Sukkos 5784: The Deeper Meaning of the Simcha of Sukkos
We see in the gemara Rosh Hashanah (16a) that on the chag of Sukkos we are judged regarding water. It says: On Chag we are judged on water. Now, lechorah on Rosh
Hashanah, a person was already judged regarding all his…
Yom Kippur 5784: How to Become a Baal Teshuva
We are in the middle of the aseres yemei teshuvah and the subject which we want to discuss today is obviously going to be teshuvah. First of all, the question is how do you make someone a ba’al teshuvah? That…
Rosh Hashanah 5784: The Secret of Getting Rachamim
We are approaching the end of the year. What’s coming in a couple of days is the day of mishpat, of judgment. If a person would take into account the mishpat that he got last year and think about what…
Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5783: Preparing for R”H & Feeling the Shabbos
Our parshah begins with the following words “You stand this day, all of you, before Hashem – your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel.” A few pesukim later, Rashi brings a Midrash Tanchuma which…
Ki Savo 5783: Hakoras Hatov (part 2)
Our discussion today is about the obligation of hakaras hatov. In the hierarchy of all mitzvos, where does hakaras hatov stand? How important is it? What would you say?
Ki Seitzei 5783: How to Get A Free Personal Security System
Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, the mashgiach of Mir Yeshiva, once came into the beis medrash of Mir and went over to two bochurim who were learning and asked them what day in Elul it was. They didn’t know right away, so…
Shoftim 5783: Special Topics: The Basics of Judaism
Now, this principle of Creation and Control is such an important principle because everything about life for every individual, Jew, and non-Jew, is built upon these two things. It refers to the fact that I’m created and the fact that…
Re’eh 5783: The Present of Elul | The Real Oneg Shabbos
I hope all of you had a wonderful summer and you’re ready now to take on the climb of Chodesh Elul; to gain from it, and not to allow it to pass by in a blur. You have to realize…
Eikev 5783: Special Topics: Gilgulim: How to Figure Out Your Tafkid (part 2)
Welcome everybody to this evening shiur. We want to express our thanks to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for enabling us to teach about His wonderful Torah, about His wonderful ways to His children, and we hope to raise the level of…
Va’eschanan 5783: Special Topics: Gilgulim: How to Figure Out Your Tafkid (part 1)
Tonight, we are going to begin a series on a subject that is very intriguing to most people, a subject that really has much more relevance than most people wish to acknowledge. It’s the subject called gilgul neshamos. In…
Devarim 5783: Special Topics: Different Levels of Bitachon
n parshas Chukas, a famous episode took place where Klal Yisrael began to complain to Hashem and complain to Moshe. They were saying all kinds of nasty things. “Why did you take us out of Mitzrayim? What kind of food…
Matos-Masei 5783: Are You Traveling With Hashem?
“These are the journeys of the Israelites…” Rashi cites Chazal, who ask why the Torah lists all their travels, and he answers that it was in order to make Klal Yisroel aware of the chessed of Hashem that they stopped…
Pinchas 5783: The Importance of Having a Rebbi
What does, קַח לְךָ, take for yourself, mean? Rashi explains, קָחֶנּוּ בִּדְבָרִים , take him with words. Draw him in convince him and say to him, אַשְׁרֶךָ שֶׁזָּכִיתָ לְהַנְהִיג בָּנָיו שֶׁל מָקוֹם, fortunate are you that you are zocheh to…
Chukas-Balak 5783: What to Focus on in Chinuch – part 2
The foundation of being an ehrliche Yid and the foundation of somebody being a talmid of Avraham Avinu is based on having good middos (Avos 5:19). And if you lack those good middos, then you’re one of the talmidim…
Korach 5783: The Key to Getting Rid of Jealousy
In the past, we have spoken about a massive problem, a challenge the people have with kinah, jealousy, and with sinah, hatred. Today, we would like to discuss the ways and means to deal with these issues. If…
Shelach Lecha 5783: The Right Time for Chutzpah
In this week’s parshah, we encounter a game-changing episode in the history of Klal Yisrael. The meraglim, the spies, came back and gave a bad report about Eretz Yisrael. The consequences were terrible. These great tzaddikim ended up forfeiting their…
Beha’aloscha 5783: What Is Chareidi?
In this week’s parsha, we are told about an episode with a group of people who expressed their regret and pain over the fact that their impurity prevented them from bringing the korban pesach. Their sheila was that if…
Nasso 5783: Concealing and Controlling Our True Middos
We’re coming down from the mountain. Shavuos is over. You know, there is one maalah of Yom Tov over Shabbos. The Ramban says that the neshamah yeseirah of Shabbos leaves by Motzei Shabbos. By Yom Tov, it doesn’t leave. But…
Shavuos 5783: The Awesome Power of Shavuos
There was a great tzaddik and talmid chacham, R’ Yosef Caro (1488-1575). He was mechaber the Shulchan Aruch and many other works. He was zocheh to tremendous giluyim min hashamayim over a 35-year period. He had a malach appear to…
Bamidbar 5783: Understanding The Ways of Hashem
In this week’s parshah it says “all the males by their skulls,” by their heads. So the Rema miPano, who authored a sefer called Asarah Ma’amaros, writes that Moshe Rabeinu would look at every single Jew when they came before…
Behar/Bechukosai 5783: Your Relationship With Torah
Parshas Bechukosai falls out almost every year right before Shavuos, or close to Shavuos. The subject of Parshas Bechukosai, as many people will tell you, is klalos and brachos, or tochachah. But the emes is that tochachah is only the…
Emor 5783: Learning to Honor Your Fellow Jew
The gemara Yevamos (62b) tells us about the 12,000 pairs of talmidim that Rabbi Akiva had. They didn’t learn in one building. They were spread out from a place called Gabos until Antifras – a network of yeshivos under…
Acharei Mos-Kedoshim 5783: Growing in Torah and Ruchniyus During Sefirah
We began to study the steps [based on pesukim in Mishlei 2:1-3] that are required during yemei sefiras haomer to bring out and connect us to our spiritual dimension. Not only is the dimension of ruchniyus of a person separate…
Tazria-Metzora 5783: How to Earn and Keep Your Olam Haba
The Torah allots two parshiyos, Tazria and Metzora, to discuss nega’im, tzaraas. Chazal tell us that one of the main reasons nega’im and tzaraas come is for lashon hara. You have to understand, if the Torah makes such a fuss…