymous October 29, 2016

After seeing a number of documentaries on hoarding I do wonder why some humans seem to have this instinct to hoard useless things and live in unsanitary conditions. To protect something within themselves perhaps , but to their detriment. Some animals like the magpie collect and hoard, but for the purpose of building a nest. Why do humans hoard without any purpose? It is an interesting subject. As for me learning how insidious this habit/disorder can be it is a great reminder to create and maintain a home environment where seeing the true priorities become easier. Reply

Anonymous London November 9, 2017

in response to Anonymous:

I am a keeper. In case someone needs it etc;

I hate waste

Today's society is disposable
Cheap and nasty
Danger to our planet too

Deep root cause of my
Hoarding

Knowing that people in the
Past lost so much, and were
Treated so inhumanely

I value stuff more Reply

Anonymous January 8, 2019

in response to Anonymous:

I understand. I grew up in a financially-comfortable house and neighborhood; but as I grew older, I became painfully aware that my "home" was full of anger, misunderstanding, sadness, illness, and abuse.
I am an only child, and my parents doted on me in giving me gifts. I did get their love in other ways - verbal, affection, care-taking, etc.; but as the foundation of my home continued to crumble, I held onto the stuff - the more I lost them, the more I needed it.
Unfortunately, they were also very anti-organized religion; so I was bereft of a spiritual foundation too. Even though they were agnostic, and I admire their open minds (and my own), I have been lost.
At 50 years-old, I am still single. I have above-average intelligence and a B.A. degree, but work as a cashier and struggle with debt.
Point being, I know why I have clutter; and nevertheless, I struggle with eliminating it. It takes an enormous amount of energy to tackle; and as clutter drains energy, I barely function in a Catch-22. Reply

Anonymous October 29, 2016

Simple and precise message. Love it. Thank you and God bless. Reply

Geneva Mae Lewis California October 28, 2016

Thank You I read your article published in May 2015 about Marie Kondo's book and the larger spiritual aspects of what "tidying up" and accumulating less mean in the "Jewish Woman" editorial. I always enjoy your writing and it makes me think...I ordered the book and not only did I love the principles and used them in my own surroundings, I am now in the process of becoming a Kon-Mari consultant. Not to clean up or organize per se, but to help people use their energy and time for good, not struggling to deal with clutter. Our purpose in life is not to accumulate things, it is to do G-d's work whatever that entails for each of us. And none of this would have happened without reading your article. Thank you, Chana, for your strength of purpose, thinking, and communication to your readers and viewers all over the world :-) Reply

Anonymous October 27, 2016

clutter In the video we are advised to get rid of something we don't love. Well, who loves tax records, receipts and even bank statements? Yet most accounts advise us to keep these records for seven years. If the IRS decides to audit you - you'd better have the records they request. So much for getting rid of things you don't love. Reply

Trish USA July 13, 2017

in response to Anonymous:

I believe the video said if you don't like it or need it. You need your tax records. Reply

Fran October 27, 2016

Thank you. Reply

JDV Paramus October 13, 2016

Clutter Your presentations are spot on, as usual. Would love to meet you some day. Do you live in Brooklyn? Reply

Leslie Hawaii September 24, 2016

Provokes thoughtfulness of our position in creation Very inspiring message. Sometimes (often) the chaos and clutter in our physical world mirrors the same in our spirit. Clutter steals our time, money and happiness. Lets produce joy, and lets start by decluttering. Reply

Conquer Your Clutter: A short insight on Parshat Bereishit

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