Has Your Flame Been Lit?
The minhag in Klal Yisrael is that when one completes learning a mesechta, a seder of mishnayos, or some other important piece of knowledge, we make a seudas siyum (as we will IY”H be doing during our Melaveh Malkah on February 11, 2017). The reason for this is because we [...]
חנוכה- לא סתם חג ״מדליק״
חמנהג הוא בכלל ישראל לערוך סעודת מצווה עם סיום לימוד מסכת, סדר משניות, או ספר חשוב אחר (כפי שבע"ה נעשה במלווה מלכה שלנו שיתקיים ב -11 בפברואר, 2017 ). מטרת הסעודה היא לציין את השלמתה של מצווה גדולה, שקיומה ערך זמן רב. גם על השלמת מצוות אחרות, נוהגים לערוך סעודת [...]
The Light and Its Enlightenment
Recognize, if you please, who are this signet, this wrap, and this staff (Bereishis 38:25) Rashi: From this they (our Rabbis) said, “It is better for a person to be cast into a fiery furnace than to embarrass his fellow in public.” Reb Leib Chasman, the mashgiach of Chevron Yeshiva, asks “Why [...]
על אורות והארות
...וַתֹּאמֶר, הַכֶּר נָא לְמִי הַחֹתֶמֶת וְהַפְּתִילִים וְהַמַּטֶּה, הָאֵלֶּה. (בראשית לח:כה)רש״י: מכאן אמרו נוח לו לאדם שיפילוהו לכבשן האש ואל ילבין פני חבירו ברבים רבי לייב חסמן, המשגיח של ישיבת חברון, שואל "למה חז"ל השתמשו בביטוי " נוח לו לאדם וכו' "? לכאורה, היה עדיף לומר ישירות , "אסור לאדם להלבין פני [...]
ציפיות ריאליות
...עִם-לָבָן גַּרְתִּי...וַיְהִי-לִי שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר, צֹאן וְעֶבֶד וְשִׁפְחָה... (בְּרֵאשִׁית לב:ה-ו) רש"י מציין שיעקב אמר "יש לי שור וחמור..." כדי להראות לעשו שהברכות בהן אביהם יצחק ברך את יעקב לא התגשמו. הברכה של יצחק הייתה "מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ" אבל במקום הדברים האלו, רכשתי דברים גשמיים כגון שוורים וחמורים. ההבנה הפשוטה היא [...]
Realistic Expectations
> ...עִם-לָבָן גַּרְתִּי...וַיְהִי-לִי שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר, צֹאן וְעֶבֶד וְשִׁפְחָה... (בְּרֵאשִׁית לב:ה-ו) ...I have dwelled with Laban...And I have oxen, and donkeys and flocks, and men-servants and maid-servants…(Bereishis 32:5-6) Rashi comments that Yaakov said “I have oxen, donkeys...” to show Esav that the brochos that their father Yitzchak gave to Yaakov have not [...]
The Long and Short of It
וַיַּעֲבֹד יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל, שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים; וַיִּהְיוּ בְעֵינָיו כְּיָמִים אֲחָדִים, בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ אֹתָהּ. (בְּרֵאשִׁית כט:כ) And Jacob worked seven years for Rochel; and they seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her. (Bereishis 29:20) The Torah tells us that the seven year wait until he could [...]
Torah from Within or From Without?
The story is told about a Shul board meeting held to discuss whether their Rabbi was fit to continue in his position. It seems that the Rabbi was forever studying, and the members of the board concluded that his knowledge must be inadequate, and it was therefore beneath the shul’s [...]
What is REALLY Heavenly?
וַיְבִאֶהָ יִצְחָק, הָאֹהֱלָה שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-רִבְקָה וַתְּהִי-לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה, וַיֶּאֱהָבֶהָ; (בְּרֵאשִׁית כד:סז) And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah; he married Rivka and she became his wife; and he loved her. (Bereishis 24:67) The Torah tells us that Eliezer met Yitzchak in the field upon his [...]
Two Sides to Every “Thank You”
Two Sides to Every “Thank You” וַיַּעַן אַבְרָהָם, וַיֹּאמַר: הִנֵּה-נָא הוֹאַלְתִּי לְדַבֵּר אֶל-אֲדֹנָי, וְאָנֹכִי עָפָר וָאֵפֶר. (בְּרֵאשִׁית יח:כז) 27 And Abraham answered and said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, who am but dust and ashes. Many times somebody does something for you and in [...]
A Wake up Call From A Friend
וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם, כִּי נִשְׁבָּה אָחִיו; וַיָּרֶק אֶת-חֲנִיכָיו יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ, שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת, וַיִּרְדֹּף, עַד-דָּן. (בְּרֵאשִׁית יד:יד) And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. (Bereishis 14:14) The [...]
No Pain, No Gain
בְּרֵאשִׁית ו:יט וּמִכָּל-הָחַי מִכָּל-בָּשָׂר שְׁנַיִם מִכֹּל, תָּבִיא אֶל הַתֵּבָה לְהַחֲיֹת אִתָּךְ... בְּרֵאשִׁית ז:ב מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה, תִּקַּח-לְךָ... Bereishis 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shall be brought into the ark, to keep them alive with you... 7:2 Of every clean beast you shall take [...]
Resolve or Dissolve
Regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Hashem commanded Adam Harishon “...not to eat of it; for on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.” To me, this seems to indicate that this would be an immediate punishment—Adam would take a bite and would [...]
The Power Of Belief
The Medrash tells us that immediately after Yom Kippur we are supposed to be in a festive mode and that we are to eat with simcha because we can be certain that the process of teshuva was successful. Obviously we understand that there is no guarantee, and there have been [...]
The Power Of Belief
The Power Of Belief The Medrash tells us that immediately after Yom Kippur we are supposed to be in a festive mode and that we are to eat with simcha because we can be certain that the process of teshuva was successful. Obviously we understand that there is no guarantee, [...]
Empowerment by G-d is Truly Humbling
Rabbeinu Yona in Shaarei Teshuva (paragraphs 24 and 25) discusses the components necessary for teshuva (repentance): One must have hachna’a (submissiveness) and shiflus (humility), and must serve Hashem “b’tznaya” (modesty) - and then he explains this in detail. The question is, what does modesty have to do with repentance? When [...]
You Are Standing
You Are Standing today (Devarim 29:9) Chazal ask why is it necessary to mention the obvious that “you are standing here today…”? They answer that being that Klal Yisrael just heard the awesome responsibility of their obligation to keep the mitzvos, Moshe Rabbeinu pointed out “Don’t worry! You are doing [...]
אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם
אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם (דְּבָרִים כט:ט) מפני מה הוצרך משה רבינו להצהיר לבני ישראל את המובן מאליו, שהם עומדים היום מול הקב"ה ? עונים חז"ל, שמטרתו היתה לחזק אותם בפרט לאור המשימה הכבירה שעכשיו קיבלו (שמירת כל המצוות). בעמדינו לפני יום הדין, יש מאיתנו שחשים באימת הדין וגודל האחריות המוצבת מולינו. אולי [...]