Archive for July 2020
The Pintel’e Yid
Our parsha begins with Avraham’s interrupting Hashem’s revelation to him in order to perform the mitzvah of hachnassas orchim with three men who pass by his tent. “Vayeira eilav Hashem b’eilonei mamrei, v’hu yosheiv pesach ha’ohel k’chom hayom. Vayisa eivan vayaar v’hinei shlosha anashim nitzavim alav, vayaar, vayaratz likrasam” – And Hashem appeared to him…
Read MoreAn Awakening from Below
Friends, let us begin by discussing a few foundational ideas in Chassidus. As well as representing the primary Name of Hashem, the Kabbalists teach that the Shem Havaya, (“Yud- Kei-Vav-Kei”) encompasses all of creation; while the final “Heh” represents the world of Asiyah, the three letters that precede it represent the three spiritual worlds that…
Read MoreThe Treasure Within
To be human is to be a seeker. Whether or not we are conscious of it, there is a general theme which underlies our actions- the pursuit of life’s essence and the happiness we are certain it will grant us. “Anu ratzim, v’heim ratzim – We are running, and they are running”. Although the end…
Read MoreThe Secret of Happiness
The primary blemish of the Dor HaMabul was that they were constantly dissatisfied with what they had. This caused them to crave the money, property, and wives of their neighbors, and ultimately led to thievery, cheating, and adultery. After wiping out this malady from the world by filling the entire planet with the purifying mikvah…
Read More“And Live by Them!”
While the yetzer hara most often appears in his recognizable form as a force which seeks to distance us from our mission of aligning our lives with the Will of Hashem, he sometimes goes undercover, disguised as a “positive” inner voice. One of his favorite tactics in this disguise is to make a Jew feel…
Read MoreA Foundation of Health
Hashem’s love letter to the Jewish nation, the holy Torah, begins with the words, “Bereishis bara Elokim es hashomayim v’es ha’aretz.” Literally translated, these words mean, “In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.” Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Ishbitz perceives a deeper level of meaning. Everybody knows that the first step in building a…
Read MoreDivine Mind Over Matter
Every human being is a work in progress. We are constantly trying to improve and attain the highest version of ourselves which Hashem intended. Oftentimes, we feel like it would be helpful to recreate certain tendencies, destructive habits, or other negative elements in our nature; to be born anew and start from scratch. In his…
Read MoreThe Essence of a Movement
The Shavuos edition of Mishpacha Magazine carried a lengthy article about the rejuvenation of Chassidus throughout the Orthodox world that sparked much discussion on social media. Two weeks later, Mishpacha printed a counterpoint written by Rabbi Noach Shafran of Baltimore, alongside Rabbi Moshe Weinberger’s response. Earlier this week, Rabbi Weinberger elaborated on that response in…
Read MoreSpiritual Abuse
We are living in a time of increased sensitivity toward abuse and its victims. In recent years, we have been empowered to speak up about how emotional deprivation in childhood has affected our ability to function in the real world. In recent months, we have been empowered to speak up about how physical abuse has…
Read MoreMeeting the Baal Shem Tov in 2018
The Netzach Yisrael beis medrash on Mesilat Yosef Street in Kiryat Sefer looks like any other shul dotting the city’s Torah landscape, but it contains one of the best-kept public secrets of this staunchly Litvish town: The 120 avreichim who comprise the kehillah are actually closet chassidim. They still maintain their Litvish dress and haven’t…
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