Posts by Yaakov Klein
Only a Mask
At the end of last week’s parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu complained to Hashem regarding the fact that things only seemed to get worse, not better, since he was sent on his mission to redeem the Jewish nation from their enslavement in Egypt. “Lama hareiosah”, he cried. “Why are You bringing harm upon this people? Ever since…
Read MoreThe Path to Greatness
“And Hashem shall distinguish between the flocks of the Jews and the flock of the Egyptians, and nothing shall die from that which belongs to the Jews.” The Chassidic masters teach that the most definite, unchanging constant in the world is Hashem’s desire for a Jew’s avodas Hashem. Although it may be quite tempting to…
Read MoreToday!
“And he (Pharaoh) said “Tomorrow”. And he (Moshe) said “Like your word! So that you will know that there is one like Hashem our God.” In this week’s parsha, Moshe asks Pharaoh when he would like him to remove the plague of the frogs. The answer? “L’machar”, “tomorrow”. The Gemara relates that when R’ Yehoshua…
Read MoreHealthy Boundaries for Ultimate Closeness
And God saw the (suffering of) b’nei Yisrael, and God knew. MANY OF THE tzaddikim find this verse to be difficult. Did Hashem need to see the suffering of klal Yisrael in order for Him to know their dire predicament? Surely, the Omniscient God whose perfect knowledge is intrinsic to Him knows without needing to…
Read MoreEye on the Goal!
In this week’s parsha, Hashem reveals a very special name to Moshe, the divine name of redemption: Ekyeh Asher Ekyeh – “I Shall be As I Shall Be”. Although the tzaddikim offer many different explanations for this name, all of them are founded upon its future-tense orientation. On a simple level, the reference to the…
Read MoreRoots of Redemption
The initial encounter between Moshe Rabbeinu and the Master of the world at the burning bush is arguably the single most significant encounter in history. The Sefas Emes reveals some of the deep symbolism in this awesome vision – the secret of exile and its relationship with the redemption in which Moshe is destined to…
Read MoreThe Final Message
“And Yaakov finished commanding his children and he pulled his feet onto the bed and he expired and was gathered unto his nation” The Torah teaches that in the final moments before his passing, “Vayeiaseif raglav el hamita”, Yaakov Avinu pulled his feet onto his bed. We know that each word in the Torah carries…
Read MoreThe Tzaddik’s Perspective
In stark contrast to the distant, aloof, strict, and harsh nature commonly associated with rabbinic leadership in the years preceding the Baal Shem Tov’s arrival on the scene, the Chassidic vision of “the tzaddik” stood for the very opposite; love, compassion, support, and comfort. Rebbe Nachman writes: “There are those people who say that when…
Read MoreThe Inner Point
In this week’s parsha, Yaakov Avinu blesses his sons before his passing. In his glorious beracha to his favorite son, Yosef, Yaakov says, “The blessings of your father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, to the utmost bounds (ta’avas) of the eternal hills.” The Sefas Emes reveals the awesome depth of this beautiful beracha. The…
Read MoreFalling into Spiritual Flight
Mirroring the natural world which progresses along a steady cycle of days and nights, summers and winters, and life and death, the human experience is marked by fluid motion of joy and hardship, laughter and tears, failure and progression. It has been noted that on an EKG monitor, the sign of life is a wavy…
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