Judaism

I went out to work wishing Hashem well and hoping that very soon He would be able to come down to His True Home right here amongst His children in the holy city of Jerusalem.

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Torah begins with the creation of the world in order to provide the counter-argument against those who would accuse the Jews of "stealing" the Land of Israel: Hebron; Shechem; Jerusalem-All 3 cities established and essential to Jewish history and identity

So, what is psychology? In its most basic form, psychology is the study of the mind (thought and emotion) and behavior. With this definition, we see that the discipline of psychology really does include almost anything human related under the sun, because what doesn’t incorporate an element of how we think, feel, or act?

They now sit together and intensely discuss what they are learning. They are both very proud to carry on the legacy of my father, their great-grandfather.

Not As An Asmachta? ‘An Asmachta [In Beis Din] Does Acquire’ (Nedarim 27b)

The dates are agreed and well documented, said Rabbi Dayan. It's clear to me that Mr. Plaut made a common mathematical error, subtracting three from 12.

Question: Can you explain the different starting times of Mashiv haruach u'morid hagashem and Ve'ten tal u'matar livracha as opposed to Morid hatal and Ve'ten beracha, and why they are said as part of particular berachot in the Amida, as found in the siddur? S. Dorman Via email

The truth is that one must believe in the power of their mind and their soul, that they have the power to overcome any temptation, even that of immorality. Even the soul of the lowliest amongst us certainly has the power to stand up against the whole world with all its temptations.

We go to shul, we say the words, but we do not actually experience what prayer could and should be because we are too atomized, individualized, and emotionally armored.

Also while in exile Jews must not ignore their task, nor underestimate their capacities, however limited their material powers may be, inasmuch as a Jew’s material resources, as already noted, are bound up with the spiritual, and in the spiritual realm there are no limitations, also during the time of exile.

There is a natural tension between our focus upon our own needs and goals and our caring for and assistance to others. Rebbi’s point is that we need to strike the right balance between these (often) competing values.

Last week marks two years since the passing of Rabbi Professor Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and one of the most eminent Jewish voices of our generation.

While the 'love' that exists before marriage can be easy, enjoyable and free from responsibility, the true test for a couple is to forge and strengthen a deep spiritual bond of love after the wedding.

Our sages tell us that it is only specifically through food that a mishap is not generated through a righteous person, because it would be disgraceful if a tzaddik consumed forbidden food.

­ The condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart. -Alan Redpath

You begin with your inner thoughts and experience. You then form the specific words that will encase your thoughts as you give them concrete form and throw these words out into the world around you in the form of vibrations.

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?

It is best that a father and son or two brothers not be awarded hagba and gelila together, just as they should not be awarded any two aliyot in succession.

When you come to shul, don’t hang out in the hall. If you paid money to go to a concert or a sports event, you would not idle the time away outside in the hallway. When you come to the House of G-d, surely it should be no different.

Much of the end of David’s life is marred by battle between the brothers and even occasionally between the brothers and their father over who will rule once David is gone.

Each year as Rosh Hashana approaches many people find themselves despairingly thinking that this will yet be another year of failed growth. I am exactly who I was last year and the year before that, and I can never change. But in reality, that attitude is hardly ever true.

Throughout the world, Jews are successful, prominent and influential way out of proportion to their numbers. Our existence is no longer that of our frightful past of pogroms, expulsions and holocaust.

Curiously, Rabbi Pappenheim argues that the word neshek (“weapon”) also relates to this root, because two opposing combatants approaching each other on the battlefield resemble two lovers approaching each other for a kiss, or because the mechanics of the neshek create a certain type of consistent noise.

Instead of Avraham donning his “superman cape” and praying to Hashem for help, he defers all responsibility to his wife, Sarah. Avraham seems powerless and totally dependent on Sarah for their salvation.

In engaging the students, we discovered that while they acknowledged the horror of what their ancestors had perpetrated, it had nothing to do with them.

I was so encouraged by these words that I decided to show my faith in Hashem and my true belief that He will save me this time as well.

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While the process of change is very personal and needs to be individualized, there are also commonalities and trends that traverse both time and person.

Avi tried to appeal to the bus driver once more but to no avail. He was determined to leave on time. But oddly enough he still hadn’t moved even though it was already several minutes past the allotted time.