‘Be Not Afraid Of Greatness’
God’s “name” is therefore His standing in the world. Do people acknowledge Him, respect Him, honor Him?
Sincerity Counts
When someone loves something or someone, he will feel compelled to do all that he can for that thing or that person, even if it will not actually make a difference.
Powerful Seeds
The seed alone cannot produce the tree, it needs earth, or soil. And these two components alone cannot either produce a tree, they require water, sun and other nutrients.
‘Al HaNissim’
The entire downtown business district would pour into the streets around 5:30 p.m., clogging the already congested traffic lanes of Chicago's bustling Loop. Blaring horns of Checker taxicabs and city buses made it hard to hear one's own voice, but I always heard my father's voice...
The Reunion
As crazy as it sounds, we never met face-to-face until we discovered that on the same Shabbos, she would be visiting her daughter in Monsey while I would be attending my grandson’s bar mitzvah.
The Faith Of The Remarkable Nation
In its account of the festivals of the Jewish year, this week’s parshah, Parshat Emor, contains the following statement: “You shall dwell in thatched huts for seven days. Everyone included in Israel must live in such thatched huts. This is so that future generations will know that I caused the Israelites to live in sukkot when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your G-d.”
Philosophy or Prophecy
The biblical covenant has the same literary structure as ancient near eastern political treaties.
I Was On Mt. Meron
I didn’t know what to think or where to go. I wanted to turn around and see that it was just a bad dream and that the music would start playing again.
Why Such Anguish?!!
When Rabbi Margolin arrived home he sat down with his rebbetzin and they discussed what had transpired in the Rebbe's home. They talked, and thought and begged Hashem to give them the right thoughts so that they would make the right decision.
Is Our Redemption Near?
According to the opening line of the famous song Shoshanas Yaakov, Klal Yisrael was extremely happy when they saw “techeiles Mordechai.” What is “techeiles Mordechai”?
An Answer To Our Prayers
For the past 10 years, I have been privileged to be part of a women's Tehillim group in Jerusalem. Every Shabbat, we meet and divide Sefer Tehillim (the Book of Psalms). We pray for the safety of our soldiers, for Eretz Yisrael, and for those injured in terrorist attacks. We also bring our individual lists of people in need of Divine assistance. We pray for women waiting to become mothers, for singles waiting to meet their spouses, for sick people waiting for good health, and for soldiers waiting to come home.
Picture Perfect
The answers, though, were out there, waiting patiently and shimmering in the distance until the One with all the answers decided to enlighten us.
Making It To The Simcha
Here is an amazing story. I recently made a bar mitzvah for my second son. I went to have my daughter's hair done in Flatbush, and had to be at the hall two hours later.
Encampments & Journeys
In the sanctuary, the specific domain called “the holy” is where we meet God on His terms, not ours. Yet this too is God’s way of conferring dignity on mankind.
The Miracle Of Emunah
During the 1920s, a polio epidemic swept across the United Sates. My uncle, then a baby, was one of its victims. As a child, I heard the story of his recovery many times from my mother, his sister. At the time she was about 10 years old, and witnessed the miracle firsthand.
Chevron – Forever And Ever
The things that the meraglim saw were true, however, Hashem is always trying to see the good and to concentrate on what is positive.
Mazel Can Happen Anywhere
Living in Staten Island provides us with a certain type of suburban living that is enjoyed and appreciated by most, if not all. We have less congestion of cars, easier parking and more camaraderie, as there are less people than in the other boroughs. We have no alternate parking, and it’s easier to park in all shopping areas. The rabbis know each person individually, and are very familiar with their families and life histories. This is not an advertisement for our neighborhood; it’s simply background to my story.
How Shall We Live?
It is the most famous, majestic and influential opening of any book in literature: “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.” What is surpassingly strange is the way Rashi – most beloved of all Jewish commentators – begins his commentary:
Of Simchas, Serenity, And Sirius Black
Our daughter from the West Coast surprised her sisters and delighted us by flying in for the weekend to join the festivities and meet her new nephew and niece.
Winning The Battle
As long as a person doesn't give up, but instead strengthens themselves to start fresh each time no matter what happens, they are called a winner of the battle.
GPS To The Rescue
These days, even people with a bad sense of direction can travel with ease. Since the invention of the GPS, people have confidence that they will find their way.
Who Owns Chevron?
The two explanations from Rashi seem to contradict one another. In this week’s parshah he says that Avraham could take the land as its rightful owner, and in parshas Lech Lecha he said that Avraham had not yet acquired the land.
Raising The Dough
I told him that the check was not for us, but for Malka's group. I glanced quickly at the check and I read $1,100. Not bad.
The Ever-Amazing Reb Elimelech (Part XIV)
As has been noted in a previous column, Reb Elimelech – like the Baal Shem Tov before him – asserted that pessimism and depression cause sin and spiritual apathy. Repentance (yes, even repentance!) that causes depression and sadness distances the Holy Presence.
We Are An Exalted Nation Of Priests
Rav Shmuel explained that keeping the Torah and mitzvos would be so much easier if we would understand that we are an elevated nation.
Tears
A person can get hurt, insulted, or offended by anyone. And when a person gets hurt by someone they care for and love, the pain is even greater.
Fortuitous Find
She told me, pointing to a blue and orange set. It wasn’t exactly a color scheme that I appreciated, nor was it especially fancy for yom tov, but having shlepped out and waited this long, I wasn’t ready to head home without something to show for my time.
Fine Tuning
Every so often I would sit down at the baby grand piano in my childhood home and play a few songs. I had learned enough to play piano on an intermediate level.
Cast Your Bread
My brother lives in Haifa. Despite his advanced age of 96, his mind is still sharp and his memory is keen. In a recent letter, he related the following episode. I was not aware of this incident since I was married and living in France when it happened.
Israel’s Four Elements: Four Holy Cities: Living In The Heart Of The World
While studying the anatomy of the heart in Machon Biotechnology in Israel, I had some thoughts: The four holiest cities in Israel - Jerusalem (fire/aish),Tzfat (wind/ruach), Chevron (earth/adamah), and Tverya (water/mayim) - seem to correspond to the four chambers of the heart.
