Articles:
Moses the Peacemaker
How Moshe made peace between Hashem and Aharon, and what we can learn from this regarding ourselves and our children.
Shabbos Hagadol
Fulfilling our Dreams
All of us hope and pray that our children become greater than us. We want more for our children that we want for ourselves. Things that we settled for, things that we lived with or that we lived without we don't want for our children. How many of us did not have the...
The Ten Days of Repentance
The great days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, together with the seven days in between, are the ten days of repentance. These days provide the Jewish people with a unique opportunity to repent and improve themselves. G-d is particularly close to Israel during these...
The Lessons of the Ushpizin
Yesterday I attended the funeral of Andrew Fitzgerald. Andrew was a firefighter from Suffern who managed to save many lives on Sept. 11, before losing his own. I stood outside the Catholic Church on Rt. 59 in Suffern shivering in the cold with hundreds of others that...
Commitment, Kol Nidrei
Kol Nidrei really bothers me. Through the year we have made many types of commitments. We have committed our money our time and ourselves. In Kol Nidrei we enumerate seven types of commitment we may have made. We recite a formula that absolves us of any commitment we...
The Essence of Yizkor
I had a powerful experience I'd like to share with you. About six weeks ago I traveled with my family to Buffalo, the city that I grew up in. I took advantage of the trip and went to visit my mother's A"H kever. It was a beautiful summer day, which presented a very...
Forgiveness
G-d's capacity for forgiveness is infinite. A person has a choice whether or not to sin. It doesn't say anywhere that a person cannot do Teshuva even for the sin of murder. Teshuva helps. For example Menashe the wicked king killed thousands of people. At the end of...
Shmini Atzeres 2002
The Zohar (3:104) teaches that every night of Sukos we must have two kinds of guests. First one of our great ancestors join us in the sukkah. The Ushpizin. On the first night Avrohom comes to our sukkah, on the second night Yitzchak and so on. As we entertain these...
Parshas Vaeira 2002
"I have come to set you free! G-d has made me a messenger to facilitate the Geula!" But the hopeful and encouraging words of Moshe fell flat. "They did not listen to Moshe because of shortness of breath, kotzer ruach, and because of strenuous work" What is this...
Don’t Be Afraid!
There are definitely two messages of this holiday. 'Leave your Diras Keva ' enter the temporary dwelling.- When we enter our sukkah we are exposed. Exposed to the world, to the elements, to the bees and mosquitoes; welcome to the holiday that celebrates golus. And...
Terumah 5761 / 2001
When Yerushalayim was destroyed and we once again had to take up the wanderer's staff, wherever we went we never forfeited our spiritual centers. As soon as we were able to rest our feet we built a synagogue. That Shul became a mikdash m'at. The whole life of the Jew,...
Parshas Yisro 5761 / 2001
A serious change took place with the Jewish people. When in Egypt, Moshe observed that the people he was to lead were a difficult people. He saw Jews beating each other and informing on each other. He was frustrated by how they didn't get along, and complained to...
Parshas Bo 5761
In Kabbalah there is a concept called "awakening from above" and there is another concept called "awakening from below". "Awakening from below" means that sometimes we, down here, can take an action that prompts G-d above to react. What triggered the Exodus from...
Parshas Vaeira 2001
We must never let ourselves get old. We must never get stuck.
Parshas Vayechi 2001
Yaakov wasn't blind. Yitzchak was. Why Yitzchak couldn't tell Yaakov from Esav, we can at least partially understand - he was blind. But now, Yosef brings his two sons Efraim and Menashe to his ailing father Yaakov. Yaakov looks at them and asks "Mee Eileh?" Who are...
Parshas Vayigash 2001
In order for there to be peace with our enemies, there must first be peace with each other.
Parshas Vayeshev 2001
“Hineini” – I am ready
Parshas Vayishlach 2001
The final battle is the battle of synergy for us, and Tikun Olam for the world at large.