What makes Jews the chosen nation? The nature of Balak's attack on the Jewish People. Join Rabbi Yaacov Haber for A few minutes in ushering in Shabbat Parashat Balak 5780. https://youtu.be/KF0oa71jEYc
Are Jews Flexible? | Chukat 2020
Are Jews a stiff necked nation? Or a flexible people? Join Rabbi Yaacov Haber for A few minutes in ushering in Shabbat Parashat Chukat 5780. https://youtu.be/we-i-HbBNV8
Why Leaders Fail | Parashat Shelach
In Parshat Shelach the leaders of the Jewish People failed. How did this happen? How can we overcome the challenge of leadership? How can we apply this to our personal lives? Join Rabbi Yaacov Haber for A few minutes in ushering in Shabbat Parashat Shelach 5780....
Desert Meditation | Rabbi Yaacov Haber | Parashat Bamidbar 5780
Positive Eyes | Rabbi Yaacov Haber | Parshas Balak 5779
Join Rabbi Yaacov Haber for 3 minutes in ushering in Shabbos with his insight to Parshas Balak. https://youtu.be/JfZmdgwCrMg
Improving Your Vision | Rabbi Yaacov Haber | Parshas Chukas 5779
The power of unlimited vision. Join Rabbi Yaacov Haber for 3 minutes in ushering in Shabbos with his insight to Parshas Chukas. https://youtu.be/Lb7igN5GWY4
Touring Israel | Rabbi Yaacov Haber | Parshas Shelach 5779
Be a tourist! Not a spy. Join Rabbi Yaacov Haber for 3 minutes in ushering in Shabbos with his insight to Parshas Shelach. For more updates and shiurim by Rabbi Yaacov Haber visit https://www.yaacovhaber.com https://youtu.be/ftVXqtvXAX4
Raise Your Flag High! | Rabbi Yaacov Haber | Parshas Bamidbar 5779
The Journey Is Coming To An End
I’m feeling okay about the nine days this year. Even Tisha B’Av! That may sound radical, so let’s explain why. The Talmud (Yoma 5) describes a scene toward the desecration and destruction of the Beis HaMikdash by the Babylonians. According to the Medrash in Eicha, a...
Responding To The Times
There was once a Chasidic Rebbe known as the ‘Rebbe Ha’Katan’. He was six years old when he inherited the mantle of the rebbe. Because of his age, he was assigned an uncle, a great person in his own right, to guide and teach him until he was ready to take over the...
It Doesn’t Make Sense
When we pray, we are supposed to consider ourselves and visualize that we are standing directly in front of G-d. How can this be? G-d has no image that we can conceive of. As soon as we have any visual association of G-d, we’ve already gone wrong. Whether you’re...
Leadership Without the “I”
I was recently reading the great book of letters by the Steipler Rav, “Kiryana D’Igrasa”. In one of these, he was responding to a correspondent who had listed some of his problems. It should be emphasized that the Steipler was not one to make light of other people’s...
The Scandal
The Chafetz Chaim is famous for making the prohibitions of lashon hara more widely known. It is well known that the spies of our parsha spoke lashon hara about Eretz Yisroel. However one could search in vain through the Chafetz Chaim’s great work on the laws of lashon...
The Ultimate Challenge
Moshe Rabeinu has been through a lot in the last two years. He’s been Hashem’s shaliach to bring the people out of Egypt, performed miracles, split the sea, not to mention being the conduit for Torah descending from Heaven to Earth. You might think that he would...
Junk Food For The Soul
I don’t usually comment on world events but it’s difficult not to comment on the recent news from France, as some kind of response is needed .What is it that motivates someone to murder multiple strangers in cold blood? Who was Bilam? People often think of him as some...
The Logic Of The Heart
The Kotzker Rebbe is reported to have instructed his Gabbai to seek a Chazan with a good heart. A good heart, he said, is so much more powerful than a good voice. Chazal often ask why one particular portion of the Torah is placed next to another, albeit apparently...
The Spiritual Summit
The Spiritual Summit Moshe Rabeinu, into his eighties, has been through a lot in the last two years. He’s been G-d's messenger to bring the people out of Egypt, he performed miracles, he split the sea, he was the conduit for Torah descending from Heaven to Earth. By...
“We Need Our Space”
"We love Torah and we love G-d, but we can't live together with the rest of the Jewish people. We are willing to support you, teach you, do business with you; we'll even fight in your wars! But we need our own space." These were the words of the leaders of Gad and...
Finding our Moment – the Lesson of Pinchas
How to draw energy from deep within us to do what is right. The lesson of Pinchas is to be able to do what is right at that moment, no matter what everyone in the world thinks.
Greatness: A Jewish Definition
Determination and strong backbone can be the ingredients of true greatness or it can be the prelude to stupidity. I watched a documentary while on vacation. It made such an impression on me that I must share the inspiration. "Into Thin Air" is a gripping account of...
The Divine Mitigating Factor
According to the Wex Legal Dictionary the definition for Mitigating Factor is “any fact or circumstance that lessens the severity or culpability of a criminal act. Mitigating factors include an ability for the criminal to reform, mental retardation, an addiction to...
When Blessings Conflict
A dream is the first step of any new venture. We see a vision for our lives, our families, our community and the world we live in. We dream about how the world can be improved, and of the contribution that we can make. I personally dream of a life of Torah and a home...
Behold A People
Bilaam was the most successful gentile, of that generation and possibly in history. He was the parallel of Avraham Avinu and Moshe Rabbeinu. He didnt represent a specific nation; he was at the apex of the non-Jewish world as a whole. He belonged to the world. Chazal...
The Red Heifer
This week's parsha discusses the mysterious law of "parah adumah", the red heifer, which is used for purification, but contaminates those who perform the purification. "Zos chukas haTorah", it says, "This is the law of the Torah" (Num. 19:2). The word "chukah" is used...
The Puzzle Factor
The Parsha starts with Hashem instructing Moshe to take a census of Bnei Yisrael. So on Rosh Chodesh Iyar, Moshe and the Nesi’im of each Shevet counted every male over the age of 20 according to their shevet. After the census was taken, Hashem further instructed Moshe...
Wandering
Why do we sing when we travel? While reading this week’s parsha the baal korei will burst into a delightful song. He will not be reading about the splitting of the sea or be announcing the Ten Commandments. Rather, he will be reciting the travelogue of the Jewish...
Be A Pinchas!
I have some very dangerous and risky advice that I give my children and anyone else willing to listen. Be a Pinchas! Don't settle for any injustice and don't get used to seeing wrong. I was marveling at the story of the great Talmudic sage, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi....
The Power of Zeal
G-d instructed Abraham to take his beloved son Isaac, bind him on to an alter, and sacrifice him to G-d. The Torah reports that Abraham "ROSE UP IN THE MORNING" to perform G-d's will with enthusiasm and zeal. Bilaam intended to place a fatal curse on the Jewish...
The Argument
Many people enjoy a good argument. It helps clarify the issues, it creates a passion, challenges the mind and stimulates the heart. Much of the development of Judaism was through machlokes. Arguments were never considered a tragedy. I can remember being challenged to...
You are What You See
The people of Israel needed to see for themselves. They needed to check out Israel with their own eyes before they would agree to the Land of Israel as their homeland. This little due diligence that they performed, however, had catastrophic consequences which seemed...