You Can Do It Too
A prophet from your midst, from your brothers, like me, shall Hashem establish for you, to him you shall hearken. (Devarim 18:15) I have a close friend who is an exceptional Talmud chacham. As a child he played ball and had fun like everyone else, and was “one of the [...]
A Relatively Long Trip
“And if the road will be too long for you, so that you cannot carry it, because the place that Hashem, Your G-d will choose to place His name there, is far from you, for Hashem, your G-d will have blessed you.” (Devarim 14:24) The Torah tells us that one [...]
The Real Value of Mitzvos
“This shall be the reward when you hearken to these ordinances…” (Devarim 7:12) Rashi: If even the lighter commands which a person usually treads on with his heels (i.e. which a person is inclined to treat lightly), he will hearken to. Chazal tell us that the mitzvos referred to are [...]
Building on the Rubble
You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Devarim 6:5) The Torah tells us that we are obligated to serve Hashem with our hearts and our souls. This mitzvah is referred to in general as “Ahavas Hashem”. Aside [...]
The Natural Conclusion
"The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s trough: but Yisrael does not know, my people does not consider." (Isaiah 1:3) In this week’s Haftara we find the prophet complaining that though donkey may know his trough, Klal Yisrael doesn’t know Hashem. The Baalei Mussar ask, how is [...]
Where Are Your Thoughts?
And Moshe was angry with the officers, the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, who came from the battle. (Bamidbar 31:14) The particular war with Midyan was waged to avenge those who caused klal Yisrael to sin with immorality. Klal Yisrael understood they had sinned, they repented, and then [...]
Long Term Effects
“and he shall have it, and his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Yisra᾽el.” (Bamidbar 25:13) The Torah tells us that Pinchas was given the kahuna as a reward for killing Kozbi. The [...]
Our Essence / Their Essence
“And Yisrael joined himself to Ba’al Peor, and the anger of Hashem was kindled against Yisrael.” (Bamidbar 25:3) In general, we understand that all people have challenges. We assume the righteous are those who have overcome their challenges and the wicked ones are those who have failed, but our assumptions [...]
Setting A-Tone-Ment
“…and Miriam died there, and was buried there.” (Bamidbar 20:1) RASHI: AND MIRIAM DIED THERE — Why is the section narrating the death of Miriam placed immediately after the section dealing with the red cow? To suggest to you the following comparison: What is the purpose of the sacrifices? They [...]
Better Flight Than Fight
Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure; But one that is not for the sake of Heaven, will not endure…And which is the controversy that is not for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Korah and all his congregation. (Avos [...]
In G-d We Trust
“But do not rebel against Hashem! You should not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed from them; Hashem is with us. Do not fear them!” (Bamidbar 14:9) Kaleiv got Klal Yisrael’s attention in order to calm them down. He tried to [...]
The Good Old Days
“We remember the fish that we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” (Bamidbar 11:5) Rav Zalman Sorotzkin (1881–1966) asks a question that has been bothering me for many years. I found his answer spot on. Even though I [...]
The Longer, the Better
Shavuos is a very short holiday. Even for those who stay up all night, it still seems to disappear in the blink of an eye. When any holiday finishes, we can fall into a “postpartum depression” as we to try to hold onto that yom tov and apply what we [...]
Non-Sense
There are two interesting questions about the Yom Tov of Shavuos that set it apart from the other Yomim Tovim. First, there is no particular mitzvah or commandment to be done on this Yom Tov (unlike Rosh Hashanah which has Shofar, Pesach which has Matzah, or Sukkos which has Sukkah [...]
One For All And All For One
Currently, it seems that everyone is declaring, “Let’s be together!” At the same time everyone is saying, “My way is right!” This is not a new phenomenon but has been going on since time immemorial. What is the key to success in allowing everyone to express their ideas and have [...]
Tapping Into Yourself
“…and the trees of the field will yield fruit.” (Vayikra 26:4) RASHI: This refers to the non-fruit producing trees; and even these will bear fruits in future (Sifra, Bechukosai, Chapter 1 6). Nowadays, medical professionals, with all kinds of statistics, are constantly telling us what we can expect and what [...]
Brotherly Love
“If your brother, being in straits…do not exact advance or accrued interest…” (Vayikra 25:35-36) There was an avreich, Reuven, who was very handy. His neighbor Shimon was a Talmid chacham, but with two left hands. Shimon had a plumbing problem for which it would cost him a large amount of [...]
Spiritual Pursuits
“On the first day you shall take…” (Vayikra 23:40) Chazal (Medrash Tanchuma Emor 23) tell us that the word “Rishon” is used because this is the first day that our sins get computed. People are busy between Yom Kippur and Sukkos doing mitzvos, and therefore no sins are being committed [...]