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 Are the Deceased Aware of Us? .: Viewed: 3022 times :.
Are the Deceased Aware of Us? In memory of my student Karen Yemima bat Avraham V'Sarah, murdered by an Arab Terrorist הי"ד When we visit a cemetery or remember a loved one on a Yahrzeit, we may find ourselves wondering whether the deceased are aware of us. Do they know what we are thinking about, what we are feeling? Do they empathize with our travails? Do they see our...
Published: November 12, 2014 |
Yaakov's Heavenly Wrestling Match .: Viewed: 3020 times :.
Could Yaakov's wrestling with a mysterious angel have been the beginning of a process of Teshuvah for having taken the blessings of his brother Eisav?
Rambam states that an essential element of Teshuvah is acknowledgement of the wrongdoing and a deep sense of regret and shame for the sin. The mysterious angel who wrestled with Yaakov may have been Yaakov himself – his inner...
Published: November 26, 2014 |
Our Dreams - A Portal to Eternity! .: Viewed: 3015 times :.
Sefer Bereshis contains many dreamers and their dreams. First we have Yakov’s dream followed by Yosef’s dreams, Pharaoh’s dreams, and the Butler and the Baker’s dreams.
There was a popular song called “Life is but a Dream.” Why do we dream? What is the meaning of our dreams? The Mishnah in Avot states, “One moment of pleasure in the After-Life is...
Published: November 26, 2019 |
Megillat Esther : Today's Front Page .: Viewed: 3002 times :.
The Rambam states in Hilchos Megillah, Chapter 2, Halacha 18, that all books of the Prophets and all of the Holy Writings will be cancelled in the Messianic Era except for Megillat Esther, which will exist forever like the Torah and the Talmud.
What makes the Megillah so unique that it will be preserved for eternity, unlike other Books of the Tanach? The answer is found in the Megillat...
Published: February 21, 2012 |
The Rise and Fall of the Angels .: Viewed: 2980 times :.
“ Yaakov had a dream: a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached up toward heaven, and angels of G-d were going up and down on it.” (Bereshit: 28:1)
What is the meaning of this heavenly ladder? The ladder that was standing on the ground showed Yaakov that we must use the physical world as a ladder with which to elevate ourselves by serving G-d. Through our service of...
Published: November 12, 2012 |
The Mystery of the Red Heifer .: Viewed: 2974 times :.
The laws concerning the Red Heifer have always been regarded as the most mysterious of the Torah's Mitzvot. Although this Mitzva has always been considered to be above human reason, attempts have nevertheless been made to interpret it.
The Midrash states that the reason why a heifer is chosen is that it should atone for Israel's sin in worshipping the golden calf. Let the mother cow clean...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
Why Yizkor on Yom Tov? .: Viewed: 2966 times :.
On each of the last days of the Shalosh Regalim, it is traditional that the Yizkor service be recited. Even those who, for one reason or another, have not been in regular attendance at the Synagogue, gravitate to it at this time. There is a feeling of responsibility and respect for our departed parents which impels us to participate in this service.
It seems strange and paradoxical that...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
The Song of the Sea's Euphoria turns Bitter .: Viewed: 2960 times :.
After Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea praising G-d (Exod. 15:1-18) has been sung, the nation – and the reader – are in a state of euphoria; thus, neither the nation nor the reader is prepared for the series of failures that Israel encounters in the second half of Parashat Beshalach: "And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
Shavuot: In G-d We Trust! .: Viewed: 2960 times :.
The Talmud (Shabbat) states that an apostate said to Rava, "You are an impetuous people for you put your mouths before your ears!"
Our mouths before our ears?!! What the apostate referred to was "Naaseh v' Nishma", the famous phrase uttered by the Jewish People when we stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and G-d asked us if we would accept the Torah. "We will do, and then we will hear," we...
Published: April 18, 2013 |
Shabbat – A Portal to a Perfect World .: Viewed: 2959 times :.
The Talmud (Shabbat 154) states,"Torah scholars grow wiser as they grow older, but boors become more foolish as they age." We all see the same world, but how we interpret the events that we see varies greatly. King Solomon says (Mishlei 2:14), "The eyes of a wise person are in his head." How shall this verse be understood? Aren't everyone's eyes in one's head? The explanation is that the head...
Published: July 4, 2013 |
Reflections on Yom Haatzmauit .: Viewed: 2934 times :.
A major difference between a slave people and a free people is that a free people has not only the ability but also the duty to defend itself. This is a theme that runs throughout the Torah and indeed the entire Bible. In the story of the Exodus, the struggle to free the Israelites is conducted entirely by G-D through miracles that are presented by His spokesmen, Moses and Aaron. The people...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
The Helpmate Who Opposes! .: Viewed: 2934 times :.
God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make for him a helpmate who is against him.” (Genesis:2:18) Â At first sight this verse seems to be a paradox: a helpmate assists, she does not oppose. The Talmud (Bavli Yevamot 63a) phrases the question as follows. The Hebrew word, Ezer, is a “helper”, and K’negdo is “against him”?! The Talmud...
Published: September 27, 2011 |
What Is Holy About The Flag of Israel? .: Viewed: 2929 times :.
Does the Israeli Flag have Kedusha? Rov Yoseph Dov Soloveitchik reveals in the book, “Nefesh Harov”, that there is a passage in the Shulchan Aruch that relates to the sanctity of the flag of the state of Israel.
The Shulchan Aruch in (Y.D. 352) rules “that one may not bury the deceased in expensive shrouds.” Later in Y.D, 364, it is ruled “If a Jew is found...
Published: April 23, 2014 |
Aharon's Heart of Gold .: Viewed: 2929 times :.
Neil Young had a hit song in the 1970s called "Heart of Gold". Was he singing about Aharon HaKohen? Perhaps, that is why G-d chose Aharon to be the Kohen Gadol and to wear the golden vestments. The Torah states, "And Aharon shall bear the judgment of the Children of Israel on his heart constantly before G-D" (Shemot 28:30). This verse is a reference to the CHOSHEN-BREAST PLATE, which Aharon...
Published: February 18, 2016 |
The Problem of Yichud In Adoption .: Viewed: 2925 times :.
One of my students asked my advice about adopting a baby girl. His question has inspired me to write this article.
Halacha has very strict regulations restricting physical contact between members of the opposite sex. Halacha rules that a man and a woman not married to each other are not to be secluded in a room. It also prohibits an unmarried couple from engaging in any physical...
Published: November 29, 2015 |