Noach was responsible for the whole world! As the flood subsided Noach faced an awesome responsibility. The entire future of the world was on his ship. If he docks his boat too early the future may be lost. At the end of the fortieth day Noah opened the window to his...
How Moshe made peace between Hashem and Aharon, and what we can learn from this regarding ourselves and our children.
Shabbos Hagadol
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
We must never let ourselves get old. We must never get stuck.
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...
In order for there to be peace with our enemies, there must first be peace with each other.
“Hineini” – I am ready
The final battle is the battle of synergy for us, and Tikun Olam for the world at large.
Not only did Yaakov teach us a way to pray, he taught us a way to live.
It was at this supremely spiritual esoteric stage of Avrohom Avinu’s life that he was faced with a very down-to-earth challenge. He had to make a shiduch for his son Yitzchak.
There will come a time when the Nations of the world will realize that without Mitzvos their lives are not complete. They will complain to G-d of his unfairness and beg Him for a second chance. Hashem will respond, "I have an easy Mitzvah called Sukkah". Build...
Why the Sukah? "Because G-d made us dwell in Sukos when we left Egypt." Exactly what are we celebrating and remembering when we sit in a Sukah? There is a well-known dispute in the Gemarah. One opinion taught that we are celebrating the spirit of G-d. G-d protected us...
A thought for the week on Parshas Pinchas
A thought for the week on Parshas Behaaloscha
A thought for the week on Parshas Korach
Moshe was upset. His dear and beloved sister Miriam had died. Moshe was worried. The well that followed the Jews around in the desert had dried up; there was no water. The people got thirsty and began to complain. They were after all in a desert! Moshe said, Shimu na...
"And it came to pass on the eighth day of inauguration of the Mishkan." Six Parshios and at least 12 difficult tractates of the Talmud are dedicated to getting us ready for this great moment. There were so many things that we needed to know. How do we build the...
There were at least two million Jews traveling together with Moshe in the desert. Amongst them were relatives of Moshe, Kohanim and elders. Yet almost from nowhere rose a protégé to Moshe called Yehoshua. Yehoshua was at Moshes' side at all times. He led Moshe's war...
Last Saturday night I was dancing under the stars in Jacksonville, Florida. As I whirled around in a circle I admired the beautiful fountain on one side of the garden and the gorgeous illuminated stained glass windows towering over us on my other side. For twenty...