The sigh
The town shoemaker would often be in a quandry about when to pray in the morning. Many of his customers were poor men who only owned one pair of shoes. He would work on repairing them all through the night in order to deliver them before their owners had to go to work in the […]
How close?
Hashem appears far beyond our grasp, beyond this world and beyond all galaxies, in the highest heavenly realm lies His throne of Glory. How far away God seems from us. But in truth, there is none as close as He. How close? Close enough to hear us whisper! (Jerusalem Talmud, Brachot 9)
The calculus of giving
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 silent scream
“God heard the voice of the lad…” (Genesis 21:17). After Sarah complained about Yishmael harassing their son Isaac, Abraham reluctantly sent Yishmael and his mother Hagar away. Lost in the desert and with their water used up, Hagar cast her son under one of the bushes and wept in a loud voice as she waited […]