Torah

Interestingly, many of us here have had difficulty staying clean over Yom Tov and immediately after Yom Tov. Whether it is the lack of regular structure, too much free time, or being around well dressed female guests, the emotional highs we get on Yom Tov require us to pl...

www.aish.com 15 mins read Parshat Kedoshim rounds out the Torah's treatment of sexual offences by listing the consequences of engaging in the various forbidden sexual relationships outlined in Parshat Acharei Mot. One of the major hallmarks of a "mode...

Entering Sheloshes yemai hagbalah Closer to the Yom Matan Torah Excitement and anticipation mounting Ready to re-accept the Toras Chaim Hashem chose us as His am segulah What a magnificent privilege, what a simcha The opportunity to connect to ruchniyus Thereby live with ...

When the Rebbe of Aleksander, HY”D, was being led to his death, he explained this Possuk: “L'hagid baboker chasdecha v'emunascha baleilos.” Meforshim explain, he said, when it is ‘morning’ - bright and comfortable - we praise Hashem for His kindness; when it is ‘night’ - ...

On Lag Baomer, we joyfully sing: "Omar R‘ Akiva, Ashreichem Yisrael! Ma hamikva metaher es hat’meim kach Hkb’h metaher es yisroel.“ Why was it necessary for R’ Akiva to tell us this? The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains: As we know, there are no extra words in Mishnayos. There...

The opening chapter of Kedoshim contains two of the most powerful of all commands: to love your neighbor and to love the stranger. “Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” goes the first. “When a stranger comes to live in your land, do not mistreat him,” goes the s...

A great 20-minute analysis by Rabbi YY Jacobson In a nutshell: There are real human needs. If we're missing those needs, we feel a void, which causes us pain. In such a case, we can do one of two things: 1) Address the needs and fill the void and go back to a st...

Sometimes our falls stem from feelings of worthlessness. We say to ourselves, "I'm a nobody anyway, what's the difference if I fall?" We must remember how important each of us is! If you weren't needed, you wouldn't have been created. Our job is to figure out is for WHAT...

First, thanks for lighting up my life and for showing me that I am not the only one with this nisayon and there's a beautiful shining hope! I had such an intense experience this Yom Kippur, and I feel the need to shout from the rooftops that Hashem loves all of us so very...

This week's Parsha begins with the word "Tzav" which means command. Why over here specifically did the Torah feel it necessary to command Aharon, while by other Korbanos it simply said "Daber" which means to speak? Rashi explains that the Torah uses the word Tzav when it ...

Hashem made an interesting world, The greatest secret of strength and winning is admitting that we can't, and giving it over to Hashem. (And this is the underlying secret of the power of the 12-Steps in helping addicts stop acting-out). If Kings would know this secret, th...

These 4 parshiyos resemble our journey in recovery. First comes Shkalim, which means we have to weigh our actions, put them in balance - the inventory. After that comes Zachor: we find the bad that has to be eliminated and we do so just like with Amalek. After we got ri...

In the beginning of "Machshivos charutz," R' Tzadok Hacohen of Lublin explains the deepest secrets of milchemes hayetzer. He explains that there are two "drachim" in milchemes hayetzer that are both legitimate but only when used together. IE: Although some people have mor...

In the spirit of Purim, I figured I would share a thought of Torah with everyone here. The Bnei Yisaschar (Rav Zmi Elimelech Shapiro of Dinov) points out something very interesting about Purim. In naming the Moadim, the Torah refers to each particular holiday with a name ...

"Moshe took the Book of the Covenant and read it in earshot of the people and they said: 'Everything that G-d has said, WE WILL DO AND WE WILL OBEY!'" (Exodus/Shemos 24:7) As we follow the narrative of the Jewish People from the time they spent as brutalized slaves in Eg...

I struggled with shmiras einayim for years. I tried every trick in the book, every kind of inspiration, but nothing lasted for the long term. Until I finally gave up. Surprisingly though, it was actually when I gave up that things finally changed. I came to the realizati...

"On the third day when it was morning, there was Thunder and Lightning and a Heavy Cloud on The Mountain, and the Sound of the Shofar was very powerful, and the entire people that were around the camp shuddered" (Exodus/Shemos 19:16) Can you even imagine the DRAMA, the A...

"He harnessed his chariot...He took six hundred elite chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, with officers on them all. Hashem strengthened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt and he pursued the Children of Israel" (Exodus/Shemos 14:6) "It was told to the king of Eg...