Torah

"Come I shall advise you what this people will do to your people" (Bamidbar 24:14). What advice is Bilaam referring to? Rashi explains that he's informing Balak that the G-d of Israel hates licentiousness, therefore if you want to succeed then cause them to stumble in this area. Bilaam understood...

Bilaam said: "He perceived no iniquity in Yaakov, and saw no perversity in Israel" (Bamidbar 23:21) - even if a Jew acts improperly, Hashem will not see any wrong - He will, so to speak, "look the other way", and therefore not see, because, as Bilaam explains, "Hashem his G-d is with him, and the...

“Perhaps there is among you one whose Heart turns away from being with Hashem” פן יש בכם איש או אשה ...אשר לבבו פנה היום מעם יה-וה For some of us, this time of year reminds us of December 31st. ;You know that crazy night when everyone is at a party or at a bar counting down the hours, the minute...

People cannot help when an improper impulse comes to mind, but they certainly can stop themselves from harboring the thought and allowing it to dominate their thinking. Yet, sometimes one may be responsible even for the impulse itself. While some impulses are completely spontaneous, others arise ...

Are they the "Ten Commandments" or the "Ten Suggestions"? If you're like me - and most people, we don't like to be told what to do! ;The moment that someone orders me to do something, I not only refuse to do it, I try my best to do just the exact opposite. I think that G-d knows exactly this hum...

Is there any REST in this Journey called Life? Parasha Devarim is the last book of our Torah. ;And is referred to as ;"Mishneh Torah" which is translated as "repetition of the Torah." ;Our Sages teach us that the entire Book of Devarim was spoken by Moses to the Jewish people during the last fe...

What do my choices say about me? As we all know in this Parasha we learn about how Klal Yisroel were about to enter the Land of Israel. ;And then the tribes of Reuben and Gad made a very very peculiar request from Moshe. ;Does this make sense at all? ;Don't forget that when the entire nation l...

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 ...