A young man with degrees from Harvard and Yale decides to study Talmud....
There have always been jokers among us. Their destiny is not like everyone else's...
The Noahide laws are laws given by God to all mankind. They're fairly straightforward, but like anything in matters of faith, there's endless depth available for those who inquire.
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, "Israel had no days as festive as the 15th of Av, when the maidens of Jerusalem would go out dressed in white... and dance in the vineyards."
Too many Jews are turning their back on something they don’t even know. I was one of them.
Rosh Chodesh Chanukah, 5773 (2012)
I wrote the Secret to Chanukah late last night. Between then and now, I heard the horrific news coming out of Newtown, CT, where a mass murder occurred in an Elementary School.
As Purim approaches, we encounter a Talmudic conundrum:
Rava said: One must become so intoxicated on Purim that he cannot distinguish between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordechai.” Rabbah and Rav Zeira celebrated the Purim feast together. They became intoxicated. Rabbah arose and slaughtered Rav Zeira.
To communicate effectively with people who disagree with us - especially those who are on the fence and can actually be won over - we must tailor our words to the listener.
A young man with degrees from Harvard and Yale decides to study Talmud....
"Truth does not become more true because the whole world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it."
There have always been jokers among us. Their destiny is not like everyone else's...
After a person reads Torah for the benefit of the congregation, we say to them, "Yasher Koach!"
In youth, one learns to talk; in maturity, one learns to be silent.
The Noahide laws are laws given by God to all mankind. They're fairly straightforward, but like anything in matters of faith, there's endless depth available for those who inquire.
During the early days of Hasidism, just as now, many "sophisticated" Jews turned away from the tradition of their ancestors in order to pursue a life based on secular values.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov responded with a story...
In trying to become a holier person, one can go astray despite donning the garments, behaviors, and thoughts of holiness.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe had a beautiful teaching about this...
My pals, last week I learned of a beautiful tradition originated by the Baal Shem Tov - Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer, founder of the Hasidic movement.
On your birthday, you begin to study the psalm corresponding to the year you're living.
Rav Chizkiya said in the name of Rav, "In the World to Come, every person will be called to account for everything his eyes saw, but of which he did not eat.
Right now, the good people of the world are scared. We find ourselves targeted by a savage death cult, and wonder when the next attack will occur.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was asked, "Do you believe in soulmates?"
He said, "It's quite true that God decides before we're born who the right spouse is for us, but it is not necessarily true that God decides such a couple will be happy."
Master of the Universe, please help our enemies see with their eyes and understand with their heartsbefore it is too late.
Rabbi Levi taught: when the Holy One ordered Noah to include two of every kind aboard the ark, Falsehood tried to enter.
I was recently invited to give a talk to rabbinical students. The first thing I did to prepare was ask my kids, “When have you seen a rabbi being excellent?”
A rider emerged from the shimmering heat of the desert, and approached a large tent. Our father Abraham rushed out to help the rider dismount from his camel. “Welcome, friend. Come in and take refreshment.”
On the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av, the maidens of Jerusalem would go out dressed in white garments and dance in the vineyards.
Rabbi Akiva would say: Beloved is humanity, for we were created in the image [of God]
My pals, today I turn 50. According to our Sages, this is the age at which one gives advice.
Here are 21 pebbles of wisdom I’ve picked up in my 50 trips around the sun:
The Tzaddik of Sanz once stood at his window and called to a passerby, "What would you do if you found a purse with a large sum of money, and the name of its owner was in it?"
Sometimes love is best expressed by what we don't do.
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, "Israel had no days as festive as the 15th of Av, when the maidens of Jerusalem would go out dressed in white... and dance in the vineyards."
The Jewish holiday season, from Rosh Hashanah through Sukkot, is actually a sophisticated technology for personal repair bequeathed to us by G-d via Moses 3,300 years ago, with accompanying instructions for upgrades over the millennia.
What is holiness? What does it mean to be holy? I have wrestled with this question ever since I found my way back to Judaism 16 years ago.
Too many Jews are turning their back on something they don’t even know. I was one of them.
Rosh Chodesh Chanukah, 5773 (2012)
I wrote the Secret to Chanukah late last night. Between then and now, I heard the horrific news coming out of Newtown, CT, where a mass murder occurred in an Elementary School.
One week to go. After seven and a half years of reading Talmud, only seven days and seven pages remain until the Daf Yomi cycle renews. G-d willing, I will attend the massive celebration called Siyum HaShasat MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next week, along with nearly 100,000 other Jews. I can scarcely believe it.
R’ Yehoshua ben Chananyah said: Once I was walking down the road and I saw a little boy sitting by a fork in the road, and I asked him, “Which is the road we take to the town?” He answered me, “This road is short and long, and this one is long and short.”
My son’s 7th birthday is coming up and he wants a punching bag so he can practice tae kwon do at home. I studied the art myself for years, so I know what he needs, and it’s not an inflatable, wobbling piece of dreck that ends up punctured in a week. He’s got a solid roundhouse. He needs a good bag, with a heavy base, that will survive thousands of punches and kicks.
To communicate effectively with people who disagree with us - especially those who are on the fence and can actually be won over - we must tailor our words to the listener.