Selichot: When Optimists Meet
Selichot prayers are attended by optimistic people, people who believe that it's possible to change ourselves and the world around us.
Torah Shorts: Parshat Nitzavim: Covenant of Opportunity
Opportunity dances with those who are ready on the dance floor. -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Redeeming Relevance: Moshe’s Sober Consolation
And so Moshe’s ultimate message here, according to Netziv, may be that even if the curses are fulfilled, that is no reason to abandon God.
Keeping the Main Thing the MAIN Thing
For the remainder of Elul, as we continue to count down to Rosh Hashana, review your schedule regularly and make a conscious effort to have it reflect your values.
Selichot!
Do you know how to be thankful for what you have and to rejoice in it?
Torah Shorts: Parshat Ki Tavo: Prioritization of Honor
Honor is the reward of virtue. -Marcus Tullius Cicero
Never Give Up – The Power Of Teshuvah
No matter our level in avodas Hashem, even the simplest person can be inspired by the largesse of Hashem’s chesed, wherein He cherishes every single good deed and thought of the person.
Ki Tavo: Showing Gratitude
In today’s world, Israel faces dangers. The turmoil and instability that abounds can be unsettling. Yet, as Jews, we can rejoice as our ancestors throughout history who saw optimism amid the darkness.
Guarding Our Gateways (Part Two)
A huge white malach came into the courtroom, and Hashem turned to the millions of bad angels and proclaimed, ‘Dismissed!’
The Tendency Of Those Who Dwell In Darkness To Follow The Light
In Jewish tradition, noga tends to be ambiguous – it is a great demonstration of superficial beauty with a tendency to obscure what is essential.
Faith and Faithfulness
Both transgressions - cheating with weights and measures and questioning Providence - have the same root, since they both indicate a lack of emunah in Hashem.
Shmittah (the Sabbatical Year) Is Coming!
Exactly like Shabbat that arrives every seven days, the shmittah arrives every seven years and is meant to calm, refresh, and restart the entire economy
Torah Shorts: Parshat Ki Tetze: Beware the Drawn-out Sale
For the merchant, even honesty is a financial speculation. -Charles Baudelaire
My Kindness Towards You Will Not Be Eroded
It’s interesting to note here that in the West, the dove of Noach has come to represent peace, although this was neither the promise to Noach nor the sign of the promise.
Guarding Our Gateways (Part One)
One of the great challenges of our generation is protecting the gateways of our eyes. This is oh, so important, but it's only the beginning of our work with our eyes.
The 40-Day Challenge Begins
We too can access the powerful potential of these days – from the 1st of Elul to the 10th of Tishrei – and resolve to work on a specific area: from marriage, education of our children, learning, prayer, and character refinement to the relationship we have with our cell phone.
TORAH SHORTS: Parshat Shoftim: Inadmissible Character Witness
We falsely attribute to men a determined character -- putting together all their yesterdays -- and averaging them -- we presume we know them. -Henry David Thoreau
This World And The Next One Too
The Ishbitzer teaches that everyone comes into this world with Torah in his heart, cloaked in a disguise. We all have some special lesson to impart, some perspective that is uniquely our own, but is the opposite of what is readily apparent in our nature.
Powerful Principles of Leadership
A leader is anyone who is on a mission, who empowers others, and who always looks for ways to contribute to the greater good. Leaders are great parents, great teachers, great friends. We are all potential leaders, we are all potential revolutionaries. We can all create change in the world.
Judging Wisely: Who Must A Judge Believe?
The Zera Shimshon beseeches people to study his writings and promises that they will be granted family, life, wealth and honor in that merit.
An Elul Primer
My single biggest recommendation for this time of year is that people should make a ‘To-Do-Better List’ to have in their Machzor on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Shoftim: Self-Knowledge is not Self-Understanding
One might think that there's nothing we understand better in the world than ourselves--after all, we spend every waking minute with ourselves. But is this self-understanding really the case?
Shabbat: A Break From Living Twice As Fast
Patience, listening, concentration, waiting patiently, the capacity to be here and now and not to run ahead, the ability to fully experience the moment – all of these are significantly diminished in the digital age., But Shabbat..
Saved By A Mitzvah
‘There is one small problem,’ Moshe told him. ‘You will not be able to use this currency here.'
They Have No Power Over Us
If their weapons do not suffice to destroy us, then they will turn to the treachery of falsehood and hateful speech to overcome us.
Waze Can’t Get You There
We drag ourselves back to shul, to yeshiva, to a shiur. We are on autopilot, trusting the algorithm rather than our spiritual instinct.
Generating Momentum For Our Return
Free will - choice - is the root of teshuva. Teshuva is about reengineering our will, recreating our desire, rewiring our wants. It’s about the decision to be better, to be great,
Elul Is Here
Let’s remember that as Rosh Hashanah approaches that we’re not just asking Hashem to allow us to live another year. We beg Hashem that 5782 should be a better year: better health, better wealth, better marriage, better nachas, better friends.
The Power Of Free Choice
All of us, the entire Jewish People, according to our various streams, down through the generations past, present, and future, belong to this unique holiness. We were born that way.
‘Be Extremely Protective Of Your Lives’
If we were so concerned about every patient on a ventilator, scrupulously counted every coronavirus patient and victim, and carefully adhered to social distancing and wearing masks – how could this pandemic not have taught us to have greater appreciation for life under all circumstances?