Time of Year

When people consider making improvements in Shmiras Haloshon, they sometimes drop the idea as unrealistic. “Can I really say that I’ll be able to avoid loshon hora forever? What’s the point of trying, only to fail?” But in the month of Kislev, we learn that this line of ...

When Klal Yisroel sinned so much that it was a real big mess, what did Hashem do? He took away the Beis Hamikdosh. Not only that, but He took away the nevi'im, the nissim, and many of our Torah sages and good people. And He even took most of us outside of Eretz Yisro...

When we make amends we need to be clear about what we're apologizing for and the best way to say we're sorry. What we are really doing with our amends is taking responsibility for our behavior. We need to be sure that the process itself will not be self-defeating or hur...

I want to respond to a question that I have been asked numerous times over the years about Yom Kippur. It goes roughly as follows: we stand before God on Yom Kippur and say we are sorry. We admit that we have ‘transgressed’ and made mistakes in our lives during the past y...

A chossid once came to his Rebbe crying about the setbacks he'd faced. The Rebbe, sitting behind a desk, told him to jump over the table. The guy thought he was joking. When the Rebbe repeated it the fourth time, the guy got up and took 3 steps back to be able to take a r...

Here are the "Four Simplified Steps for Hitbodedut" to help you get started: In a quiet place, with no interruptions, simply talk freely to Hashem in your own words, like to your parent 1) First thank Hashem for what He's given you (does your body work? Thank Him. Do...

The posuk in Tehillim (103) says, “Kirechok mizrach mimaarav,” as far as the east is from the west, “hirchik mimenu es peshoeinu,” that is the distance Hashem has removed us from our sins. Rav Nosson Dovid of Shidlovtza explained that the distance of east from west is es...

As we begin the study of this week’s parsha and encounter the narrative of “aishes yefas toar,” we wonder if there is more here than meets the eye. And there is. While the course of action for a man who went to war, emerged victorious, and then chanced upon a yefas toar ...

ראש חודש אלול. It's that time of year. When I usually sit down and write a list of everything I've done wrong. Of all the ways that I messed up. When I contemplate what a disappointment I've been to myself, my family, and those who don't even have any knowledge of h...

The whole year is about an individual's struggle against his internal forces of evil as he tries to become a perfect person. Tish'a b'av is the same thing on a national level. It's about our national struggle against evil as we try to rectify the wrongs we have done so th...

The Torah informs us that when Hashem punishes us and drives us out of the Land of Israel into exile, leaving us to the mercy of the nations of the world, it is not out of disgust or repulsion, or an attempt to destroy us. It is a method of discipline, as a father discipl...

A few questions on the Parsha of מי מריבה, (Chukas: 20): 1.When the Yidden complained that they didn’t have water, they said things like “Halevai we would have died with our brothers… and why did you take us out of Mitzrayim to die, etc…”. This is the same way of speaking...

At the receiving of the Torah, Hashem said to the Jewish people: “For you are a Kingdom of priests and a Holy Nation”. What does this really mean? The world has 4 basic levels of evolution. The first level is DOMEM – Dirt, Rocks, Water, etc. The second level of evolution ...

In the sugya of Matan Torah in Mesichta Shabbos there are (amongst many others) two mamorei Chazal: 1. The Yidden said Naaseh V'Nishman 2. כפה עליהם הר כגגית- the Eibishter held the mountain above the Yidden thereby forcing them to accept the Torah. The question arises if...

Chanukah is all about Messiras Nefesh, about giving the fight over to Hashem. The Sefarim say that every year, the same great light that came down in the time of the Chashmonaim comes down again on Chanukah. In the zechus of their messiras nefesh back then, every Jew can...

It says in the Sefarim that Zos Chanukah is the G'mar - the sealing of the judgement and the last chance for those who still haven't been able to do Teshuvah since Rosh Hashana... I wanted to share something from personal experience. For years, I had difficulty to avo...

The Torah says Haggar put Yishmael under a tree, walked two bow shots away so as not to see him die from thirst and sat down to cry. The malach opened her eyes and she saw a well. The pasuk says: "She walked, she filled up her water skin, and gave the boy to drink." Wher...

I noticed a very interesting thing in one of the Yom Kipppur Piyutim we say tonight. "We are like raw material in the hands of the creator... When he wants, he makes the vessel big, and when he wants, he makes it shorter (than normal)". "We are like stones in the hand...