Torah

Whether nature is vanity or just lower on the values hierarchy than Torah study, both of these approaches seem to agree that nature disrupts the learning process, and presumably, if possible, learning should be done inside, with minimal distractions from the natural world.

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.

Consider the fact that when we pray, we are conversing with the Creator of the universe, the One who holds the key to life and death, the One who can grant our deepest desires. Shouldn’t we be even more focused and mindful during our prayer than during a job interview?

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.

I rarely take the extended warranty when purchasing new electronics. I figure that this warranty must not be worth much if they feel the need to pressure me into buying it. They must know what I have learned the hard way: there is no such thing as a real guarantee. In my more naive days, I purchased this "peace of mind," as they call it, but never cashed in. Usually, by the time the item broke, I had forgotten about the extended warranty and purchased a replacement.

Kids today... that’s not the way we behaved when we were younger!! That is the mantra I hear repeated as parents bemoan the spoiled nature and lack of responsibility of today's children. The problem is - it is not a fair comparison.

“Whom am I kidding? I’ve been promising to be better in these areas for the last decade.” Doing teshuvah almost seems like an exercise in futility.

The travail of Yosef was undoubtedly the greatest trauma of Yaakov’s life, which certainly knew its share of hardships.

There has been very little media coverage of the actual events, and there are many unanswered questions.

There is a philosophical debate as to whether it is possible to completely excise anger from our emotional repertoire. This debate plays out within the Jewish ethical literature as well, with Rambam, at least in one place, indicating that one should never feel anger.

I have always believed that the guarantee that G-d presented to Abraham was never said to him directly.

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.

A good friend shares one’s values, goals and sensitivities. A good friendship involves friends who can be trusted with personal information and care about helping one another.

The remedy for external dangers is to reject the foreign cultures. Is the antidote to arrogance to discourage material wealth?

People who occupy prestigious positions in world-famous companies have admitted to me that they have never experienced anything as challenging as raising children.

Somehow, what piques my interest about this more than anything else is how the King of the Jungle, symbolizing ferocity more than any other animal – or at least as much – could have possibly been relied on for protection, let alone could have reached an understanding about guardianship and payment for it.

All year long, women seemingly have no time to breathe – you can’t even insert a needle into their jam-packed schedules – but after Purim, suddenly there is time to tackle the massive project called Pesach. How does one understand it?

QUESTION: Is it halachically permissible to pack on Shabbat or Yom Tov for a trip to be taken on the next day (Motza'ei Shabbat or Motza'ei Hachag)?Moishe Halberstam, Esq.Brooklyn, NY

Shemaiah’s advice in Pirkei Avot bears out this wisdom as he encourages us to love work.

Angels emanate from and inhabit pure spiritual worlds above. G-d’s presence and their mission are both clear to them.

The snake’s incitement and the aesthetic enticement of the fruit led to Chava’s and then to Adam’s self-control failure.

The war of the haters of Am Yisrael is against our spirit; therefore, they won't relent on their aim to wipe our name out. They don’t realize that they will never succeed. "The bush will not be consumed" – ever.

At its core techelet reminds us of our mission in this world, which is to serve G-d by doing mitzvot and avoiding sinning.

The heart is the repository of one’s feelings and emotions. If we act toward our spouses with feeling, not only with a sense of duty and quid pro quo, we create a sanctuary.

Donald Trump’s election was a complete surprise to many. In fact every poll predicted that he would lose. How were they all so wrong?

These negative visualizations can be particularly important when the long-term consequences of our actions are not immediately resonant.

In American society, wealth and power are the goals, while modesty and diffidence are impediments to success.

Though the Torah describes Hashem creating man in His image in its first chapter, Hashem only tells man about it in chapter nine.

In what manner was Aharon distinguished? Why were Klal Yisrael protected with Clouds of Glory in his merit?

Following his approach that each element of this mishna relates to advice for Torah study, Rabbi Lipschitz explains that knowing before whom you toil will also help with effective learning.