The magnificent description of the Sea Splitting and then just forty days later, the prophecy of all prophesies, the Giving of the Torah to Moshe on Mt. Sinai taught the Jewish people that there were no boundaries on this Earth. Anything can happen! If G-d wills it,...
A Call To Action
The great achievement of the Jews during the first Shabbos HaGodol was that they actually performed a deed which was calculated to violate the sensibilities of the Egyptians: they bought Paschal lambs from the Egyptians, and explained to the Egyptians that these lambs...
If You Were G-d
There is an interesting story told in the Book of Judges, Chapter 17. A certain woman left her fortune to her son Michiyahu for the purpose of setting up an idolatorous cult. He had a fancy idol and a temple built for this purpose, but could not find a priest to lead...
Searching For the Weakness of Our Soul
Every neshama has a purpose and a unique excellence of its own. No two neshamos should be striving for the same goal. As much as we all have to try to succeed in everything we do, each one of us has a specialty which should be the emphasis of our lives. So, you may...
Practical Judaism
In today's parsha, we read how Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. "And Joseph could not restrain himself before all his attendants, and he cried out: `Let every man go out from before me'. And no man stood with him, when Joseph made himself known to his brothers"...
Say Boruch Hashem!
Sometimes saying 'Boruch Hashem' is not so easy. "If one digs deep into their soul to find blessing and then articulates that blessing in the form of praise to G-d, the Presence of G-d, the Shechina, will immediately rest on that individual and whatever they pray for...
Deathbed Questions
“No man ever said on his deathbed, ‘I wish I had spent more time in the office.’” I've heard this sentimental quotation so many times in my life. I've heard it from motivational speakers, at Outreach seminars and even in Yeshivah. It seems to ring true. I don't know...
Going It All Alone
“Abraham was one, yet he inherited the land...” (Yechezkel 33; 24) ??? ??? ????? Abraham was alone, he was lonely, he was only one. He was alone in his fight against paganism; he was alone on his march of monotheism; and he was alone in his profound understanding of...
Raising Cain
The first few chapters of the Torah tell us the story of the family of man. It all started, of course, with Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel were born; Cain killed Abel; Cain had a family and Abel had no descendants. Adam and Eve continued their process of procreation and...
Being Labeled By God
How does the Ribono Shel Olam decide our destiny for the upcoming year? How does He judge us? The answer is simple. The same way we judge others. A Medrash. Hashem said to Moshe "Hain Kirvu Yamecho Lamus". Your time has come. The end of your life is here. The Hebrew...
Tips For the New Year
The Parsha speaks about Teshuvah. The great Ezra designed the calendar so that this Parsha will always be read before Rosh HaShanah so that at this exact time of year our hearts and minds should be focused on improving our relationship with the Almighty. Recently I...
Fighting In Shul
Rav Moshe Feinstien ZT”l once commented that early on we used to see fierce arguments in Shul over who should get an Aliya and who shouldn’t. He observed that as the years went on things seemed to have become much more civilized and gentlemanly. “Please, you take the...
Bringing The Beauty Home
A Jewish man goes to war and there at war he encounters amongst the enemy a beautiful woman. The Torah says that he can take her home but he must cut off her hair and "do" her nails. It's interesting that the two ectodermic appendages, hair and nails are singled out...
Nearing The End
Here we are getting ready to usher in the last month of the year. There is a vast amount of discussion and literature on how to start off the year and very little about how to end it. Even the last month of the year Elul, has been marketed as the preparation for the...
The Eicha Revolution
The Kotzker Rebbe observed: “There is no place lonelier than a room full of people.” Walk into a wedding or a Bar Mitzvah. Everyone is eating, dancing and singing. Who would think that loneliness is even possible in this room? But if you are a stranger in that room,...
Make Things Happen!
Yaakov's son Reuven saw that his mother Leah was barren. It was harvest time and Reuven was walking through the fields. He stumbled upon some dudaim, a medical herb that he thought would improve the Shalom Bayis situation at home. He picked them and gave them to his...
You Never Lost It
What do you do if you are going crazy looking for something you misplaced and you just can't find it anywhere? Say the following: 'Rabbi Binyamin said: The whole world is blind until G-d opens our eyes and we see' (Breishis Rabba 52) Then make a pledge to the charity...
An Honest Mitzvah
Mitzvah, honesty, Amalek, Moses, Whenever we perform a mitzvah, we should ask ourselves whether our motive is perhaps to avoid doing some other less pleasant, but more important, mitzvah.
Hearts Of Darkness
Everyone has been asking: "Rabbi, what time can I daven in the morning? It seems to get light so late!" There are a number of answers to this question. One third of all adults in the USA own a smart phone. Within seconds you can get the exact moment of Alos HaShachar,...
Ruach
The hopeful and encouraging words of Moshe fell flat. "I have come to set you free! G-d has made me a messenger to facilitate the Geula!" But They did not listen to Moshe because of shortness of breath, kotzer ruach, and because of strenuous work. What is this "Kotzer...
Just Do It!
Shmuel Fixler A"H, a wonderful Jew who lived in Buffalo, NY, when I served as Rabbi there, once taught me a valuable lesson. Reb Shmuel was a Holocaust survivor. He had been through Hell, and the Nazis not only murdered most of his family, they also killed his...
A Little Eisavkeit
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, Yaakov and Esav. The actual struggle between these two brothers became the prototype of the Jewish struggle with myriads of outside forces and enemies that wanted to destroy us....
Soul Sacrifice
We know about giving up some of our personal comfort to help someone else. We know about giving up some of our spirituality to save a life or to help another human being live healthier. We even know about giving up personal comfort to help someone spiritually. But how...
Where Did All The Leaders Go?
This week's parsha speaks of the different models of leadership; the king, the judge, the Kohein and the prophet. It's relatively easy to examine and criticize leaders but as the saying goes; the people get the leader they deserve. As we arrive at Chodesh Elul, and we...
Stumbling Upon Solutions
In Breishis we are told that Yaakov’s son Reuven saw that his mother Leah was barren. It was harvest time and Reuven was walking through the fields. He stumbled upon some “dudaim”, a medical herb that he thought would improve the Shalom Bayis situation at home. He...
Leaders: A Jewish Definition
A Jewish leader is the man or woman that has demonstrated that he can take the heat, even a beating, on behalf of the Jewish people. My son Yosef Moshe is named after Reb Yosef Moshe Haber who was referred to as the Parnes of Kalish. He was trusted by his community...
The Desert – A Blank Canvas
When important meetings, conventions or summits take place location is of the utmost importance. The greatest political minds come together to choose Oslo or Geneva. They search the globe for political neutrality, proper security and appropriate ambiance. The location...
Holy?!
I ask myself regularly if I really want to be holy. In the year 1930 the Chofetz Chaim traveled to Vilna. He went to speak in the oldest and most central Shul in Vilna. In honor of the Gadol HaDor all the candles were lit and the tall beams that held up the roof were...
A Different Kind of Rosh Hashanah!
Depending on who and when you ask the Jewish year either begins in the month of Tishrei, at Rosh Hashanah time, or a couple of weeks before Pesach in Nissan. Why do we have two new years? The answer lies in the season of each New Year. Tishrei and Rosh Hashanah occur...
Bow Low, Climb High
In honor of the Aufruf of our daughter Nechama to Avrohom Walkin of Bayit VeGan which will take place this Shabbos. The Holy Ari once taught his students a guaranteed segula or formula for success. In the morning when we pray we bow our heads to say Modim. If while...