Light from the Future: Parshas Ekev

1. Ekev – A Bar Mitzvah Speech Which came first the chicken or the egg? Another way of asking the question is which comes first the Bar Mitzvah or the party and celebration. Do we…
2. Ekev – A Tale of Two Scenarios Divine energy flows in two directions: From the source to us and from us to the source. Redemption is when the two flows meet in the middle.
3. Ekev – Fear G-d? Why Not Just Love? Even simple emotions contain elements of profundity. Fear of G-d and self-abnegation are two sides of the same coin.
4. Ekev – Forgetting Forgetfulness Forgetfulness is caused by negative energy associated with exile. In the Messianic Age we will no longer need teachers and other memory devices to…
5. Ekev – Getting Rid of the Monster We Created Some forms of fear can be paralyzing. However, some forms of fear can be positive. They can actually neutralize the negative forms of fear.
6. Ekev – Good Diseases? Our task is to do everything to remove suffering. We cannot understand the “why” of misery, but we can learn lessons from it. The only thing that…
7. Ekev – Heels: The Lowest and the Highest Conventional wisdom teaches us that despite being on the ground you can still climb high. Chassidic wisdom believes that because you are so low you…
8. Ekev – High Heels Reaching the 100 mark from 99 can be more dramatic than reaching from 1 to 99!
9. Ekev – Jewish Pride . The immature always underestimate their potential. Maturity is appreciating your regal nature. A Bar Mitzvah begins wearing Tefillin, the symbol of…
10. Ekev – Longevity Israel exists on two planes: Geographic and Spiritual. The Mezuzah affixed to our homes creates virtual Israel
11. Ekev – Modernity You can follow all the most recent fads and be old-fashioned. And you can follow the ancient teachings of Torah and be truly modern.
12. Ekev – No Fast Food Food is a metaphor for spiritual nourishment. However, food itself contains a spiritual dimension. It is just as important to insure that that which…
13. Ekev – No Sterile Blessings Life is defined by its ability to reproduce. Our future life as a people hinges on our ability to retain our identities in a sea of other cultures.
14. Ekev – Now! Wow! Most people live in the past and the future. Torah wants us to live in the present. Teshuvah and Redemption are so powerful because they revolve…
15. Ekev – Seeing Is Enjoying Light is the physical world’s most ethereal phenomenon. Yet light enhances our physical lives even as it is the ultimate metaphor for spirituality.
16. Ekev – The Cure for Sterility A sterile mind is cannot produce proper emotions. It is a sign of exile.
17. Ekev – The Kosher Compromise Compromise is not necessarily a good word because it takes away from truth. However, there are compromises that enable and empower us to reach that…
18. Ekev – The Non-Blessing Blessing The word Jew derives from the word gratitude. Gratitude is not just saying thank-you. It’s about conceding the other’s importance. It is also…
19. Ekev – The “Olive Jew” and the “Egg Jew” There is food for the body and foo for the soul. Chassidus teaches us that food for the body can also be food for the soul.
20. Ekev – The Soul of the Heel Relationships that are quid-pro-quo are fine. Relationships that are unconditional are Divine.
21. Ekev – Torah Study: The Jewish Synthesizer One of the greatest challenges is confronting ecil. Another great challenge is finding the right balance between two good things. Torah is the ideal…
22. Ekev – What’s the Question? Jews are known to ask a lot of questions. Jews are also known to answer questions with other questions. Why are we so obsessed with questions? Because…
23. Ekev – With All Your Might Giving your life for a cause is not necessarily the highest level of devotion. It might actually be an expression of one’s ego.

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