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 Jewish Faith: The Torah
A Means of Connection
In the Essay on
the Jewish people we have learned of the Jewish mission to bring
humanity to a state of unity with itself and with G-d. A natural
question presents itself. How are the Jews meant to bring about this
utopian age? Why do we believe ourselves to be equipped …
The Jewish Faith: Discipline
Obediance
Our sages taught
the formula for achieving this connection. A burning love for G-d and
intense feeling of awe are pre-requisites for the Jewish approach.
However, Jewish worship and service must begin with a simple but
conclusive discipline to the regiment of G-d and his Torah.
More than our
desire to cleave to him should be …
The Jewish Faith: Moshiach The Messiah
A Miraculous Time
The eager hope
for an imminent and expedient arrival of the messianic age has always
been a fundamental cornerstone of the Jewish faith. To understand the
reason for why the centrality of Moshiach we must first explain the
Jewish tradition of the messianic era.
Jews believe
that in messianic times the world will reach …
Family Purity: The Value of Discipline
Borders that Define
Man’s physical
needs and desires are not denigrated in the Jewish religion, on the
contrary, they are celebrated and embraced. Judaism seeks to draft the
human aspect of man into the religious experience and thereby uplift
it.
To this end,
Jewish law sets boundaries that define the context of permissible
physical expression. Adhering to …
Family Life: Discipline in Marriage
Uplifting Limitations
When Torah
discipline is applied to family relations we see its astonishing
impact. Torah limits our choice of spouses (to Jews only) and also
regulates the timing of intimacy between approved spouses.
According to
Torah, husband and wife may not engage in intimate relations during the
course of menstrual flow, and seven days following.
Stoking the …
Family Life: The Mikvah
Water from the Garden of Eden
Immersion in a Mikvah, a ritual pool of water, releases man from
his imperfect state. When we emerge from the Mikvah we are reborn; the
imperfections and impurities of the past evaporate and we are permeated
with a fresh sense of renewal.
The Torah tells
us of a river that …
Family Life: The Spiritual Dynamic
Perfection Lost
The laws of family purity prohibit intimate relations during the menstrual cycle and for several days following. To appreciate the spiritual dynamic of these restrictions we must first understand the spiritual dynamic of menstruation itself.
Any discussion on menstruation must begin at the beginning. We must return to the source …
Famil Life: Laws of Family Purity
Disclaimer: There are
myriads of laws that govern the many dimensions of Family Purity and
they are beyond the scope of this presentation. The intention here is
to to offer a brief glimpse of the Family Purity life style.
During the period of menstruation husband and wife should refrain from intimacy together.
After a …
Parsha Insights »
Naso: The Choices we Make
Show Me the Money
If I set two plates before you, one filled with cookies, the other with a million dollars, which one would you choose? Consider the benefit you and society could derive from the money. Contrast that with the short term pleasure and long term belly-ache that the cookies …
Yearly Cycle »
Niztavim: The Art of Repentance
A Simple MeditationRabbi Levik of Bardichev once interviewed a long list of candidates for the position of Shofar blower. (One who sounds the ram’s horn during the service on Rosh Hashana.) The rabbi passed over many illustrious scholars and profound meditators in favor of a fairly unsophisticated young man.
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Concepts »
Vaetchana: Recovering from Grief
When Grief Debilitates
This Shabbat is all about comfort. After commemorating the destruction of both Jewish Temples this Tuesday, we are in a state of grief and in significant need of comfort. Yet the question is how does one find comfort after such immense grief? If we find it difficult to …
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 …
