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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Korach – Where Do Moses and Aaron Belong? We are the generation charged with the responsibility of putting the finishing touches on the magnificent Messianic edifice—a world of peace, unity and holiness. Millennia of cumulative good, self-sacrificing dedication to the observance of the Mitzvos have brought this world to the point where it i Parsha Tzav – A Jewel and a Cow On the most basic level we honor our parents, because we are grateful to them for what they’ve given us: life, sustenance, education, love and concern. It is our way of saying thank you for all that they have done for us. Parsha Tzav – Eating Out Eating more than any other physical experience brings about, very literally, the unity between body and soul. Sacrifices – “G-d’s food” – had the effect of unifying G-d, the soul of the world, with the body of the world; the entire universe. Eating is also an internalizing process, to the extent tha Parsha Tzav – Egyptian Civil War The former Soviet Union, since its collapse, has provided buildings and financial assistance to the Jewish community for the purpose of Jewish education! All this began Shabbos Hagadol, when the Egyptian first born fought to liberate the Jews from Egypt. Parsha Tzav – Emptying Our Heart’s Pocket When we ask for Moshiach we are actually asking from the two layers of our heart external and internal. The desire for the satisfaction of our individual needs that Moshiach will bring derives from the external part of our emotions. The desire to be as one with G-d and connect to the entirety of the Parsha Tzav – Illuminating Garments One of the goals of our spiritual journey is to humble ourselves before G-d. However, breaking our egos and the resultant feelings of lowliness can degenerate into depression, which, ironically, can also be a product of our egos. Parsha Tzav – Judaism & Our Pocketbooks No one would suspect people of high spiritual attainments of consciously making crucial decisions based on financial considerations. There is, however, the possibility of a subconscious effect. Parsha Tzav – Messianic Maturity and Childlike Innocence An educator must recognize that he or she is dealing with a child, he or she must also view the child as a potential adult. Indeed, a child possesses far more adult characteristics than we usually give him or her credit for. Just as an adult retains a latent spark of childhood innocence and purity, Parsha Tzav – Korban Substitutes Chassidus explains that the unwitting commission of a sin is a sign that one’s animal nature is still untamed, causing one to gravitate towards transgression without even realizing it. If our Animal Souls were refined and receptive to our G-dly souls, with whom they share “occupancy” of our bodies, Parsha Tzav – Take Aaron, Please… The word for life in the Holy Tongue is "Chaim." The word is written in the plural form the Rebbe explained, because life is only worthy of its name if it is a life that acknowledges, appreciates, and is shared with others. True life is defined by the nature and quality of our relationships. And sin Parsha Tzav – The Command of Passover When one views Passover as only a cultural or even spiritual experience, they are able to capture much of the overt significance of the observance. However, as with the proverbial iceberg, most of the Mitzvah’s power is beneath the surface. We cannot just revel in the beautiful wrapping paper. We mu Parsha Tzav – The Shabbos of Maturity The “immature” view of freedom is to see it as an end. The more mature view is to view it as an opportunity to rise to a higher spiritual level. In its simple formulation, freedom is the removal of external constraints. In a more mature and advanced understanding of freedom it represents the removal Parsha Tzav – The Liberation of Thought Thought is the most intimate of “instruments” of our soul. Improper thoughts can therefore cause more damage to the soul than improper speech or action. Improper thoughts may also be a symptom of a diseased soul that is in dire need of refinement. Thought is like a soul in the search of a body. Posi Parsha Tzav – The Ultimate Symphony Moshiach is the embodiment of Moses and more. Moshiach, as Moses, embodies the balance between right and left, and he too has the “single” hand that can guide the exquisite symphonic music that will accompany the “new song” we will sing imminently, in the days of Redemption. Parsha Tzav – Touched We have been guaranteed by our sages that when engaged in the process of helping our fellow Jew — materially or spiritually — that… Parsha Tzav – Use Both Hands! In Judaism, the preparation for a Mitzvah—while less dramatic, romantic and exciting than the actual Mitzvah— is no less G-d’s will. The same G-d that asked us to celebrate Passover wants us to prepare for it. And while the preparations are more tedious and appear to lack the sense of fulfillment an Parsha Tzav – When the Torah Rises It does not suffice for us to study Torah. We must instill it with fire so that the Torah itself rises and you rise with it. This will surely help Moshiach lead us to a higher world— a world of freedom, peace and goodness. Holidays Simchas Torah – Beracha – Bereishis The second set of Tablets, did not radiate the same Divine luminescence as the first set. They were actually intended to empower us to ultimately absorb a higher form of Divine light. Moses was given and transmitted far more Torah knowledge than he would have received and transmitted had he not shat Holidays Simchas Torah – Circles The closer we get to fathom the innermost aspects of Torah in which the Divine is exposed, the greater ability we have to break out of all confining and inhibiting elements. When that occurs, the joy is indescribable. Holidays Simchas Torah – Dancing Into the World of Moshiach! We are living in unique times. We are—despite our shortcomings as individuals—the most spiritually unique generation as well. In addition to the cumulative effect of all the generations before us, our generation has been given unique challenges. For better or for worse, we have met these challenges