Terumah 5783: Bring the Shechina Into Your Home

Terumah 5783: Bring the Shechina Into Your Home

We find in many places in Chazal that building a home is compared to building a Beis Hamikdash. However, most people look at a home as the opposite of a Beis Hamikdash. Everybody is aware that when you go to a Beis Hamikdash you’re stepping up. You’re going for a visit with Hashem. You’re going to a place where Hashem’s presence is felt. You’re going to a place where Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants His presence to be felt. Many people view their home, on the other hand, as a place of escape, a place to relax, a place to let their hair down, a place to chill.

Mishpatim 5783: The Key to Life & Who Does Hashem Answer First

Mishpatim 5783: The Key to Life & Who Does Hashem Answer First

In this week’s parshah there is a moradige yesod with an interesting new twist. It’s something that a person can employ in every endeavor that he undertakes in his life. The passuk says, כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון, “you should not afflict any widow or orphan,” אם ענה תענה אתו, “if you’re going to afflict them,” be careful, כי אם צעק יצעק אלי, “for if they will cry out to Me,” שמע אשמע צעקתו, “I will hear their cry”

Yisro 5783: Are You Aware That You Are Loved?

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, everything that Hashem did for Moshe and for His Nation Israel כי הוציא ה’ את ישראל ממצרים, that Hashem had taken Bnei Yisrael out of Mitztrayim (Shemos 18:1).

Beshalach 5783: Krias Yam Suf: How To Get Out When You Are Stuck

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 don’t think about it, that if Hashem blocks one of a person’s openings אי אפשר להתקים, they can’t exist. A person should dance and sing after they go to the washroom.

Bo 5783: Developing Your Spiritual Health

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 בה דכולה בה – turn it over and over, for all is therein (Avos 5:22). So in the medical field, we find a concept of American Heart Awareness Month or American Heart Day.

Vaera 5783: Planting Seeds to Build Our Future with Bitachon in Tefillah

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 eye on the future. It’s not the pshat that the avos were great Jews, super Yidden, and therefore they got a present, and were blessed with good children. That’s how we may see it. When we see a guy has good kids, what do we say? “Oh, he got a brachah. He went to a rebbe. He went to a tzaddik. He went to some kever. Maybe he did a good deed.” You have to realize the avos were called avos. Do you know what avos means?

Shemos 5783:  Get Out of Your Mitzrayim (Part 2): The Amazing Power of Hope

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 49:18). We mentioned before that Yaakov Avinu said this passuk in regards to Shimshon Hagibor, when he was at a moment of darkness. It was after Shimshon’s hair was cut, his gevurah was gone and he reached out to Hashem one more time. He asked the child holding his hand if he could take him over to the pillars. He wanted to lean on the pillars.

Vayechi 5783:  Understanding the Geulah and Bringing Moshiach

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 days” (Bereishis 49:1). I’m trying to imagine that. Yaakov Avinu, was the bechir ha’avos. Yaakov’s passing marked the end of the Avos era – the culmination and perfection of the foundation of Klal Yisrael.

Vayigash 5783:  Relating To the Unique Challenges of Yosef HaTzaddik

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 your brother, אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה, whom you sold to Mitzrayim. My Rebbi (HaRav Meir Halevi Soloveichik, zt”l) asked the following question: what was Yosef coming to add when he said אני יוסף אחיכם?

Mikeitz 5783:  Chanukkah: The Inner Workings of Bitachon & My Daughter’s Accident

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 Gaon, and I can tell you how superb and how great they were and how committed they were. But then the question is, “How do I plug into that?”