Yisro 5783: Are You Aware That You Are Loved?
The first passuk in this week’s parshah begins by telling us the following: וישמע יתרו כהן מדין חתן משה, Yisro (who was the priest of Midian, and the father-in-law of Moshe), heard, את כל אשר עשה אלקים למשה ולישראל עמו,…
Beshalach 5783: Krias Yam Suf: How To Get Out When You Are Stuck
Everybody who hears this shmuess, should express their hoda’ah to Hashem Yisbarach, that they’re able to go to the bathroom and vacuate without surgery or any other intervention.[i] Perhaps you don’t understand what it says in asher yatzar, and you…
Bo 5783: Developing Your Spiritual Health
In the gemara (Bava Kamma 92) there is a gantze sugya about the source for certain sayings that the world says. Mei heicha teisi you have to find a mekor in Torah for sayings that people say? הפך בה והפך…
Vaera 5783: Planting Seeds to Build Our Future with Bitachon in Tefillah
We have to learn from our avos, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, that we need to develop in every area of our lives. The avos built the future of Klal Yisrael. Their whole outlook and their whole avodah was with an…
Shemos 5783: Get Out of Your Mitzrayim (Part 2): The Amazing Power of Hope
We’d like to stay on the topic of ‘Getting out of Your Mitzrayim’ and today’s shmooze is on a Chazal we find in Parshas Vayechi on the passuk of ‘לישועתך קויתי ה – for Your salvation I long, Hashem (Bereishis…
Vayechi 5783: Understanding the Geulah and Bringing Moshiach
Yaakov Avinu was close to the end of his life. He called for his children and told them to gather around: האספו, gather together, “and I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen with you in the end of…
Vayigash 5783: Relating To the Unique Challenges of Yosef HaTzaddik
In this week’s parshah, there are a lot of powerful lessons to be learned. Yosef comes face to face with his brothers, and he reveals himself to them. Now, the passuk (Bereishis 45:4) says, אני יוסף אחיכם, I am Yosef…
Mikeitz 5783: Chanukkah: The Inner Workings of Bitachon & My Daughter’s Accident
We speak about the greatness of the Chashmonaim. But any time you talk about the greatness of someone, you always have to know, how do you translate that to your life? We talk about the Chafetz Chaim or the Vilna…
Vayeishev 5783: How to Overcome the Most Extreme Challenges
Parshas Vayeshev is a unique parshah. It’s a parshah where you encounter strife. You encounter tzaros tzeruros in the life of Yaakov Avinu. You encounter tzaros tzeruros in the life of Yosef Hatzaddik. Each of them, Yaakov and Yosef, endured…
Vayishlach 5783: How To Get Rid Of Anxieties
The parshah begins with the episode of Yaakov preparing himself for his ultimate meeting with Eisav, and the Torah tells us about Yaakov Avinu’s emotional state. It is rare for the Torah to reveal the emotional states of our avos…
Vayeitzei 5783: Learn to be With Hashem in Every Situation!
In the past, we mentioned a medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 68:2) that describes how Yakov Avinu was going to look for a shidduch, but was faced with a dilemma: he was penniless.[i] He had nothing at all because he had been…
Toldos 5783: Which Way Are You Getting Pulled?
In the Torah, we see statements or episodes that to the simple mind and eye might seem insignificant. The Torah tells us that Rivka, the wife of Yitzchak, finally becomes pregnant, and the Torah states, ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה – and…
Chayei Sarah 5783: The Foundation That’s Chessed
This week’s parshah is the parshah of zivugim. The gemara in Brachos (8a)says when a man married a woman, they would ask him the following: מָצָא או מוֹצֵא, as the passuk in Mishlei (18:22) says: מָצָא אישה מצא טוב -…
Vayeira 5783: The Foundation That’s Chessed
Sponsored In Honor of Hashem’s Great Kindness and Boundless BrochoThe Rechanik Family Consider sponsoring a shiurVisit YTATorah.org Shiur presented in 5782 Only One Pillar Still Remains וירא אליו ה’ באלני ממרא והוא ישב פתח האהל כחם היום (רש”י ד”ה פתח…
Lech Lecha 5783: Learning the Lesson of Complete Emunah
In this week’s parshah,we encounter a tremendous episode where Hakadosh Baruch Hu has a discussion with Avraham Avinu. Avraham Avinu says, הן לי לא נתת זרע, I don’t have children, והנה בן ביתי יורש אותי, behold my steward [Eliezer] will…
Noach 5783: The True Purpose of the Teivah
Today, I want to share with you something that I heard from my Rebbi (HaRav Meir Halevi Soloveichik, zt”l) many years ago. It’s what you would refer to as a Brisker chiddush. One of the uniquenesses of the Briskers, is…
Sukkos 5783 – The Practical Guide and Deeper Insights to Chag HaSukkos
Sukkos is called zman simchaseinu. The simchah of Sukkos is a dual simchah because Sukkos has a dual role. Number one, Sukkos is the end of the Yamim Hanora’im, the end of the Days of Awe that began with Rosh…
Yom Kippur 5783 – A Unique Opportunity to Pay Up Our “Debt”
Sponsored May We Be Zoche To See Moshiach B’Karov – The Rechanik Family Consider sponsoring a shiurVisit YTATorah.org Shiur presented in 5779 Credit Card Forgiveness Program Last time, we spoke about how easy it is to do teshuva. We explained…
Nitzavim 5782 – Rosh Hashanah: Using Fear to Get Close to Hashem
In this week’s parshah Moshe Rabeinu is on the last day of his life and he calls Klal Yisrael together and says אתם נצבים היום – you stand this day (Devarim 29:9). Rashi says מלמד, this teaches us, שכנסם משה…
Ki Savo 5782 – Hakaras Ha tov
In this week’s parshah, the Torah teaches us about the mitzvah of bikurim. The Torah tells us that when you plant fruit trees in Eretz Yisrael, you’re supposed to bring the first of the growth to the Beis Hamikdash,…
Ki Seitzei 5782 – Know Your Enemy and Start Fighting
The month of Elul is a month for introspection and becoming aware of what one’s challenges are in this world. Do you know what our biggest challenge is? The biggest challenge that everybody has in this world is the same…
Shoftim 5782 – Understand Your Purpose In Life
Tonight’s subject be’eizer Hashem,is to figure out the purpose of our lives in this world, for each one of us. One of the most fundamental principles of Judaism is that there is no creature that exists, that was created for…
Re’eh 5782 – Tzedakah: Realigning Our Hearts
In this week’s parshah, we encounter the mitzvah of tzedakah. Tzedakah is something that everybody is familiar with. In all the shuls, people are collecting tzedakah. It is collected everywhere; on the streets, in newspapers, by phone, and through many…
Eikev 5782 – Harnessing the Power of Bitachon
Today we will begin with our first shiur for this tekufah on the subject of bitachon. We spoke numerous times about emunah, but bitachon is where the power begins. Emunah is the seed or the tree, while bitachon is the…