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 The "Patience" of Slavery .: Viewed: 1816 times :.
The Hagada says, "In every generation a person is obligated to see himself as if he had personally been liberated from Egypt." How do I personally make the transition from slavery to freedom when I was never a slave? Every person is, in a sense, born a slave – to ignorance, to lust, to passion, and to selfishness. Our task is to free ourselves from our personal, spiritual slavery to the...
Published: January 14, 2015 |
The 4 Dimensions of Existence .: Viewed: 1699 times :.
According to Kabbalah, every part of our world is divided into four categories of existence. In ascending spiritual order they are:
1) DOMEM, silent and mineral
2) TZOMEACH, sprout or vegetable
3) CHAI, living or animal
4) MEDABAR, a speaking...
Published: November 5, 2015 |
The 4 Sons - Which One Am I? .: Viewed: 1564 times :.
The 4 sons occupy a key place in the Hagadah. The Hagadah states their questions, then spells out the answers, all of which are based on biblical texts. כנגד ארבעה בנים דברה תורה.
The Torah is realistic, not all children are Chachamim. Life presents us with a variety of children, ranging from the wise to the wicked. Parents cannot and should not ignore any of them. We have to listen...
Published: March 11, 2021 |
The 4 Stages of Redemption .: Viewed: 1506 times :.
When G‑d sent Moshe to Egypt to free Israel, the Torah states, “And Moshe took his wife and sons and mounted them on the donkey” (Shmot 4:20). Why is it important that Moshe took his family on a donkey? Rashi makes a strange comment on this verse, “the Donkey that Moshiach will utilize to usher in the Final Redemption”. How do we understand this odd comment of...
Published: March 16, 2021 |
The 4 Stages of the Final Redemption .: Viewed: 2028 times :.
The prophet Michah 7:16 states, “As in the days of your leaving Egypt, I (G-d) shall show them marvelous wonders.” The prophet’s words imply that the Exodus from Egypt is the precedent for the Final Redemption. The Midrash Tanchuma states, “Just as in Egypt, I (G-d) shall redeem you in the Messianic future and shall perform miracles for you.” Indeed, gradual,...
Published: January 11, 2015 |
The Agony Of Agunot .: Viewed: 2657 times :.
"Kotzo Shel Yod" ("The Point on Top of the Yod"), the 1887 poem by Judah Leib Gordon, includes a description of the cruel harassment by rabbis of an unfortunate agunah (literally, a "chained woman," whose husband deserts her or disappears without divorcing her, thus preventing her from remarrying). Â The description is vitriolic, wicked, dishonest, and disgraceful, in the spirit of the poets...
Published: December 27, 2006 |
The Agony of the Agunah .: Viewed: 2097 times :.
I recently attended the International Agunah Day Event in Jerusalem. An Agunah (literally a chained wife) is one whose husband deserts her and refuses to give her a Get, thus preventing her from remarrying. The leading Rabbis in every generation have tried to find solutions, even far-fetched ones, for the distress of Agunot. Rabbi Akiva Eiger helped to release an Agunah with the explanation...
Published: March 19, 2014 |
The Antidote For Anger .: Viewed: 2093 times :.
Many people lose their temper and then regret it. Is there a magic formula to prevent or at least control our anger? The Talmud in Shabbat 105b and Nedarim 22b say, "When one becomes angry, it is as if he is serving idols". This seems to be a very extreme and exaggerated statement. How can the Talmud compare anger to the severe sin of idolatry? Upon deep reflection, we can perceive a...
Published: August 11, 2013 |
The Awesome Power of Speech .: Viewed: 1552 times :.
Parashat Tazria tells us about the laws of TZARAT. TZARAT was a miraculous illness that was inflicted upon a person who spoke Lashon Hara about a fellow Jew. Anyone diagnosed with Tzara'at was sent outside the camp or city to live a solitary existence. Tzara'at is comparable to leprosy, although in certain ways it was very different.
When a person speaks derogatorily about a fellow Jew,...
Published: April 20, 2017 |
The Bnei Brak Seder - Where are the Ladies? .: Viewed: 1491 times :.
"It happened that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar Ben-Azarya, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarphon were reclining in Bnei Brak. They were discussing the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and told them: 'Our Rabbis! The time has come for reciting the morning Shema!'"(Pesach Hagada). This story is read by all Jews on Pesach at the Seder. At first sight, it is a...
Published: March 20, 2018 |
The Broken Tablets: Never Again! .: Viewed: 2150 times :.
After the sin of the Golden Calf, Moshe Rabbenu succeeded in convincing G-d to give the Jewish People a second chance by giving us a second set of Luchot (Tablets). What happened to the first set of Luchot that Moshe smashed to pieces? The Talmud Bavli tells us that Moshe collected all of the broken pieces of the first Luchot and placed them underneath the new Luchot in the Holy Ark. However,...
Published: January 30, 2014 |
The Burning Bush - Symbol of G-d and Israel in Exile .: Viewed: 1912 times :.
Why did G-d first appear to Moshe in a burning bush? What is the symbolism?
Rabbeinu Bachya regards the burning bush as a revelation that our nation, despite its sufferings such as the crematoria of Auschwitz, is eternal."The burning bush conjures up the image of a persecuted nation in iron chains , constantly aflame with suffering. Threatened on all sides, against all odds, the...
Published: December 31, 2014 |
The Burning Bush: Symbol of Jewish Suffering and Survival .: Viewed: 3059 times :.
Why did G-d first reveal himself to Moshe in a burning thorn bush? The Midrash saw this as evoking a broad range of symbolic themes and prophetic visions for the future destiny of the Jewish People.
Rabbeinu Bachya regards the burning bush as a revelation that our nation, despite its hardships, is eternal. "The burning bush conjures up the image of a lowly nation in iron chains, constantly...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
The Chanuka Dreidel – Symbol of Life's Spinning Wheel .: Viewed: 2124 times :.
Chanuka commemorates our victory over the Syrian-Greeks and the Hellenists – Jews who betrayed their own people in order to curry favor with the Gentiles. Not much has changed in this respect in almost 2200 years. The battle continues. We cleaned up and purified the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple), but were we truly liberated? The Greeks were ousted from our land, but were they ousted...
Published: November 25, 2013 |
The Chillul Hashem of False Piety .: Viewed: 1581 times :.
Earlier this month, a group of IDF soldiers were cursed and assaulted by "Chareidim" in Mea Shearim. The police had to escort the Soldiers out of the Shul in which they were praying.
The appropriate response would have been to let the soldiers pray and instead arrest the violent individuals. Physical and verbal assaults and the incitement of violence are criminal acts.
The fact...
Published: November 10, 2016 |
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