Posts by Yaakov Klein
“My Abba!”
I was sitting at the dining room table this morning with my wife and our Shmuel. I was in tallis and tefillin, davening, and Shmuel was coloring. It was silent, serene, a rare and welcome break from the frequent chaos of quarantine. Suddenly, Shmuel looks and says, “Abba?” I look up and smile, nodding my…
Read MoreThe Inner Light of Chanukah #3: To Illuminate Our World
A DISCUSSION IN the Gemara (Shabbos 22a) regarding the proper placement of the menorah concludes that the menorah should be placed on the left side of the doorway so that it will be surrounded with mitzvos; mezuzah on the right side and menorah on the left. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 671:7) rules this way l’halacha,…
Read MoreAnd Calm Prevails: A Chanukah Poem
Wind howls against the window Swirling sheets of rain slice the air It is cold outside, bitterly so A hibernating city, shrouded in darkness Inside it is warm Light, silent Inside I am dry Content, awake But the windows of my soul are wet just the same Time stands still Steady is my hand Time…
Read MoreThe Inner Light of Chanukah #2: EVERYTHING is a Miracle!
THE GEMARA IN Shabbos states that the proper time to light Chanukah candles is, “Mishetishka hachamah ad shetichleh regel min hashuk”, “From the time the sun sets until the marketplace is emptied of people.” There is much discussion in the Rishonim and Achronim regarding the definition of these parameters. With regard to the starting time,…
Read More“V’acharei chein” – The Menorah’s Reflection of a Brighter Future
Chanukah is upon us once again, and, like every year, it couldn’t come at a more perfect time. Sure, Chanukah 2020 will likely look a bit different than in years past, but even Corona surely can’t touch the essence of a chag that is already so bound with a yearly “stay-at-home order” we are most…
Read MoreMy Chanukah Miracle: Thank You Rabbi Weinberger
The following letter was written to Rabbi Moshe Weinberger shlita by a well-known posek, author, and teacher who discovered Rabbi Weinberger’s shiurim a number of years ago and experienced a paradigm shift in his avodas Hashem. I received permission to share this letter publicly (all details have been changed) as I feel that it powerfully…
Read MoreThe Inner Light of Chanukah #1: Universal Individuality
In the beginning of hilchos Chanukah, we find two halachos whose contrary implications point to a deeply fundamental idea in Jewish thought. The Shulchan Aruch (671:1) states that one who does not have enough money to afford the materials required to fulfill the mitzvah of hadlakas ner Chanuka in even its most basic form (a…
Read MoreDon’t Ruin the Rare “Neshama Sighting”!
You are at the zoo with the family on a lazy summer Sunday. As you enjoy watching the cute little Capuchins perform their antics and marvel at the majesty of the elephants, something catches your eye. You notice a crowd of people crowding around one of the enclosures over by the lions or the bears.…
Read MoreThe Greatness of the Mekablim
It has long been suggested that the world is split into two kinds of people – givers and takers; “Mashpi’im u’mekablim”. I think this truth comes to the fore particularly in the area of Torah study, especially with regard to matters of “hashkafa”. There are those who feel comfortable wading into the vast ocean of…
Read MoreUnderstanding “Chassidishe Kana’us”
I received the following question and thought it might be something others have wondered about as well. I know the answer is more complicated than can be properly treated over a short Facebook message, but I think it is a start. Question: Hi! I have a question about the different sects of chassidut… These sects…
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