G-d is there for us at every turn, but for the most part, we are oblivious. We should look out for these kindnesses and thank Him for them.
Read the full story »
Lech L'cha, Life Is Beautiful »
The Failure of The Hippie Movement
The nineteen sixties will forever be associated with the hippie movement; the thrust to break free of the shackles of morality. The argument that all pleasure is healthy and that puritanical restraint is toxic is a product of the sixties. It was a time of unrestrained hedonism and the unraveling of decorum. With it came the unbuckling of societal order and the social structure.
The theory was that if a little pleasure, structured and channeled by the guardrails of religion and society, is good, then more pleasure is better. If more pleasure is better, then anything that hampers hedonism is unhealthy. Ergo, social mores and religious values are unhealthy. The god of Eros replaced the G-d of Heaven and earth. They cast off all societal rules and religious yokes, ridiculed every social structure, and rejected every authority. The mantra was do as you please. Read the full story »
When We Ask, G-d Listens
Noach: When We Ask, G-d Listens
A man once petitioned Rabbi Nosson of Breslov for a blessing to find his match. He complained that he had been seeking the right woman for many years and had still not found her. Rabbo Nosson discerned that he was slipping into despair, so …
The Thrill of Intimacy
The radical transition from the Yom Kippur solemnity to the Simchat Torah revelry can be dizzying, but it makes sense. There is a method to the madness.
Tweet
The Hostages Are Coming Home
As I write this on Thursday morning, it appears that the hostage exchange will at least begin before Monday evening, the commencement of the Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah holiday. It is hoped that all the living hostages will have been returned by then in a single wave. The bodies …
Leave Your Resentments at The Door
When you think of the Sukkah, you think of walls and sechach—a foliage roof. Yet, the name Sukkah is all about the foliage roof, the sechach; that is why it is called Sukkah. Sukkah is a derivative of sechach. The foliage roof indeed makes the Sukkah; otherwise, it is just …
Extracting Sparks from Stones
G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like flames” (Jeremiah 23:29). Flames don’t burn unless they have fuel to consume. The same is true of G-d’s words. “For G-d your G-d is a consuming …
Is Your Love for G-d Actionable?
Minutes of formal meetings always end with a list of actionable items. Committees love to talk and to hear themselves talk, but if the discussions don’t produce actionable items, they are not useful.
The same is true about love. Loving someone in theory or loving the idea of someone is not …
Many Organs; One Organism
This week, we make a dramatic declaration in our Torah reading: “You have singled out G-d . . . and G-d has singled you out” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18). On the surface, this means we singled out G-d to be our master, and He singled us out to be His people. Our …
When You Are On Your Own
When You Are on Your Own
We humans are social creatures; we are not designed to live alone. We prefer companionship, connection, and emotional engagement. However, sometimes we shy away from community because we feel a need for alone time. These withdrawals are understandable, but they are also dangerous. There is …
Parsha Insights »
Matos Masei: Resisting Peer Pressure
The Dilemma
Resisting peer pressure is a common challenge. It is a mistake to think that this is only a problem for young people; it pervades every segment of society. You might attend a party and experience pressure to drink. You might attend a social evening and encounter pressure to gossip. …
Yearly Cycle »
Shemot: Insecure Aggression
Egyptian Thorns
In describing the relationship between Jews and Egyptians the Torah says “And they (Egyptians) were as thorns before the children of Israel” (Exodus 1, 12) The Kli Yakar offers two explanations. The first explanation, Egyptians observed the miraculous birth rate of the Jewish people and feared that G-d intended …
Concepts »
Mishpatim: Learn to Absorb
Absorb It
hortly after giving the Ten Commandments at Sinai, G-d summoned Moses and said, “These are the laws that you should place before them.” He then taught him the Torah, commencing with the laws of slavery, “When you acquire a Hebrew slave…”[1]
Tweet
Rabbi’s Desk »
What Can We Do?
These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …
