Articles:
Talk to the Rock! G-d May Suprise You
Moshe was grieving for his sister. In his frustration, He admonished the people, and called them "morim" which has the same letters as Miriam (MRYM), he said: Miriam is dead; how will I ever be able to get water from a rock without her? Miriam occupied a very special...
Are You Stuck?
The greatest attribute of our people is that we are a stiff necked people. The greatest fault of our people is that we are a stiff necked people! There was a plague in the desert which was caused by the complaining and bickering of the Jewish people. They were...
Passover
Table of Contents Background The Month Of Nisan Maot Chittin A Pre-Passover Custom Passover Guideline for Passover Preparations The Passover Seder Background Our ancestors originally arrived to live in Egypt in order to escape the harsh famine in the land of Canaan....
Forgiveness Exercises
A. Make a list of the people you have hurt including your relatives. Next to each name indicate what you did and the effect it had. Write down why you feel badly about it. Try asking them or writing them a letter for forgiveness. If the person is no longer alive take...
Defining Spirituality
I once spoke with a man who was stationed outside New Delhi in India, had changed his name to Swama Ganganti and was the head of the entire educational system of Hari Krishna. He came to see me wearing flowing orange robes and with clay on his head. "Why? I asked him....
Peace Within; Peace Without
I recently returned from a trip to Israel. During the four days of my trip, I stood on Har Gilo studiously staring at Beit Jala wondering why anyone would want to shoot at me from what looked like one sleepy village to another. I was frisked from head to toe to enter...
Rise to the Call (2006)
Perhaps our minds are clouded by our idea of what we should become, and G-d's idea just gets in the way. Whatever happened to Betzalel? The Talmud tells a story. Rabbi Tarphon was ill and his very important friends, Rabbi Akiva, Rabban Gamliel and others, came to...
What Is Your Purpose? (2004)
Perhaps our minds are clouded by our idea of what we should become, and G-d's idea just gets in the way. Whatever happened to Betzalel? The Talmud tells a story. Rabbi Tarphon was ill and his very important friends, Rabbi Akiva, Rabban Gamliel and others, came to...
What Can We Accomplish at the Seder
Maybe it was the Seder that shook up the Heavens and gave us the Modern State of Israel. "Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarphon were conducting a Seder in Bnei Brak. They were discussing the Exodus all that night, until...
A Chassidic Seder
Talk given in Baltimore, MD, 3/25/2006 in Congregation Bnei Torah Shaarei Zion While visiting London a few months ago, I heard the following story from a 19 year old Jewish girl. She was vacationing in a beach house in Thailand when the Tsunami hit. Within moments she...
Rise to the Call (2006)
Perhaps our minds are clouded by our idea of what we should become, and G-d's idea just gets in the way. Whatever happened to Betzalel? The Talmud tells a story. Rabbi Tarphon was ill and his very important friends, Rabbi Akiva, Rabban Gamliel and others, came to...
Connecting with Jerusalem (2005)
When in the synagogue we are the nerve endings of Yerushalayim. The book of Shmos tells a forty year story of the Jewish people. In this story, we grew from humble beginnings as slaves in Egypt to a Kingdom of Priests and a holy nation. The story culminates with the...
What Is Your Purpose? (2004)
Perhaps our minds are clouded by our idea of what we should become, and G-d's idea just gets in the way. Whatever happened to Betzalel? The Talmud tells a story. Rabbi Tarphon was ill and his very important friends, Rabbi Akiva, Rabban Gamliel and others, came to...
Jerusalem Needs A Hug (2004)
Every stone in Yerushalayim wants to be hugged. The Eastern gates to the Courtyard of the Beis HaMikdash in Jerusalem were called "Shaarei Nikoner" or the gates of Nikoner. They were beautiful bronzed structures that greeted the guests as they arrived from all over...
Darkness
Sometimes we are so preoccupied with our suffering that we don't realize we are causing pain to others. "What time can I daven in the morning? It seems to get light so late!" There are a number of answers to this question. If you are one of the 38% of those privileged...
The End of Days
I watch with awe how the recent painful evacuation from Gaza gave birth to a vivacious youth movement full of dynamic energy, unity and yiras shamayim that is changing the country. When the religionists of the world talk about the end of days - they refer to doomsday!...
Going It Alone (2005)
Will he flourish in solitude or perish in loneliness? Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone, and the word solitude to express the glory of being alone. After many years of sidestepping, Yaakov was on his way to a reunion with his...
My Brother Esav
The very act of bowing before Hashem is to invite and make room for G-d in our lives Yaakov was about to encounter his enemy. He was also about to encounter his brother. His enemy had vowed to kill him. His brother was his twin who nursed with him from their holy...