Wanting God
“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob…” (Exodus 6:3). This seems to be a very straightforward and unambiguous statement by God to Moses. There would seem to be no need for any clarification. Yet Rashi (R’ Shlomon ben Yitzchak, 11th century France) does comment here. His two words seem utterly mystifying: “El ha’avot” […]
Question, Challenge, Pray
“You don’t learn by having faith. You learn by questioning, by challenging, by re-examining everything you’ve ever believed. And yet, all this is a matter of faith – the faith that there is a truth to be found. It is another paradox: To truly question, you must truly have faith.” (Rabbi Tzvi Freeman)
Flaunt not
“You have enough. Circle the mountain and turn to the north” (Deuteronomy 2:3). Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz, in his commentary Kli Yakar, spins this verse in a creative way. The Hebrew word for north is ‘tzafon’, which also has the meaning of to conceal. He was concerned with conspicuous and ostentatious displays of wealth, so […]
Converts
Said Reish Lakish: Converts are more beloved to G‑d than the Jews who stood at Mt Sinai. The reason is that those who stood at Mt. Sinai may not have accepted the Torah if it hadn’t been for the awesome spectacle of the thunder, lightning, the great wind and the sound of shofars. In contrast, […]
Being heard
“…Whatever will be too difficult for you, bring it before me and I will hear it” (Deut. 1:17) Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, a renowned psychiatrist, offers a penetrating insight into this verse. He cites the observation of R’ Yitzchak Meir of Gur that Moses doesn’t say to bring difficult issues to him and he will […]
Priorities
“The tribes of Reuven and Gad approached Moses and said: We will build enclosures for our flocks here and cities for our children. We will arm ourselves quickly and go ahead of the Children of Israel until we will have brought them to their place. Our children will dwell in fortified cities because of the […]
Awesome!
“….the whole world is filled with His Glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) The Hebrew here, m’lo kol ha’aretz k’vodo, can also be understood in the following way: The fullness of the world is His Glory! When we marvel at the vastness of the universe and its incredible beauties — we are overwhelmed by feelings of awe.
What if he’s a fake?
The merit of Tzedaka is so great that I am happy to give to 100 beggars even if only one might actually be needy. Some people, however, act as if they are exempt from giving charity to 100 beggars if one of them might be a fraud.(The Sanzer Rebbe)
The importance of studying the Torah in its original language
There seems to be a contradiction between Numbers 22:12 where God tells Balaam not to go with the emissaries of Balak and verse 20 where God says to get up and go with them. There is another problem. If God told Balaam to go in verse 20, why does He get angry in verse 22 […]
The question
The question is not whether God heard our prayer but whether we’ve heard it. Did it impact and change us? Do we feel closer to God? Are we more aware of the blessings He showers on us?