Yomim Tovim

I heard some tremendous Chizuk from Rabbi Efriam Wachsman in a shiur titled "Megilas Esther: Discovering the Depths of Our Neshomos":(Note: In general, Rabbi Wachsman's shiurim often give chizuk to those who struggle with the Yetzer Harrah.To hear his Shiurim, call the Ye...

PARSHAS MIKETZ SHABBOS CHANUKKA This week's Parsha has a terrific lesson that we can apply to our struggle and to our lives. Here Goes: We find that when Yosef Hatzaddik speaks to Pharo He speaks with tremendous humility Pharo tells him "I hear you can decipher dreams" Yo...

The Shiltei Giborim on Meseches Shabbos writes a famous remez to Chanuka found in parshas Mikeitz, וטבוח טבח והכן, the word ‹vehachen› and the ches from the word ‹tevach› spell Chanuka. Last year, my daughter found another remez, where Yehuda says ונלכה ונחיה, the last tw...

Reb Yeruchum explains the Torah's use of the word "mekeitz" as opposed to simply saying "And it was two years" based on the midrash, which quotes the possuk "keitz som l'chosech" - "an end he placed for darkness" - as referring to the two-year period during which Yosef sa...

As an El-Al plane landed on Chanukkah at Ben Gurion airport in Israel, the voice of the Captain came on: "To those who are still seated, we wish you a Merry X-mas, and hope that you enjoy your stay ... and to those of you standing in the aisles, we wish you a Happy Chanuk...

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 ...

The Gemara in Chulin (139b) asks, where can we find “Haman” (from the story of Purim) in the Torah? Says Rav Masnah, "from the pasuk after the sin of the Eitz Hadaas when Hashem asks Adam: 'Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?'” In Lashon Kode...

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...

One of the most widespread customs associated with the night of Rosh Hashanah is that of consuming various food items – e.g. carrots, leeks, beets, dates, pomegranates, head of a fish – for a good omen. Intending to serve as a source of merit for our upcoming year, we h...

It says in the kinnos the story of a son and a daughter of R' Yishmael Kohein Gadol, how their masters put them together in a room "to mate." All night, the daughter cried, "I am the daughter of Yocheved! How can I marry a slave!?" and in the other corner the son cried, ...

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...

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...

The fact that we can't 'beat' lust is a very important lesson. It's incredible how it underpins everything. Someone with an allergy would be very stupid to fight the fact that he has it and still try and eat the peanuts without causing an effect. So too with us. The 'pea...

I offered to divide the preparations for Pesach equally with my wife. The Pasuk says, "For seven days you shall eat Matzos and there should be no Chametz found in your houses." I told her that I will be in charge of buying the Matzos and she will be in charge of making ...

Reb Chaim Shulevitz asks the obvious question: Why is there an obligation to become intoxicated on Purim? He magnifies his question with the famous Shl"a hakadosh that says Purim in spiritually more elevating than Yom Kippur??? His basic answer (after all his proofs) is ...

Never before in history has humanity faced as great an evil as today's Islamic extremists. Even the Nazi's Y"M were not suicidal! When it was obvious that they were losing ground in WWII, they withdrew their troops and ultimately surrendered. But today's Muslim extremist...

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...