Yomim Tovim

In honor of the Yom Tov Pesach, I will present a wonderful story with a powerful lesson. Close your eyes and travel with me back to my Zaide's Shul in the city of Bardichev. The seder table is set regally. The Matzos, the wine, the Kaara. The participants are anxiously aw...

There is a moment in addiction that can change everything. It's the moment of truth. Once the pain of 'using' finally forces a radical shift in the mind of the addict, he cries: "It's over! I want out." Then there is a brief window of opportunity to act upon promptly. Has...

In regard to the "Mayim Shelanu" that is drawn before sunset today for the baking of the "Erev pesach" Matzos tomorrow, the Kedushas Levi writes the following beautiful idea. He says that on Rosh Hashana we do "Tashlich", throwing our Aveiros into the sea. Rosh Hashana is...

Hey guys, today is day 56 clean. I can't believe how good you made me feel, all of you. I feel like a drunkie these days, like I had at least a full gallon of Vodka. I'm in a great mood, I'm being mechazek everyone, I pray much deeper, I feel just happy to be a Jew and to...

Purim was a neis nistar, Hashem was hidden all through the story - all through it. We dress up in disguises or funny costumes, and are hidden too. Well, Hashem saved me from my own hidden life; my own disguise that I wore all the time - oh, it was incredibly draining! And...

I heard b'shem the Chassam Sofer that when Haman slandered the Jews to Achashveirosh and said "Yeishno Am Echad..." (There is this one nation...) he was saying "YeShanu" (they are sleeping), meaning the One Nation is now sleeping in their achdus, they are spread out all o...

Ki Be'Simcha Taitzai'u! For with Simcha you shall go out (of your struggles)! Print out jokes from close to 50 pages of our "Depressed Person's Chill Spot" to read over at your Purim Se'udah and get everybody ROLLING! Messages heard on people's answering machines 1. Hi!...

The Rizhiner explains that in one way, Purim is greater than Yom Kipur (Yom Ki- Purim. A day that is only "like" Purim, but not as great). Yom Kippur atones for the Shavim (Those who return - i.e. repent), while Purim atones for the Shavim and the Aino Shavim (those who r...

R' Tzadok Hacohen of Lublin explains (in the beginning of "Machshivos charutz") the deepest secrets of the battle with our evil inclination. He explains that there are two paths in fighting the Yetzer Hara, and that they are both legitimate only when used together, i.e. a...

The Apter Rav - the Ohaiv Yisroel writes that one of the reasons why we dress up in masquerade on Purim is to show that the miracle of Purim came from something that actually would have initially caused us much grief. This, says the Apter Rebbe, stresses that the greatest...

Hi everyone, I think it's quite significant that I will reach 90 on Erev Shavuos. I must say that although I have not posted much, I obviously could not have come this far without stumbling upon this web site. Posting, but even more through reading, has really helped me t...

Shavuos is "Chetzyo Lachem, Chetzyo LaHashem". Interestingly, it seems that on Shavuos there's more of a reason to be involved in gashmiyus, because once we have Torah, gashmiyus can be raised onto the level of ruchniyos. That's why Shavuos is the only time during the yea...

There is a very interesting thing about the way we count the Omer. The natural way of counting towards an event is by counting down. When one looks forward to a significant day, one counts off the days remaining between the present and that day. In contrast, when we count...

This comes from the book called 'timeless seasons' by Rabbi Pinchos Roberts, but I figure most people haven't heard of it and it is SO relevant to us. How come ALL the Jews, without exception, accepted the Torah at Har Sinai? In parshas Vo'eschanan (Devorim 4:35), Moshe r...

On the day that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai passed away, he revealed many great secrets of the Torah which had been hidden in his heart until this day. The secrets he revealed can be found in the "Idra Zuta" in Parshas Ha'azinu. The Idra Zuta discusses the parallels between t...

We are standing at the door of Lag B'Omer. Many of us will be heading to Meron. What is the message of this hidden Yom Tov? How do we, who struggle with the Yetzer Hara, gain chizuk and apply it in a practical way? My zayde, the Kedushas Levy, has the answer. It says in t...

A little cheshbon hanefesh and hakaras hatov likras lel hashloshim that I am clean. It is symbolic that this number which is considered significant in the recovery process, happened to fall out lel pesach sheni. Pesach sheni is the day of a second chance and so is GYE a s...

Today is the fast of the 17th of Tammuz which commemorates the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, leading to the subsequent fall of the Beis Hamikdash. Let us all stop and ask ourselves: "What behaviors breach our walls and lead to subsequent falls?" LET'S MAKE SURE OUR...