Rain is Better Than River Water
The Nile misleads Egyptians into forgetting they are just as dependent on Hashem as we are, water issues or noIsrael’s “poverty,” its less consistent water, helps its inhabitants remember Hashem.
TORAH SHORTS: Three Powers of Prayer: Parshat Ekev
Rabbeinu Bechaye (on Deuteronomy 11:13 Ekev) explains that to serve God with all of our heart is nothing other than prayer, elaborating that there are 3 particular powers to prayer: the power to change nature. the power to save one from danger, the power to annul negative divine decrees
Parshat V’etchanan
When Mashiach comes we will have a nechama, not just a consolation, but a brand-new vision of history.
Q & A: The Hereafter – Olam Haba (Part XI)
Question: How do we know that there is an olam haba – a world to come?
L. Papirmeister
Collecting For One Cause, Using The Money For Another
"What's the difference?" said the treasurer. "Let each person think he is a sponsor. No one knows who donated first!"
Daf Yomi
To Him Shall You Hearken
'One Who Offers Nowadays…'
(Zevachim 107b)
Ignorance as Bliss: He Thought The Temple Still Stood
Though I have heard many explanations about the meaning of this day ( Tisha B'Av)– senseless hatred and violence, ignorance and alienation – I had never heard anything like the explanation I received this week:}
Long-Awaited Shidduchim
As the news spread, more and more people joined the family in fervent prayer. The gates of heaven received all of the prayers for David, and he eventually came out of the coma.
Post-Tisha B’Av Thoughts
We are not on the level to sit back and have Hashem fight our battles for us; rather, we need a human army to go out and fight physical wars so that Hashem can make us victorious.
The Movie On The Plane…
When life improved art--priceless.
Making Love Last
A key to help unlock the entire project outlined by Moses in Sefer Devarim, the final book of the Torah, from a most unlikely source...
Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Ve’etchanan: Why You Don’t Need to Worship Idols (and Might Have...
The delicate balance of the Jews place in the world: The impact of interacting with other cultures
Tu B’Av, Holiday Of Love
In earlier times, it was the custom already from Tu B'Av to use as one's greeting "Ketiva vachatima tova,” the same blessing that we use today during the month of Elul and on Rosh Hashana.
Tisha B’Av: Turning Mourning into Action
Our job is to make sure we can answer the call of ayeka, where are you? Are you taking responsibility?
Tisha B’Av, a Day that Lives in Infamy
Although Tisha B’Av marks the day in which both Jewish Temples were destroyed, the Jewish People endured many tragic events on this specific day throughout history. Despite this, we endure and are the Eternal People
Mourning the Loss of Mourning
What is the connection between feeling more connected to God and having the Temple? And why does that require sacrifices?
The Most Calamitous Jewish Day of the Year
The 9th Day of Av Guide for the Perplexed
Listening to the Prophetic Voice: Tisha b’Av 5778
Wishing you a Tzom kal (an easy fast)
Why Do We Sing The Haftarah?
The author of the zemer is telling us that although we yearn for the Beis HaMikdash and know that the ultimate redemption is not yet at hand, there is one thing which can give us strength and comfort: Shabbos.
Q & A: The Hereafter – Olam Haba (Part X)
Question: How do we know that there is an olam haba – a world to come?
L. Papirmeister
The Aveilus Of Tisha B’Av
Those who instituted our minhag believed that the main focus of the aveilus and the tefillah of Nachem is on the destruction of Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash.
Soul To Soul
During this period of time, Shai often drove to Lubavitch Headquarters in London to hear the Rebbe’s sichot. He was hooked.
Daf Yomi
In The Privy
'Rav Quotes Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon'
(Zevachim 102b)
What Can The Ari Teach The Average Jew?
The Ari HaKadosh – Rabbi Yitzchak ben Shlomo Luria (1534-1572) – passed away 446 years ago this week. Here is a simple teaching from him.
Do We Invite Hashem?
Shechinta b’galusa." The term is usually translated as "the Divine presence in captivity” – but what does that actually mean?
The Effective Critic
The great leaders of Israel were the great defenders of Israel, people who saw the good within the not-yet-good. That is why they were listened to when they urged people to change and grow. THat is how it was in the time of Moses; that is how it remains today
We Will One Day Rebuild The Holy Temple
Till this day, many Jewish homes continue to observe the tradition of maintaining a half-meter square patch of wall scraped clean of plaster as one enters the house. For how can we complete our houses when G-d's house lays in ruins?
Are We Repeating The Sin Of The Spies?
Let us use these Nine Days for self-reflection about the issue that first led to our crying during these days. And let us consider what Shlomo Mula was willing to do to make it to Israel, crossing a desert by foot.