The Library

Q. "I wanted to ask you what you thought about the fanatical separation of men and women in Arab countries. Is this the ideal for Jews as well in terms of separation of the sexes?" A. The approach in Judaism is not one of extreme separation from the temptations of this ...

After the spiritual "high" of Pesach / Kriyas Yam-Suf, getting back to regular life can be rough for an addict. Immediately after kriyas Yam Suf, it says that the Yidden went for three days into the desert and that there was no water for the people to drink. This place wa...

Question: Why did Hashem tell Moshe to tell Pharaoh that the Jewish people just wanted to just leave "derech shloshes yamim - a way of three days" to serve Hashem, making it sound like we were planning to come back? Indeed when we finally left, Pharaoh sent spies after us...

Question of the Week: What is the connection between eating matzah and escaping from Egypt? I know that the Jews left Egypt in such a rush, the dough didn't have time enough to rise. The men would have been saying to their wives, "Honey we gotta go in 10 minutes, just gra...

Mitchilah ovdei avodah zara hayu avoseinu v'achshav karvanu Hamokom la'avodaso.(Hagada Shel Pesach) Mitchilah ovdei avodah zara hayu avoseinu & what changed. Why/how are we different?? V'achshav karvanu Hamokom la'avodaso. Hashem brought us close to Him. It is NOT to ...

OK, here's a Pesach Vort that has me on a high, said over by a fellow Chaver on Duvid chaim's call from Rabbi Reisman, but I'm embellishing the idea somewhat: How do you grow to believe in yourself that you can make it? How do you know Hashem loves You? On Seder night, th...

Someone told me over a powerful vort today from the Me'or Einayim that relates very much to the situation that many of us are in, here on GYE. Why is this Shabbos called Shabbos Hagadol? Explains the Me'or Einayim that the Yidden were in a state of "Katnus" before leaving...

At Chabad’s Project Pride, we have a team of specialists that facilitates interventions. When family members decide that it is time for drastic measures, they bring together the addict’s close family and friends. Our team then prepares for a moment that might save a life....

The 12-Steps stress that it is generally our egos that cause us to "act-out", whether stemming from a sense of "entitlement", or from the need to "control" things to go our way. When an addict is finally "beaten" and his life becomes unmanageable, he stands before two cho...

This coming seder night, we will read of the Makkos (plagues). We will all ask, "how was Pharaoh so stupid as to not read the danger signs?". We will be answered that "Hashem hardened his heart". It took a mortal danger to Pharaoh himself before he ran to the B'nei...

Many families gather together for the Passover Seder. They eat the matzah and the bitter herbs, drink the four cups, and recite the Haggadah. The house is free of all chametz. In our prayers we refer to Passover as "the festival of liberation." These are wonderful mitzvot...

This is based on a shiur available for download from www.jerusalempulseradio.com by Rabbi Yaakov Labinsky (of Aish) entitled "Higher order of the Seder." This is but a distillation, and the reader is encouraged to listen to the original Shiur. The avodah of the Pesach Sed...

Vatosef Esther vat'daber lifnei Hamelech vatipol lifnei raglav vateivk vatischanen lo. (8:3) The gemara says that the word Hamelech in the megilla is referring to Hashem. Hashem says about the Baal Gaava - a haughty person, "I and he cannot coexist in one place." Kol hah...

"Zemiros Shabbos": Even if you are king of the known world, if you get upset at the wife when things don't go your way, the results can be fatal. Not being happy with you what have can sometimes get you a one-way ticket to the top of a very high pole.   "Me3": Just b...

Purim is a time where all inhibitions and screens are removed. We dress like different people in order to cover over our "selves" of the whole year - so we can touch our REAL selves. And we drink to let go of our "daas" for the same reason. Even if our lives are filled wi...

Print out some the humor from the " GYE Chill-Spot ": Over 55 pages of hilarious jokes, funny lines, and Rolling-On-The-Floor-Humor!!

I saw this Dvar Torah in R' Pinkas's sefer on Purim and I would like to share it with you. R' Pinkas asks the question, why are we encouraged to get so drunk on Purim that we can not tell the difference between Mordechai and Haman? Since when does the Torah encourage suc...

The Sefer Kav HaYosher says the following: Taanis Esther is a day that is very auspicious for one's prayers to be answered in the merit of Mordechai and Esther. Whoever needs mercy for any particular need should put aside time for themselves and do the following: First, ...