The Library

Excerpts taken from Tzvi Fishman's Blog This week's Torah portion is "Kedoshim." "Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am holy." Rashi states: "You shall be holy by...

Someone sent us a point related to Parshas Masei and how the journeys of the Jewish people in the desert are a lesson to us about our personal travels through this world. He heard from Rabbi Chaim Kaufman of Gateshead, who also spoke about this matter and emphasized how t...

This week's Parsha is called Masei - meaning "Travels" and the Torah outlines the journeys of the Jewish people through the wilderness. Although these journeys happened on a national level, they also occur on an individual level throughout each of our lives. It is the wil...

This weeks Parsha discusses vows: Hebrew Transliteration: "Ish Ki Yidar Neder La'hashem Oh Hishava Shevuah Le'esar issar al Nafsho, Lo Yachel Divaro, Kichol Hayotzeh Mi'piv Yaaseh". English Translation: "A Man who makes a vow to G-d or an oath to forbid forbidden unto his...

In the begining of this weeks Parsha, it is written: "And the name of the Israelite man who was smitten, who was smitten with the Midyanite, was Zimri Ben Salu the head of the tribe of Shimon". The holy Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh, whose Yartzeit is today, asks why the Torah wro...

The Medrash on this week's Parsha says that Pinchas drove his spear straight through their genitals of Zimri and Kuzbi the Midyanite, as they were sinning together. Then, G-d gave Pinchas divine strength and he was able to lift both of their their dead bodies up out of th...

We saw in last weeks Parsha how the wrath of G-d was kindled against the Jewish people for sinning with the Moabite women, and a great plague broke out killing 24,000 people. It was only through the zealousness of Pinchas that the wrath of G-d was quieted. We can learn fr...

Leviticus 19:1 - 20:27 (Parshat K'doshim) 1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. Even in the 7 Noahide laws, it states "Incestuous and adulterous relations are f...

We read last week about the Meraglim. The sin of the Meraglim was that they believed "it could not be done". It is so easy to be guilty of the same sin, especially when dealing with the powerful desires of the Yetzer Hara. We must realise that even if someone could think ...

It says in Parshas Shoftim: "When you will go out to war on your enemies and you will see horses and chariots, a multitude greater from (than) you, do not fear them for Hashem your G-d is with you, who took you out of the land of Mitzrayim. And when you will come close t...

Dear GaurdYourEyes, I will give you a challenge. I look at porn sometimes but I am B'H not addicted. I have abstained for months at a time but I keep coming back to it. The reason I can't stop altogether is because I believe it is halachically permitted to look at porn ...

People often ask us how to avoid sexual thoughts and fantasies from plaguing them. Normally we refer them to this page of our FAQ section, but today I want to discuss another important facet as well. There is a common theme throughout Chassidic literature, that the more a...

Here is an (approximate) translation of a Zohar that I came across in Parshas VaYerah: Rabbi Yitzchak says. To what is the Yetzer Hara similar? To a band of highway robbers who murder and steal from people. They take a man from their ranks who is a smooth talker, and they...

In this weeks Parsha we read about Kriyas Yam Suf - the splitting of the sea. Even after the Yidden had left Mitzrayim, Pharaoh chased after them. And they would have indeed been lost if not for the Emunah and Messiras Nefesh of Nachshon Ben Aminadov, who Chaza"l say went...

This Shabbos is perhaps the most powerful Shabbos of Shovavim since we read about Yetzias Mitzrayim. In a spiritual sense, everyone of us is given a chance this Shabbos to leave the Mitzrayim of the Yetzer Hara behind us once and for all. I heard an adam Gadol speak this ...

Join the Worldwide YEshiva Shovavim Initiative at shovavim.org - "YES we can!" Here's a nice vort for the Shabbos table, as well as a profound understanding into our struggle with the Yetzer Hara. It is not for nothing that these Parshios of "leaving Mitzrayim" were chos...

There's a fundamental and elementary piece from the holy Ohr Hachayim that gives a clear perspective on the powerful nature of carnal desire, and helps us understand how Hashem expects us to remain holy in spite of it being against human nature. In honor of Shovavim, I wo...

"Mevakesh" sent us recently the following insight which can help awaken our yearning and hope that Moshiach is indeed very near! This is written in the Zohar in Parshas Balak: "The Divine Spirit (Hashem) will go and return to Moshe Rabenu for 70 days. At the end of the 70...