Believing Without Knowing
When someone gets injured physically one can usually see the path ahead and see how many weeks or months it will take for them to recover. When there is a problem with mental health, the unknown is so vast.
Friendship Fix
When we finally yet inevitably bit the proverbial bullet and introduced ourselves to one another, we discovered that we had multiple connections in common, including mutual friends and close family members.
Stolen Envelope
After davening, Mr. Shapiro took down the hand luggage and went through it carefully. The envelope with the money was missing!
Daf Yomi
A Unique Challenge
“Tithe, You Shall Tithe…”
(Ta’anis 9a)
3 KEYS TO BEING HAPPY
Happiness is not an emotion; it is a decision. Stop waiting passively to feel it and start actively choosing to be it.
The Rebbe’s Wedding on 14 Kislev
The Rebbe’s parents, living in the city of Yekatrinoslav (then Dnepropetrovsk), were denied permission from the Soviet authorities to travel to their son’s wedding in Warsaw ... That evening, they held their own wedding celebration in their home, in which the entire community participated.
What’s On Your Shoulder?
Like the city of Shechem, the shechem (shoulder) in the body can be embracing or distancing; it all depends on one’s attitude and approach.
Q & A: A ‘Minyan’ Minus Some (Part I)
Question: If the tefillah begins with an exact minyan and some individuals insist they have to leave, what is to be done – May the tefillah continue as though there were still a minyan? Is there any solution?
Zelig Aronson
Via email
Guardian Angel
Our Sages tell us that if a person performs mitzvos and does good deeds he will merit to be escorted day and night by angels who guard him.
An Idea To Handle With Care
This Torah portion offers us a yearly reminder: We need to check if people in the public eye are everything they seem to be
A Lost Opportunity? Hopefully Not
There are those who recite the words “Next year in Jerusalem” with such fervor at the Seder on Passover eve. But until all of us wholeheartedly accept the reality that we have Medinat Yisrael and recognize the enormity of this gift, Mashiach will unfortunately tarry.
The Principle That Saved Yaakov’s Life
What is the meaning and purpose of our desire for physicality, and how does it relate to our drive for spirituality?
Chanukah Power
When we are tired, do we still push ourselves to get up early and join a minyan, or do we succumb to temptation and say our prayers quickly at home before dashing off to work?
Anger: The Obstacle To Heavenly Blessings
The emotions of an angry person tend to run out of control. If he can take hold of his anger before it begins, all that tremendous energy will continue to flow, but in a different direction.
Vayishlach: Finally Becoming Israel
As Yaakov returns back home to his land, he and his family are met with new challenges that ultimately transform them into the nation of Israel.
Chanukah: Preparing Us For The Geulah
Chanukah can inspire us to be dorash the Mikdash. It demonstrates to us how dear our avodah is to Hashem.
Moral Ambiguity: The Parable Of The Tribes
Who was in the right and who in the wrong are left conspicuously undecided in the text.
Vihi Noam: Blessings That Flow After Shabbat
Vihi noam and v’atah kadosh should be recited slowly and prolonged somewhat. This is because punishment in Gehenom is suspended from the beginning of Shabbat until the end of Ma’ariv after Shabbat.
TORAH SHORTS: Parshat Vayishlach: Your Money or Your Soul
Life is not a having and a getting, but a being and a becoming. -Matthew Arnold
Remember The Sons Of Edom
Esav is the last of all the nations to come into the world. He is a pretender. He uses his strength and deception to humiliate and to conquer others, but in the end he is just a bully.
Jealousy Rots – Envy Can Redeem
She said, were she not more righteous than me, she wouldn’t be privileged to have so many children.
Parshas Vayishlach: The Principle that Saved Yaakov’s Life
Every physical action affects the spiritual realm, creating cosmic ripple effects; The same is true of the physical world. Every action creates a corresponding reaction in the spiritual world. In essence, our physical world is like an upside-down puppet show
Family Matters
Like the bayit, she’er also refers specifically to one’s spouse. This may be because of the sacred bond of flesh that exists between man and wife.
Is It Proper To Have Drinks In A Bar?
Bars, by definition, are places where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages … a classic place for idle chatter, gossip, and excessive frivolity.
A Woman Of Valor Who Can Find
She was ahead of her time and was a woman of great value and strength. She spoke up for her family, her friends, and the land of Israel she loved so much.
Closing The Circle
I didn’t realize it at the time, but living next door to your family turned out to be immensely significant to me.
Public Auction
The whole idea of an auction is to see what price I can get for the item. You chose, of your own volition, to pay $10 and outbid the previous bidder!
Daf Yomi
Pidyon Haben In The Afternoon?
‘…The First Reads Aloud The Hallel’
(Rosh Hashana 32b)
The Unbeaten Path
If we try to force our children (and adults) to follow a narrow and rigid one-size-fits-all derech, then we are guilty of creating a metaphorical Sodom bed.