Dedicated to the memory of two special men. Our Uncle Willy Quinn - חיים זאב בן זלמן פנחס. And Uncle Herman Fialkoff - חיים בן יוסף whose Yahrzeits were this week (5-6 Shvat) ת.נ.צ.ב.ה Moses had a choice to make. He chose to be a hero. Join Rabbi Yaacov Haber for 3...
I Am In Charge!
Our (Jewish) National Debt
With all the miracles that took place in Egypt, one would think that there could be a better way to get rich. Moshe in the name of God commands and even begs the People of Israel to “borrow” as much gold and silver as they can from the Egyptians. We have no apparent...
The Great Divide
I was once a proud member of the Boy Scouts of America, we had a pack of frum boys who met in a local shul. The troop was run by my father. Once he announced that we were going to learn about ‘the great divide’. I had no idea what he was talking about but guessed it...
You Go First!
G-d said, “…And also I heard the cries of the Children of Israel as they are slaves in Egypt; and I will remember My covenant.” G-d also heard! Who else is important? Who else can listen and answer our cries except G-d? Who else should hear our prayers? The answer is...
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...
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,...
The Pharaoh Syndrome
Regarding the case of the Aguna of Vilna I see you are leaning toward stringency. You feel the woman should not remarry. The reason you are leaning this way is because you are not here. You do not hear the crying of this woman nor do you see her tears. If I would be...
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...
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 Bo 5760
I’d like to quote the words of the great Gaon and Tzadik Rav Chaim of Valozhin in a letter he wrote to one of the great poskim of his generation. "Regarding the case of the Aguna of Vilna… I see you are leaning toward stringency. You feel the woman should not remarry....