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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Shlach – The Humble Tree If there would be one individual whose entire life was devoted to providing comfort and spiritual nourishment to others, then Moses knew that this nation will be difficult to defeat. If, however, there were many righteous individuals who kept to themselves and exercised no influence on their fellow Parsha Shlach – Three Forms of Gratitude Even a cursory overview of Jewish history will demonstrate how we owe our very existence to special Divine Providence. A more astute observer of Jewish history will see how every bit of sustenance is a direct blessing from G-d. But even when we act like spoiled children and demand the frivolous, G-d Parsha Shlach – Tourist or Torah-Ist? Our way of preparing for the imminent coming of Moshiach is understandably to strengthen our commitment to the teachings of the Torah. But more specifically, it involves the process of “opening our eyes,” to becoming “Torah tourists”—to see things through the prism of Torah. Parsha Shlach – Tolerance As long as we are in exile, punctuated with and characterized by its imperfection, can tolerance be both a blessing and a curse. The Messianic Age, however, is when all good will be unadulterated good, and our tolerance for others will only lead to the discovery of their inner goodness and holiness. Parsha Shlach – Tzitzis and the Tourism Industry When we take a tour of life, we must know what to look for and how to look for things. Aside from the obvious and literal understanding of not looking at things that G-d forbids us to gaze at, because it can lead us to temptation, the idea of knowing how “to tour” implies the need to see things in t Parsha Shlach – We Are All Giants Galus has imposed a certain measure of self-doubt in us. When we look around the world today we can become apprehensive over the prospects of our being able to “conquer” the land and enter the Messianic Age. While we must be realists and recognize our shortcomings we may not do so by underestimating Parsha Behalosecha – Are You an Elder? Depression, the Chassidic masters say, is not technically a sin, but it can lead the person down a slippery slope which can ultimately lead to the transgressing of all sins. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE ESSAYS ON PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSECHA Parsha Behalosecha – Celibacy and Judaism Marriage is the most powerful institution in Judaism, and making it holy, not shunning it, is the ideal. The Zohar teaches that marriage is the reunion of two half souls that were separated at birth. Marriage makes the soul complete and fully capable of taking on the challenge of changing the world. Parsha Behalosecha – Fifty and Still Counting Counsel is more than acquisition of knowledge in all of its forms (breadth, length and depth). It is also the ability to distill that knowledge, removing the undesirable ideas that can taint and distort the thinking of even one endowed with the greatest intellectual capacity. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE E Parsha Behalosecha – Complain, but Don’t Run Away A Jew can never run away from his or her connection to Mount Sinai. When we try to escape, our soul picks up a heavenly voice from Sinai that beckons us to return. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE ESSAYS ON PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSECHA Parsha Behalosecha – Free from Freedom The message of Judaism is that to reach a genuine spiritual high one must spend years, indeed a lifetime, in its pursuit. Spiritual gains require a life of devotion to G-d’s commandments, coupled with profound study and deep meditation. Jewish Messianism is nothing less than an insistent demand for Parsha Behalosecha – G-d, Moses and the Trumpets The Land of Israel is G-d’s special gift to the Jewish people. It is not ours to give away. Giving it away is not why we traveled this long, arduous journey. Being in Israel is also a mindset that encourages us to conform to G-d’s will. The phrase “Land of Israel” can be translated as “the land that Parsha Behalosecha – Heavyweight Champion Kabbalah teaches us that the specific details involved in the performance of a Mitzvah are not arbitrary. When we perform a physical act in the course of doing a Mitzvah, our physical movements parallel the spiritual effects of our Mitzvah. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE ESSAYS ON PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSECHA Parsha Behalosecha – Keep on Complaining The secret to our survival is our resistance to Galus-exile and to all forms of authority; even those that we may pledge allegiance to. Our essence only accepts G-d’s authority. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE ESSAYS ON PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSECHA Parsha Behalosecha – Lost and Found Department Our generation might be less spiritually sophisticated than preceding ones, but, our ability to remain faithful despite all odds makes us eminently qualified and deserving to witness and experience the last leg of the journey. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE ESSAYS ON PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSECHA Parsha Behalosecha – Our Efforts Count One of Judaism’s paradoxes is that while G-d is infinite He cares for every detail of our lives and our actions. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE ESSAYS ON PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSECHA Parsha Behalosecha – Loss Leader When we are unaware of our G-d-given talents that we could have used to make the world a better place—that is a major loss. When a person “kills” time, those lost moments are far more significant than the loss of material objects. When a Jew is unaware of his or her soul’s existence and its potentia Parsha Behalosecha – Passover in June! The Lubavitcher Rebbe cited the words of the Midrash: “The Time of your Redemption has arrived!” The Rebbe declared that we are on the threshold of the Redemption. What we need now is the desire and courage to cross over this threshold into the “Sanctuary courtyard”—the Final Redemption! LIGHT FROM Parsha Behalosecha – Realignment The irony of exile existence is that we tend to glorify and revere the very forces that withhold all of the kindness to which we are entitled. In the future Messianic Era we will again return to a state of complete alignment. The physical world will mirror the spiritual world and there will be no ne Parsha Behalosecha – Sam Sapozhnik Our generation is very special. We are a fiercely independent minded people. Yet, we nevertheless yield to G-d’s will and seek ways to follow every Mitzvah with precision and then more. LIGHT FROM THE FUTURE ESSAYS ON PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSECHA