Posts by Yaakov Klein
To Be a Jew
Describing the awesome revelation upon Har Sinai, the Torah states, “And the entire nation saw the sounds, and the fires, and the call of the Shofar.” R’ Shlomo Carlebach perceived a very deep lesson hidden in this verse. Gathered for Matan Torah at the foot of the mountain, six hundred thousand broken ex-slaves became bound…
Read MoreHoliness is Ever Near
“And Yisro, the priest of Midyan, father-in-law of Moshe, heard…” This week’s parsha describes the single most consequential event in world history: the giving of the Torah to the Jewish nation. But before this awesome moment is described, the parsha begins with the seemingly unrelated episode of “Vayishma Yisro”, Yisro’s drawing forth to the Jewish…
Read MoreConnecting to the Source of All Joy
“And Yisro rejoiced over all of the good…” One of the revolutionary truths revealed by the Chassidic masters was the notion that with the proper intention, all facets of the human experience can be elevated to the spiritual realm and consecrated as holy service. In his foundational code of Chassidic thought, sefer HaTanya, the first…
Read MoreA Torah to Hold On To
Many of the tzaddikim saw the primordial trees in Gan Eden, the Eitz HaDa’as Tov V’Ra and the Eitz HaChaim, as reflecting two elements of our holy Torah. R’ Shlomo Carlebach expressed this idea in his inimitable style: “There is a Torah to learn, and there is a Torah to hold on to.” The Eitz…
Read MoreThe Amalek Within
THE TZADDIKIM TEACH that Amalek’s weapon is the ability to cause us to doubt the existence of Hashem and the spiritual reality underlying the physical smokescreen. This effort is ultimately rooted in the Primordial Snake, who convinced Chava that eating from the tree would allow her to become like Hashem Himself, an awesome breach of…
Read MoreA Powerful Foundation
Everyone is looking for a connection to our Father in heaven, a portal to a world beyond where the presence of Hashem is shining with brilliant clarity. We want to transform our lives into a chariot for the divine presence, to allow the light of the Torah’s “hora’ah”, direction, to elevate every aspect of our…
Read MoreA Preview of the Torah’s Sweetness
After the splitting of the sea, the first place the Jewish nation camped along its journey to Har Sinai to receive the Torah was a place called Marah. Our Sages teach that although the rest of the Torah’s commandments were given on Har Sinai, the b’nei Yisrael were given three commandments while they camped at…
Read MoreThe Moon’s Journey
“This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.” In parshas Bo, the Jewish nation receives their very first mitzvah: to sanctify the new moon in its return to fullness. While the calendar of the world follows the sun, the…
Read MoreThe Key to Redemption
The Mekubalim teach that there is a deep connection between the heart and the mouth, emotion and the capacity of speech – the internal and external aspects of communication. Without delving into the Kabbalistic nature of this connection (Binah and Malchus, Hei Illa’ah and Hei Tata’ah; the element of the soul associated with speech, Ruach,…
Read MoreThe Jew’s Inner Diamond
“And for the entire Jewish nation, there was light in their dwellings.” The beauty of a diamond is inherent. The way it is cut and angled allows the diamond to reflect light in a manner that causes it to sparkle and shine with brilliant illumination. All it takes to appreciate the beauty of a diamond…
Read More