The Purpose Of Counting The Omer
Time belongs to those things over which man has no control or influence. Time just marches on, and we can neither slow its march, nor speed it, nor can we change its quantity and make an hour last more or less than sixty minutes.
Silver Linings
Our lives have effectively been upended for many long and fearful months, and the toll in lives lost and disrupted is staggering indeed... And it is sadly not yet over.
Preparing For Battle
The enemy is constantly renewing its energy against us and we have to find a way to overcome it. The primary weapon we possess in this war is our prayers.
Integrity On The Bus
For once, it seemed, we were all prepared. I had announced several times that we were catching the 12:15 bus to Jerusalem to celebrate the Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the Firstborn ceremony) of our new grandson.
Fear Of Freedom
The spies were not afraid of failure, he said. They were afraid of success.
Jewish Practice In The U.S. Military (III)
Dr. Goldman went from testifying as an expert witness to being the defendant. Could it have been because of his yamulke?
Can There Be Compassion Without Justice?
This is a totally counterintuitive truth: The more we believe that G-d punishes the guilty, the more forgiving we become; the less we believe that G-d punishes the guilty, the more resentful and punitive we become.
Not Beyond The Sea
When you cannot see Him, it is because you are looking in the wrong direction. When He seems absent, He is there just behind you, but you have to turn to meet Him. Do not treat Him like a stranger. He loves you. He believes in you.
The Baal Hatanya And The Vilna Gaon
It was the Alter Rebbe’s fervent wish to quiet the controversy and for there to be peace amongst the Jewish people.
Lost Shidduchim
Put a coin in the Meir Baal Haness box every day and ask Reb Meir Baal Haness to find the lost kallah,” Ella told me.
Your Creation Story: The Journey Of Self-Discovery
Like Adam, each of us has our own unique creation story.
Are You Willing To Journey Into The Unknown?
The inability to fully understand the destination of one’s own growth can be compared to a child’s inability to grasp a complex scientific or spiritual concept.
All In The Family
When it comes to the word yavam, Rabbi Pappenheim explains that this term for a relative-in-law contrasts with other terms for relatives-in-law.
The Power Of Listening
The tension between the counselors and the rabbis grew almost to the point of crisis, so much so that we had to stop the course for an hour while we sought some way of reconciling what the counselors were doing with Torah.
Rescue Us From The Valley Of Tears
Our forefather Yaakov is considered to have been the patriarch who endured the most suffering. Although our rabbis look to the binding of Yitzchak and the trial of Avraham as the epitome of suffering in the form of self-sacrifice, Yaakov is our greatest teacher in the difficult subject of dealing with life's hardships.
Why Was the Beis Hamikdash Destroyed?
The pasuk in the beginning of Parshas Eikev says that when we will follow the laws of the Torah, Hashem will guard the bris.
A Culture of Chesed
Our wonderful founding bochurim were now by and large married with children of their own. So it was a magnificent ever-expanding yeshiva family that now populated the alumni gatherings.
A V’nahafoch Hu Pesach
Did I mention that my daughter-in-law has seemingly unlimited excess energy, and is one of the best cooks and bakers I know?
The Power To Hold Back
In Cheshek Shlomo, Rabbi Pappenheim connects “eitan” to the biliteral root aleph-tav, which he further reduces to the monoliteral root tav. He explains that this root means connections and linking.
Emerging From The Waters Reborn
This is the deeper meaning of the mabul: Hashem was not destroying the world; he was recreating it. The generation of the Flood had become so corrupted that Hashem decided to start over again with Noach.
Miracle From The Rebbe
After a couple of weeks, it became very clear to me that I was not earning anywhere near enough money to pay for Yeshivah.
Tu B’Shevat And Urban Dove
This school opens up new safety concerns for residents, as well as spiritual concerns.
Blood Money
I recently received an envelope from Belgium, with legal documents informing me that I was found eligible to receive Holocaust compensation. I saw this as a symbolic rectification of a bitter injustice that seemed to represent the very essence of my life. As I flipped through the pages, my mind wandered back to my childhood.
Following Moshe
Dignity is not a privilege of birth. Honor is not confined to those with the right parents. In the world defined and created by Torah, everyone is a potential leader.
Gratitude
My mother has given me non-stop love, care and attention since the day I was born. Despite the many challenges I have had in my life, my mother has been with me through thick and thin.
From Structure To Continuity To Spontaneity
Why was spontaneity wrong for Nadav and Avihu, yet right for Moshe Rabbeinu? The answer is that Nadav and Avihu were kohanim, priests. Moses was a navi, a prophet. These are two different forms of religious leadership. They involve different tasks and different sensibilities, indeed different approaches to time itself.
The Days Of Repentance
G-d is merciful and loves his children more than we can understand. He isn’t interested in punishing just because we did wrong.
In the Rebbe’s Sukkah
Rabbi Schneerson was sitting opposite me, speaking pearls of wisdom, and above his head floated the seven holy guests, the ushpizin who visit every sukkah.
Shabbos In The Shtetl
In preparation for Shabbos, Salik Orenstein's (our protagonist, and through his eyes and his memoir are we viewing the shtetl) mother baked challos.
A Call From The Future
How did Abraham overcome the trauma and the grief? How do you survive almost losing your child and actually losing your life-partner, and still have the energy to keep going? What gave Abraham his resilience, his ability to survive, his spirit intact?