Torah

Have you been searching for G-d? As we all know, the "hero" of this Parasha earns the distinct honor of having the Parasha named after him. ;Of course, we are talking about Pinchas. ;(In fact, out of all the fifty-four Parashiot in the Torah, only six of them are named after a person!) ;Pincha...

Baal Shem Tov (the original below) advises us about a change of paradigm when we are triggered by an object of our lust. Contemplate about the source of this person's beauty: Isn't it G-d Himself? And if so, why settle for a mere part (chelek), why lust after an external beauty or pleasure, when ...

The Midrash gives a mashal to a hunter who was pursuing a bird and the bird flew off and landed on a statue of the king. if he shoots an arrow it may damage the statue. if he throws a stone he would be guilty of stoning an image of the king and forfeit his life. ; So to, Bilaam cursed Amalek and ...

; ויחל העם לזנות אל בנות מואב “And the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab..” How did we FALL? ;We were so HOLY! Parashas Balak tells the story of Balaam, the Greatest Prophet of the Gentile Nations who was hired by King Balak of Moab. ;Balak was freaking out becaus...

זאת חקת התורה “This is THE DECREE of the Torah..” Will we ever know the answer? Parasha Chukas has been declared ;The Quintessential limit of Man’s understanding of G-d’s Ways. ; Sages have grappled for all of time to find some common sense logical way of explaining how the ashes of the Parah ...

Here's a milsa debidichusah. Today I was discussing with some friends about how many Chassidim don't say Tachnun on a Yartzeit of a "Tzadik Mefursam", and many times Chassidim will find the Yartzeit of a "Tzadik Mefursam" on every single day of the year. So I thought that maybe that was the machl...

Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler zt”l (Michtav Me’Eliyahu vol. 4) explains how it happened that a smart man like ;Korach ;acted so foolishly. What he says, applies to each of us as well - so listen carefully! He quotes Rav Hai Gaon (in his responsa), who brings the following story: A lion wanted to tear apa...

Have you ever said something that you later regretted? Were you angry or jealous and felt like to had to yell or scream? ;It's like we just can't help ourselves. ; And so we open our Big Mouth and we let it all out. ;Never mind how the other person is going to feel after you unload on them. ...

Parshas Shelach describes a Jew's inability of breaking out from victim - aka Egyptian (*1) Slave Mentality - into survivor - aka Freedom Mentality - when they accepted the report of the spies negatively. This sealed their fate in the desert. In contrast, the Haftara relates Rachav's strength of ...

Lo Sasuru Acharei Eineichem is a Lo Sa'aseh on Hirhur Halev. How could there be a Lo Sa'aseh if Chazal say that a negative Machshava H' doesn't consider a Ma'aseh Aveira? R' Chaim Vital explains that a Chet is a combination of 4 things - Thought in the Brain, thought in the Heart, Speech, and Act...