Dreams Fulfilled
Mommie assumed that within three days’ time, I would forget what I had experienced, but through a series of different occurrences, I did, in fact move to Crown Heights, as a young married woman, with my dear husband, as well as my long-awaited kinderlach who are indeed brachas from the Rebbe!
Name That Door
I knew the exact address was one of three buildings. I would just look for this unique family name on those three buildings’ entrances and I would find where to go. But just at that moment my mind froze, and I couldn’t think what that unique name was.
The Month Of Nissan
G-d took us out of Egypt in Nissan. After 210 years of suffering in exile, G-d took His nation out of Egypt.
The Pursuit Of Meaning
For each of us G-d has a task: work to perform, a kindness to show, a gift to give, love to share, loneliness to ease, pain to heal, or broken lives to help mend.
A Spiritual Pitfall
The story of Korach is often considered one of rebellion, but it can also be seen as a case of mistaken idealism, a philosophical challenge, or misplaced spiritual yearning.
Wrong Diagnosis
Eventually one of her daughters persuaded her to go to her doctor and after some tests he diagnosed early onset dementia. It was a tremendous shock to everyone, but the children realized that they would have to learn to help her and their father come to terms with this new reality.
In The Zechus of Moshe Rabbeinu
Later at night I got a phone call from my younger sister that lives up north in Israel. She wanted to talk to me about an incident that happened between us, which she felt she had never really asked forgiveness for. I couldn't remember anything and it took me some time till I understood what she was talking about.
Impossible
One who fears that a task is beyond their ability, or too challenging for their comfort level, has racked up the odds against their excelling beyond their current state of inertia.
Thoughts After Purim
In the case of Purim, Jewish womanhood showed that where Divine Providence places her in a position of prominence and influence, she uses it wholly for the benefit of her people.
The Social Animal
Regular attendance at a house of worship is the most accurate predictor of altruism, more so than any other factor, including gender, education, income, race, region, marital status, ideology, and age.
Sight, But No Vision: The Sin Of The Spies (Part Two)
The letter peh literally means “mouth.” The reason ayin comes before peh in the aleph-beis is to portray the ideal process of spiritual speech.
Turning The Corner (Part I)
Rabbi Pappenheim relates the word zavit to the word ziv (“splendor,” “radiance”), and he offers two different ways of explaining the connection between the passages.
Around The World In Three Hours
Sadly, I could not even properly enjoy that sumptuous finale to an incredible, opulent meal, because by then my watch registered less than an hour to go before licht bentching!
The Happy Month Of Adar
What Haman did not know was that Moshe Rabbeinu was also born in the month of Adar, and that day, the Talmud relates, helped avert the evil decree.
If Not Now
The mishna implies that it is important to do things, not just in this world and while we are young, but also achshav – now, right away, as soon as possible.
Sight, But No Vision: The Sin Of The Spies
As human beings, we have the remarkable ability to jump to conclusions, assuming that we know the truth of a situation when we, in fact, have completely misjudged it.
The Closeness Of G-d
We cannot see G-d’s face; we cannot understand G-d’s ways; but we can encounter G-d’s glory whenever we build a home for His presence here on earth.
My Hidden Persian Cat
From the very beginning, I felt that our kitten was a gilgul, a Jewish soul sent back to earth to rectify his past.
The Lessons Of Purim – Esther’s Wisdom
One of the chief ways to frustrate the Hamans of our time, bring about their downfall and bring light and joy to our people is to gather Jewish children and teach them Torah and Yiddishkeit!
Inspiration & Perspiration
These were all innovators, pioneers, ground-breakers, trail-blazers, who formulated new ideas, originated new forms of expression, did things no one had done before in quite that way. They broke the mold. They changed the landscape. They ventured into the unknown. Yet their daily lives were the opposite: ritualized and routine.
Purim: Our Existential Battle Against Amalek
Although the Jewish People won, Amalek showed the other nations that the Jews were not as invincible as they seemed.
Quantity And Quality
Boaz and Fradel had already been blessed with two children, a girl Shayna 9, and a boy Shneur 3, but it had been a difficult journey fraught with the kinds of difficulty that infertile couples face.
The Wig That Got Away
Long story short, another potential customer managed to jump the queue ahead of me, and she happily walked off with both wigs, after I had effectively negotiated them down to a fair price!
Haman And Today’s Battle Against Amalek
As we encounter Purim and our victory over Haman, let us delve deeper into the unique spiritual and existential battle that the Jewish People must continue to wage against the philosophy of Amalek.
Israel’s Burma Road
Whatever the proposal would be to supply Jerusalem, it would have to circumvent the Latrun fortress equipped with Jordanian artillery that peered over the single artery into the city. The motherhood of necessity was deeply challenged by Jerusalem’s existential predicament.
Reb Shimon Elituv, z”l
Everyone has a good word to say about Reb Shimon, good words that come from the truthfulness of their heart.
The Gift Of Giving
So long as Moses was in their midst, the people knew that he communicated with G-d, and G-d with him, and therefore G-d was accessible, close. But when he was absent for nearly six weeks, they panicked.
Doing And Hearing
The only way to understand leadership is to lead. The only way to understand marriage is to get married. The only way to understand whether a certain career path is right for you is to actually try it for an extended period.
Speedy Horsepower
Many commentators explain that achashtranim refer to mules that were born from the union of male donkeys and female horses (as opposed to hinnies, which are born to male horses and female donkeys and are typically weaker beasts).
True Love
Yaakov stood there, hoping and praying that someone more positive would stop to help him soon, but no one appeared.