Having a Proper Outlook
Look down (hashkifa) from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Yisra᾽el, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou didst swear to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. (Devarim 26:15) Chazal tell us that whenever the torah uses the word “hashkifa”, it [...]
Preparation: The Hidden Half of Every Mitzvah
“If a bird’s nest chances to be before you…” (Devarim 22:6) Throughout the generations, our Rabbis have placed great emphasis on preparing for a mitzvah. Preparation does not mean merely thinking the correct thoughts; it also means placing oneself in the proper frame of mind to perform the mitzvah. This [...]
Proof Isn’t Truth
“...neither take a bribe: for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous. Justice, only justice shalt thou pursue…” (Devarim 16:19-20) The Sifrei, commenting on the verse, “bribery blinds the eyes of the chacham,” teaches that a judge who accepted a bribe will [...]
Dynamic Duo
You shall surely give him, and let your heart not feel bad when you give him. (Devarim 15:10) There is a well-known saying from the chasidish and litvish greats: when giving charity, one must ensure that the poor person is treated with dignity. Beyond the simple understanding, that part of [...]
Small Sounds, Great Impact
“…and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul…” (Devarim 11:13) Rashi – “Serving Hashem with all your heart” – this refers to davening One of the most basic aspects of being a religious Jew is to pray – and to do so with kavana. As [...]
‘Time Off’ Is On
“…for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations…” (Devarim 4:6) Many people feel that once Tisha B’Av has passed, we have completed our avodah and are now free to use our time as we wish. Chazal, however, teach us that this is not so. [...]
Batteries Included, Instructions Ignored
"Then you answered and said to me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And you girded on every man his weapons of war, and ventured to go up into the hill." (Devarim 1:41) We [...]
Clean in the Eyes of Man
“And Moshe said to them, ‘If you will do this thing…and be guiltless before the Lord, and before Yisra᾽el; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.’” (Bamidbar 32:20-22) Moshe Rabbeinu makes an agreement with the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe regarding the conditions under [...]
Peace and Harmony
“Pinchas… turned back My wrath… and I did not destroy the Children of Israel” (Bamidbar 25:11) From the difficulties that people face in making decisions, it becomes clear that the struggle is rarely about choosing between right and wrong. More often, the real challenge is identifying what is right and [...]
Bilaam’s Challenge – And Ours
“Let me die the death of those who are straight (in their ways)…” (Bamidbar 23:10) Many people go on a diet, convinced that this time they are going to stick to it and keep the weight off forever. I once heard a very famous Jewish speaker, Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky, ask, [...]
The Power of Belief
“Yiftach said to the elders of Gilad, ‘[Very well,] if you bring me back to fight the Ammonites and G-D delivers them to me, I am to be your commander.’” (Judges 11:9) When facing an exam, people don’t just cram or pull “all-nighters”. Many also try to build their self-confidence. [...]
The Real Truth
AND KORAH CONVENED [ALL THE CONGREGATION] AGAINST THEM, by means of scoffing language: that whole night he went round to all the tribes and tried to win them over: “Do you really think that I care for myself alone? It is only for all of you that I have a [...]
Training Our Vision To See the Good
“…that you may look upon it…” (Bamidbar 15:39) I was having a discussion with someone from the shul this week and the conversation turned to a common human tendency: when things go wrong, we immediately notice and complain. Yet when things go right, we often take them for granted, assuming [...]
Feeling Small = Becoming Big
“And Moses himself was very humble, more so than any other human being on earth.” (Bamidbar 12:3) How could Moshe Rabeinu write in the Torah, about himself, that he was the most humble of men? Isn’t that the very opposite of humility? On Shavuos, we celebrated Kabalas Tatorah. Rav Yosef [...]
One For All And All For One
“And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks…” (Shemos 34:22) The Yom Tov of Pesach is named “Pesach” for the korbon Pesach. Sukkos is named “Sukkos” for the mitzvah of sukkah. But the name “Shavuos” seems, at first glance, to have little connection to the Torah, the bikurim, or the [...]
Two Paths – Same Destination
"and they shall put on it the covering of taĥash skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in its poles." (Bamidbar 4:6) The torah tells us that all the utensils in the Mishkan were wrapped with techeles on the inside and or tachash [...]
Good Times
“And I will turn towards you…” (Vayikra 26:9) “And I will set my face against you…” (Vayikra 26:17) One of the greatest gifts that a person can receive is spare time. It grants us the precious opportunity to “freelance” in our avodas Hashem. The Chiddushei Harim (Yitzchak Meir Rotenberg-Alter 1799-1866) [...]
Inside and Out
“…(Bo moom) that has a blemish…(moom bo) he has a blemish” (Vayikra 21:17,21) People are well aware that the Chofetz Chaim lived to a ripe old age (well into his 90’s) and that he held a birthday celebration on his 80th birthday. When asked why he was celebrating, he explained [...]