One Heart, One Nation
By bringing us to Har Sinai, and imbuing us with that unique gift of being able to fulfill the mitzvos as a united entity, He empowered us with the ability to achieve the mystical perfection of tikun habriyah – rectification of creation.
Revitalizing Our Prayers (Part Twenty-Four)
Miracles are those events that are outside the realm of tevah, that which is natural. Nifla’os, on the other hand, are the wonders of natural phenomena such as the intricacies of our equilibrium controlled by the inner ear, the marvels of the human brain, our wondrous heart, and so much more.
Poor Alice: Fighting For Control
How is it possible for G-d to command us lo tachmod, that we must not enviously covet? Do we not covet in the way that Alice cries, so that it is quite beyond us? How could Hashem raise such an unreasonable expectation and foist it upon us?
Why Were They Afraid of Mere Mortals? – Parshat Beshalach
It's about unity.
Beshalah: Between Freedom & Liberation
Between the smashing of Egypt's military at the Sea of Reeds and the war against Amalek at Rephidim, the Hebrews had to develop a national perception of Emuna in preparation for receiving the Torah.
G-d’s GPS
In fact, the Torah is filled with these sorts of fail-safes – plans to keep us from failure when failure is on the table, ways to make us less likely to fall prey to certain errors or sins.
Torah Shorts: Beshalach: Bitter Prescription
No matter how bad things get you got to go on living, even if it kills you. -Sholom Aleichem
Follow the Leader: The Legacy of Nachshon Ben-Aminadav
Leading by example must be calculatedly visible, not only from a point of view of where it is done, but even when and how it is done. Doing something privately is not an act of leadership.
Praise, Renown, And Glory
As an integral part of this process, which is an integral aspect of natural law, wisdom increases both above and below in preparation for humanity to transcend its debased state.
A Wise Heart
We say in our tefillos kadsheinu b’mitzvosecha – sanctify us with Your mitzvos, for with every mitzvah that a person does he adds holiness to himself, and particularly to that limb that corresponds to the mitzvah.
Revitalizing Our Prayers (Part Twenty-Three)
The Da'as Zekeinim, Avudraham, and Kolbo reveal that the gematria of the word modim is 100, referring to the one hundred blessings where we thank Hashem every day.
Insatiable Thirst
What happened between the high point at the Red Sea and the low point in Refidim?
Soldier Learns the Entire Tanach in 100 Days
He related that when he was called up for reserve duty, he tried to think of something that would be spiritually fulfilling, and decided that whenever he’d have some spare time, he’d study Tanach with the commentary of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.
Painting Yourself into a Corner – Parshat Bo
Which was painted in blood first, mezuzot (sides of the door frame), or top of the doorpost?
Revitalizing Our Prayers (Part Twenty-Two)
As we are asking Hashem to favor our prayers, we must know that after we do a mitzvah it is a special time of favor to ask Hashem for something.
Bo: Israel’s Internal Transformation
What were the necessary steps for Israel to develop a national consciousness ahead of leaving Egypt?
Torah Shorts: Parshat Bo: How Shepherds Destroyed the Sheep god
A civilization is destroyed only when its gods are destroyed. -E. M. Cioran
Mercy And Judgment
Once the corruption has been removed from the Land and the exiles have been gathered, unified in the service of Hashem and freed from foreign occupation, then Yerushalayim and the other holy places can be rebuilt as they were in ancient times.
Why Can’t God Get More Involved?
The experience of the generation that came out of Egypt shows us that the clarity we think we so much want from God would actually hurt us more than it would help us.
Survival
Hashem revealed to Chabakuk the foundation of creation that keeps a person strong in any situation. It is our primary exercise and endeavor in the service of Hashem.
‘Armed’ In The Dark
Unlike the Egyptians, who couldn’t see and couldn’t move, for Am Yisrael there was light in their places of dwelling (Shemot 10:23).
Don’t Assume – Parshat Vaera
Hashem doesn't operate according to human presupposition.
Wasn’t Moshe a Prophet?
Moshe’s complaint to God is that even though he would have the best human understanding of the Divine will, he had difficulty bringing it down to regular people.
The Two Faces Of G-d
We should try, to the best of our human ability, to grasp the essence of Hashem and emulate it.
Va’eira: The Divine Revelation To Humanity
The ten plagues were part of a deliberate process to educate not only Egypt and Israel but also humanity.
Beginning Of Redemption
Certainly, Hashem has the power, if He wills it, to bring about redemption in a sudden fashion, as He did in Mitzrayim. However, if after our many centuries of exile we are still not worthy of redemption in our own merit, there are natural processes at work in the universe that will bring it about inevitably.
Torah Shorts: Parshat Vaera: Know Thy Name
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. - Chinese Proverb
Sun and Moon
Team Work
The first two plagues should have convinced Pharaoh that these were the work of G-d, not the work of magic.
A Thirty-Minute Discussion
One should be galvanized and inspired to plead to the Omnipotent Hashem to be saved from any challenge in any situation. One should never despair of begging for kindness and compassion from the All Merciful.
Revitalizing Our Prayers (Part Twenty-One)
We say, Shema koleinu Hashem Elokeinu – Listen to our voices, Hashem our G-d. The name Hashem denotes the attribute of rachamim, mercy, while the name Elokeinu is the attribute of din, strict justice.