Is G-d in your heart, is He at least in your mind, or is He only in your deeds? A tabernacle can be built by deeds, but the most important tabernacle is built in the heart.
When G-d instructed Moshe to build the Tabernacle, the Jewish people contributed more materials than …
Lech Lecha: The Secret Life of King Og
When our ancestors sought to cross the Jordan into Israel, the fierce and powerful Bashanites, led by their mighty king Og, stood in their way to prevent their passage. Moses was initially fearful of Og until G-d said, “Don’t fear Og because I have delivered him and his land to …
Noach: Make A Name
“Let us make a name for ourselves,” was the motto of the building campaign for the tower of Babel. It was several hundred years after the great biblical flood had laid waste to humanity and the people wanted something grandiose to celebrate. The ten survivors that had emerged from the …
Bereshit: Beginning with Genesis
The Torah begins with the Genesis of history—the creation of the world. The Torah is not a history book. It is a manual for life —the world Torah means instruction. When we see a historical nugget in the Torah, we must ask why it was included, what instruction for life …
Simchat Torah: Why We Rejoice
On Simchat Torah, we rejoice and dance endless horas around the bimah. Why do we rejoice and why do we dance the hora in particular?
The obvious answer is that we rejoice because we read the concluding chapter of the Torah on this day. Concluding a book of the Torah is …
Sukkot: The Holiday of Clouds
The Sukkah, the outdoor hut in which we eat during the holiday of Sukkot, represents the canopy of clouds that surrounded our ancestors as they journeyed across the desert from Egypt to Israel.[1] Many have wondered why we celebrate Sukkot in the Fall if our ancestors embarked on their journey …
Yom Kippur: Remove the Muck
The Baal Shem Tov is said to have once heard a cantor confessing his sins on Yom Kippur to a joyful melody. The Baal Shem Tov asked him why he was so happy? The cantor replied that if he had the privilege to remove the garbage from the king’s palace, …
Beha’alotcha: The Travel Codes
G-d developed travel codes in the desert to instruct the nation on when to gather and when to travel. There were approximately two million Jews traveling across the desert and it would have been impossible for a human voice to be heard over the din. G-d established a musical code …
Rosh Hashanah: Against All Odds
Against all odds, life came to be. For life to flourish on earth, such precise conditions had to be met that even a tiny variation would have thrown it off. What were the odds that such precise conditions would be met on earth? Considering that it is the only place …
Parsha Insights »
Ki Tavo: The Enduring Soul
The enduring soul is our secret weapon.
If you were Abraham, a lonely man of faith, surrounded by powerful pagan nations who opposed your every effort to teach monotheism, would you believe that you would change the world? If you were alive in 069 and watched the powerful Roman army burn …
Yearly Cycle »
Passover: Chad Gadya
A Conflagration
Although the Chad Gadya is not part of the Chabad tradition, the melody holds universal appeal. In fact, one of my earliest Passover memories is learning this classic. My Bubbie’s Haggadah had beautiful illustrations and I spent many hours pouring over the pictures of the kid, cat, dog, stick …
Concepts »
Terumah: What Is Your Tower
Choose Your Tower
Two Chassidic Rabbis riding in their carriages met in the middle of a bridge. One carriage was pulled by two old horses, the other, by a team of four powerful stallions. The rabbi with the old horses asked the other, why do you need such strong horses? Answered …
Rabbi’s Desk »
The Passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
The world has lost a great leader with the passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Who will be his successor?
There will be millions beginning with me and you.
This Shabbat, the family of Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, will complete their week of mourning for Rabbi Sacks …
