The Right And The Good
There are important features of the moral life that are not universal but have to do with specific circumstances and the way we respond to them.
Fantasy or Reality: The Ultimate Challenge
We have so much potential in our lives, but only by transforming the limitless possibilities into something real can we ever accomplish anything.
The Art of Being A Caretaker (Part II)
As much as possible, it is also important to give the patient as much hope as possible. When caring for someone with a specific disease, try to find someone who battled it successfully and have them visit your patient to give them encouragement.
The Consolation Of Bats
Just as the bat can navigate through the darkness by utilizing echolocation, so too must we learn how to navigate the darkness of exile using the ‘echolocation’ provided for us by the Torah and our leaders.
Of Thorns and Thistles (Part I)
The famous Burning Bush where Hashem introduced Himself to Moses was called a sneh, and that word appears a total of six times in the Bible.
Is It Proper For A Man To Not Wear A White Shirt On Shabbos?
When we make a big deal out of a Shabbos it allows the message of the holy day to make a bigger difference in our lives and in our connection to Hashem and His Torah.
Body And Soul
Steering clear of hazardous objects and environments are obligations no less than the above in preserving our bodies and souls.
Why do we Mourn on Tisha Be’av?
Tisha Be’Av asks the ultimate questions, the same ones which Job confronted: Why do we lose what is most precious? Why do we suffer?
Jerusalem Of Rose
David Rousso can also trace his family back to the Spanish expulsion during the Inquisition. Although he’s not a hundred percent sure, he thinks his family hailed from Cordoba/Saragossa.
Daf Yomi
An Auto Accident
“All Agree That They Are Exempt [Of Any Monetary Payment]”
(Kesubbos 35a)
The Worker’s Payment Didn’t Go Through
If we had given Mr. Rodriguez a paycheck, and he never cashed it, added Mr. Sender, would you say there, also, that we have to make out a new check to him, even if he didn't ask?
WHY GET MARRIED?
Marriage is not only good for individuals to realize their potential and to become better versions of themselves, marriage benefits society as a whole
Just Do It!
Torah coupled with good deeds is the ideal form of life.
Q & A: The 15th Of Av (Part I)
Question: What is the significance of Tu B’Av, the 15th of Av?
David Bernstein
Via email
Reb Yoel’s First Yahrzeit
Reb Yoel’s uniqueness was that not only did he have an exceptional memory, remembering everything that the Rebbe said, but he also understood what the Rebbe said.
Parshat D’varim – When Rabbis Err
Our sages warn us of the possibility that great Torah scholars can lead Israel away from serving HaShem.
Cry Because You Cannot Cry
Our nation was alive! We had risen from the ashes. Hashem had restored His light to His children and shown us that we were a nation of miracles.
The Decision Dilemma And Oscar The Cockroach
This was going to take motivation, so I called upon my best friend – my imagination. Presto! We had it.
Judgment And Mercy
We mourn because upon the return of the spies from the Land, the people of Israel mourned and we have still not recovered from that moral failure, and because in the times of the second Beit HaMikdash people couldn’t treat one another with simple kindness.
What Do We Learn From Rashi?
One of the things he said that really moved me was this: 'Do you know what is so beautiful in all of this? That you seem so free and are having so much fun'.
Knowing That We Don’t Know
One may reach the level of realizing they know nothing, but only in a particular area and on a given level. There is still the next level, and this has not even been touched. The person does not know enough about the next level to even realize their ignorance.
Why Are There So Many Jewish Lawyers?
Throughout the Tanach some of the most intense encounters between the prophets and G-d are represented as courtroom dramas.
Shabbos: A Taste Of The World To Come
What makes Shabbos a root mitzvah, why is its punishment so severe, and why do we see it as the measuring stick for all of Torah observance? What is the secret of Shabbos?
On The Art of Being A Caretaker (Part I)
Initially feeling very overwhelmed is normal for a caretaker. It is, after all, often a 24/7 obligation, often with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Tisha B’Av And The Brave Shechinah In Exile
It is for this reason that the halachos of mourning are relaxed somewhat after chatzos, the time of day when the Holy of Holies was burning to the ground. It signifies, to some extent, a mo’ed, because the Shechinah was freed to be with us in exile all these many years.
Hearing The Sound Of The Soul
When someone is subjected to the same experience day and after day, no matter how awe-inspiring, terrifying or intriguing it is, eventually it becomes trite and loses its intrigue. Eventually it becomes nothing more than background noise.
Is It Proper To Go To A Pool, Beach, Or Boardwalk Where Both Secular...
The key question is whether they can be done in a different, more modest context. It would seem to me that nowadays the scenario of "no other route" is very uncommon. Myriad options are open to us, and we must avail ourselves of them.
Hashem’s Pain
Hashem yearns to come home. Hashem yearns to see all His children united and coming to pray in His house right here in Jerusalem.