Torah

Rebbi encourages reflecting upon Hashem’s presence and omniscience. “Look at three things and you will not come to sin: know what is above you, a seeing eye, and a listening ear, and all of your actions are recorded” (Avot 2:1).

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

Torah coupled with good deeds is the ideal form of life.

Torah coupled with good deeds is the ideal form of life.

It was Hashem’s goal in creation and the ultimate goal of our personal development . . . G-d does not seek our fear; He seeks our appreciation.

In the end of the third chapter of Pirkei Avot, Rebbi Elazar ben Azariah introduces us to four pairs of interdependent concepts.

In order to generate peace, the Sages (Mishnah Brachot 9:5) instituted using the word shalom as a friendly greeting to one another despite it being Hashem’s holy name.

With the advent of the Internet our generation has entered into a period of instant communication. Ostensibly this way of corresponding would seem the most efficient and best, but in my estimation it represents the worst type of interaction.

Understandably, judges responsible to maintain a healthy, fair, functional society need to be “men of truth” (Shemot 18:21). This attribute gives them the best chance to achieve the first goal listed by Rashbag – din (law/justice).

The word used by the Mishnah to describe our choice, reshut, means domain or control. The implication is that we are given not only free choice to decide, but also control over the outcome.

I am particularly discouraged and disappointed with the so-called “Women of the Wall” and their monthly actions which disturb the prayers at the Kotel, creating a chillul Hashem.

Rav Kook defined shalom as people appreciating and finding the appropriate place for each other’s strengths.

Rebbi Akiva compared a Jew’s need for Torah learning to a fish’s dependency on water.

The ten tests Avraham passed expressed and taught his contemporaries about commitment to Hashem and thus earned him his reward.

Our souls ultimately seek things more meaningful than what this world has to offer, and we should make sure not to get lured astray by the non-spiritual aspects of our world.

Whether this particular Mishnah is making this point or not, we know that Hashem sees not only the present, but also everything in the future.

People who serve Hashem with ulterior motives take what is meant to be focused on Hashem and make it about themselves. As this diametrically opposes the goal of creation, it would be better for such a person to not have been created.

Hevel’s sacrifice represented the dominance of the spiritual, for as a shepherd he was totally dependent on Almighty G-d – he was alone.

Ultimately, no one else will take responsibility for us in our place.

Even after the people left Mitzraim, the Jews continued to see the Egyptians as their owners and taskmasters. Only with the death of their masters at Yam Suf did the Jews feel completely redeemed and truly free.

Rambam tells us that even the greatest of our sages did not know how the messianic era will unfold. All we have to work with are the words of the prophets which are obscure and offer little concrete details.

I believe that the plague of the firstborn was meant to occur at the very beginning. It was only Bnei Yisrael’s lack of faith that required nine plagues to precede it.

One would think that in the United States, where one’s freedom is protected by law, there is no need to worry about antisemitism.

Hashem aims, of course, to gift it all to us, but only if we use these gifts in a meaningful way. If we do not, Hashem reclaims them from us.

The gift of life comes with the expectation that we use it properly.

When we muffle our identity, He muffles his love and care for us. When we assert our true selves, He expresses his true love.

A person who identifies with Hashem’s will must use the unique abilities and circumstances Hashem created him with and places him in to appreciate how he is meant to best serve Him.

Israel must demonstrate confidence in ourselves and an iron determination to defy our antagonists. Mordechai teaches that it is not through appeasement that one achieves peace but rather through strength, self-assurance and unequivocally firm resistance to tyranny and injustice.

Anything that the Jewish people accept as holy becomes holy to our people.

Since everything we do for the sake of Heaven (including neutral, permissible actions) contributes to kavod Hashem, we should appreciate and fully focus upon whatever we are doing at each moment.