Vayechi 5784: How Frum Do You Have To Be?
Today, I want to discuss an interesting question that was posed to me. It is something that I experience quite often when meeting people. The question is: “What is the level of Yiddishkeit, of frumkeit, of religion that Hashem expects…
Vayigash 5784: Torah Conversations
One of the great tovos that Hashem did with me is that He guided me to learn by my great rebbi, Rav Meir Halevi Soloveitchik, the son of none other than Rav Yitzchak Ze’ev Halevi Soloveitchik, the last Brisker Rav…
Mikeitz 5784: Beis Haleivi on Bitachon vs. Hishtadlus
Rabosai, what we’re about to share with you today is a subject which is a subject that sits in darkness. It’s shrouded in a lot of obscurity. Everybody feels he’s entitled to weigh in on this subject based on his…
Vayeishev 5784: A Life of Facing Challenges
here’s a famous medrash that Rashi brings on the meaning of the word וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב, namely, that the term vayeishev insinuates that Yaakov Avinu wanted rest (Bereishis 37:2). He wanted מרגוע (restfulness). He had been in galus for many…
Vayishlach 5784: Acquiring a Torah Worldview
We live in a generation where the darkness is such a darkness and people have accustomed themselves to the darkness that they actually perceive as light. The passuk says, “Hashem placed the world under choshech and it became night” (Tehillim…
Vayeitzei 5784: The Importance of Being Mevater
In this week’s parshah we encounter an episode of unimaginable proportions. It’s a ma’aseh that we can’t imagine doing. We can’t even fathom it. But we all descend from the person who is the ba’alas hama’aseh.
Toldos 5784: The Danger of Leitzanus
“These are the children of Yitzchak ben Avraham. Avraham fathered Yitzchak” (Bereishis 25:19). The question is, after the Torah mentions that Yitzchak was ben Avraham, why does it need to say after that Avraham fathered Yitzchak? If I tell you…
Chayei Sarah 5784: The Mechanics of Middos
In this week’s parshah, we see a very interesting criterion for a shidduch. Eliezer is sent by Avraham Avinu as a shaliach to bring about one of the biggest shidduchim in history. The Torah tells us that Eliezer davened to…
Vayeira 5784: Bitachon in any Situation!
These parshiyos of the Torah teach us the foundation of our lives. A foundation is something upon which other things are built. If you have a small foundation, you can build a small binyan. If you have a large foundation,…
Lech Lecha 5784: Parnassa & Hishtadlus
These parshiyos deal with the development of our Avos, and the common theme between all the challenges that Hashem put our Avos through is Emunah. Throughout our lifetime, challenges never cease. You should know that each one of us, in…
Noach 5784: What Destroyed Noach’s Generation?
We have previously discussed the sin of the dor hamabul and we showed you the words of Rabeinu Tam, who says that if a person starts with a little bit of ta’avah and he allows himself to do whatever he…
Our Reaction to the Tragic Events
Ais tzora hi l’Yaakov. Although the zman did not begin yet, the tzora, the milchama in Eretz Yisrael is the reason why we’re gathering for this short shiur. Many requests for a shiur were made, so we are hoping to…
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…
