17 Nov THE TAPESTRY OF HISTORY
Rabbi Avigdor Miller, Zt”l, Zy”a, makes a fascinating observation. When the Torah records historical events, it invariably starts the narrative with the letter ‘vav.’ Thus, we find in this week’s...
10 Nov A TUMULTUOUS PREGNANCY
Rivkah Imeinu had a very dramatic pregnancy. The posuk informs us, “Va’yisrotz’tzu habonim b’kirbah – And the twins ran (and wrestled) inside of her.” The Medrash elaborates, as cited by...
02 Nov BEIS YAAKOV; B’NEI YISROEL – WHAT DO THEY STAND FOR?
The events surrounding the name Yaakov are very puzzling. The Torah explains that he was given the name because upon birth, “V’yodo ochezes ba’akeiv Esav -- And his hand grasped...
26 Oct HOW DID SARAH LEAVE THIS WORLD?
Without a question, one of the greatest women in the history of the world was Sarah Imeinu. The posuk testifies that when she was one hundred years old, she was absolutely free of sin like an innocent twenty year old. And...
19 Oct HOW TO DEAL WITH FEAR
Through the media, we are constantly bombarded by death. This preoccupation with death tends to prey on a person’s mind and fill him with fears and worries. So too, as...
12 Oct MIGHT DOES NOT MAKE RIGHT
As we take our yearly tour through the lessons of Bereishis, we see a study in contrasts. On the one hand, we have the cruel selfish behavior of the Sodomites...
05 Oct THE GREAT TRAIT OF GENTLENESS
In the entirety of Scripture, there aren’t many people who have been given so many accolades by Hashem as Noach. The Torah waxes reverently about Noach’s character. It extols him...
14 Sep A LASTING SUKKOS MESSAGE
We are taught that, “Mo-adim l’simcha, chagim u’zmanim ul’sason – Festivals towards (promoting) joy, holidays and times for (promoting) exaltation.” Rav Shamshon Rafoel Hirsch asks why doesn’t it say, “Mo-adei...
05 Sep CHARITY – ARE WE GIVING ENOUGH?
One of the most urgent segments of our Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur liturgy is the proclamation we say with great feeling, “Us’shuvah us’filah u’tzedakah ma-avirin es ro-ah hagizeirah –...
31 Aug THE GATEWAYS OF OUR HEAD – PART THREE
In last week’s article, we were discussing the proper usage of our ears. One of the wonderful things we can do with our ears is to allow a troubled person...