Torah

One of the most important factors in delivering and receiving feedback is the relationship between the giver and the recipient.

They were taught that a congregation can only pray for relief from one disaster. Which one should they pray for G-d to stop: the plague or the famine?

The Torah refers to a punishment that seems identical, or similar to, karet with the word "ariri."

When the nations of the world will see Hashem saving his children, His nation, they will see that there is a Borei Olam who runs the world.

There is nothing wrong with going to Meron, and davening by kivrei tzadikim, and surely by the Tannah Rabi Shimon bar Yochai. But there is a special power that all beginnings have.

We see from this that Eltzafun was called upon to help others and did as he was told. Perhaps, this is an indication of Eltzafun’s humility and that his heart was in the right place.

What I believe we can take from this thought is the understanding that there is a dual universe, a spiritual-metaphysical universe that mirrors the physical one that we live in.

Sometimes, suffering is decreed from above – often as a punishment for sin. Hashem punished the first man and woman for their sins on their first day of existence and has continued to do so ever since.

The Seder is not just an educational and intellectual experience; it’s also a unique opportunity to say thank you together with our loved ones to Hashem for the fact that He chose us as His nation and gave us His wonderful mitzvos.

Instead of commending this righteous individual for his proper ethical standards, he has been attacked by the left wing media!

It’s not entirely clear within the narrative what the spies did wrong. They were asked to scout the land and report back, and that’s what they did.

What does it mean to have a good heart? It is common in the modern era to associate the heart with emotions, and contrast that with the mind, which represents thought.

The smart davener knows that Hashem appreciates it when we approach Him with humility rather than with an attitude of "It's coming to me and I surely deserve it."

The two not only emphasize the need for more action than wisdom; they also highlight the problem with having less action than wisdom.

It is difficult to write about such a topic, but from an outsider’s perspective it seems that there are so many ongoing communal machlokesim today.

The Imrei Emes once said, “The biggest ‘mussar sefer’ I know of is a ticking clock!”

As you enter the actual museum one becomes a little uneasy as you are explained that for the next one and a half hours you will be walking in total darkness.

Even though we generally abstain from taking oaths nowadays, figuring out other ways to up the ante and solidify our commitment is essential.

Instead of belonging to the "Ayeka" club – deflecting blame – why not join the "Hineni" group? Instead of blaming our surrounding, why not ask ourselves what part we played in creating the existing situation? Instead of expecting change from someone else, why not offer something different?

Ben Azai teaches that it’s best not to consider which mitzvot are greater or lesser in value to the one who performs them because from beginning to do mitzvot one will add on more mitzvot, but if he does an aveira, then G-d forbid he may begin traveling down the other path.

Diversity in Judaism is common in our history and liturgy. One can visit many synagogues and observe that the order of davening and the text of siddur vary from shul to shul. When I'm in Israel I often attend the services in a Sephardi shul where the prayers and the sequence of taking the Torah from the ark and replacing it are vastly different from what I'm accustomed to.

Rabbeinu Yonah explains that, in addition to our own conditioning (goreret), when we perform a mitzvah, Hashem rewards us (gives sechar) by strengthening our efforts.

In recognition of the good that was performed in the past we reward this dog with the meat of the animal that he did not protect.

If we keep Hashem in our minds and hearts – i.e., if we become G-d-fearing – we will succeed at having Torah in our mouths.

The guilty were sent to the cities of the Levi’im not to be imprisoned but to be placed in an environment of learning and spirituality, a setting where atonement and self-forgiveness could readily be achieved.

For some reason, people seem to strongly believe that being alike improves communication. But is that really so?

Learning alone is valuable, but not ideal. Words of Torah are enhanced through social interaction and social interactions are enhanced through words of Torah.

Rabbi Wertheimer writes that "ayeh" is used when one has no inkling where something is, while "eifo" is used when one does have a general sense of where it is.

When we hear of school bus tragedies, we should pray for the safety of our children. When we hear of someone suffering from Covid-19 or another dreaded disease, we should pray for health. When we see flashing lights on the highway, we should pray for safe travels.

They saw extremely large fruit and interpreted that to mean that just as the fruit are extreme and strange so to are the inhabitants. This was a misconception and a misinterpretation of the facts.