Posts by Yaakov Klein
Revisiting Rebbe Nachman’s Narrow Bridge
“The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to be afraid” (Likutei Moharan Tinyana 48) The first half of this sentence is often understood to be a warning about the extreme precariousness of the human experience and the dangers intrinsic to the soul’s foray into the physical realm. Then,…
Read MoreMoseif V’Holeich: Illuminating the Depths
While each of our chagim brings a singular atmosphere which emerges from its own unique energy, I have always felt that there was something particularly special about the yom tov of Chanukah. The physical setting of the Jew’s here and now perfectly mirrors the Chanukah story and messages it holds – light banishing darkness, miracles…
Read MoreWhy I Support (A Different Kind Of) “HaShomrim Cards”
“Nafshi laShem mishomrim la’boker, shomrim la’boker” Tehillim 130:6 By now, I am sure many of my readers have heard about an innovative strategy some of our communities have adopted in attempt to battle the scourge of the technological advancements that have so radically transformed our world in recent years: “Hashomrim cards.” These colorful cards, some…
Read MoreOur Journey to Jerusalem
The sweltering heat that greeted us upon leaving the air-conditioned terminal at Ben Gurion last week was typical of a middle Eastern summer’s night. We had just arrived in the Holy Land (where we will, with Hashem’s help, be living for the foreseeable future) after a few long days of travel that took us through…
Read MoreLearn Aleph, Teach Aleph : The World is Waiting for YOU
The packed room had been silent for a few minutes, the air thick with anticipation. All eyes were on the stage at the front of the dimly lit room, where the beloved “dancing Rabbi”, Reb Shlomo Carlebach z”l, was about to begin a long-awaited concert. But something clearly wasn’t right. R’ Shlomo was bent over…
Read MoreA Matter of Perspective: Understanding the Advocacy of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchov
“Never confuse righteousness with self-righteousness. They sound similar, but they are opposites. The righteous see the good in people; the self-righteous see the bad. The righteous make you feel bigger; the self-righteous make you feel small. The righteous praise; the self-righteous criticize.” – Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs, Letters to the Next Generation “As for…
Read MoreThe Dual Perspective of Reality: Where the Tanya and the Nefesh HaChaim Diverge
THERE EXISTS A dual perspective of reality. One perspective is reality as seen from God’s viewpoint, while the other is reality as seen from the viewpoint of Man. In the words of the Zohar, this paradigm is called “mimaleh and soveiv“, “filling and surrounding”. 1. Mimaleh: From Hashem’s perspective, the physical universe and the reality it contains, including…
Read MoreThe Two Mountains of Judaism
In sharp contrast to the traditional approach of the other Chassidic masters, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772 – 1810) would often play chess with the “enlightened” Jews of Uman, Jews who had forsaken the ancient tradition of their birth for what they saw as being a more sophisticated lifestyle. As they played, the great master…
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