Monthly Archives: October 2011
Genesis: Rerolling the Torah Scroll
If G-d is “perfect,” as Judaism says, what prompted Him to create the universe? What void was He seeking to fill? The answer provided in Jewish Mysticism is that G-d desired marriage. Marriage necessitates the existence of someone distinct from … Continue reading
V’zot Haberachah: When the Party Ends
And this is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, bestowed upon the Children of Israel before his death. He said: Hashem came from Sinai – having shone forth to them from Seir, having appeared from Mount Paran, and … Continue reading
For the Sake of God
The law, stiff with formality, is a cry for creativity; a call for nobility concealed in the form of commandments. It is not designed to be a yoke, a curb, a strait jacket for human action. Above all, the Torah … Continue reading
Release from Darkness: Gilad Shalit
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from … Continue reading
Falling
It does seem frightfully unfair that one man’s single transgression should consign all humanity to death. But it is equally unfair that one man’s righteousness also offers all of humanity the reward of righteousness: “the right to the tree of … Continue reading
What You Bring to Prayer
A man may commit a crime now and teach mathematics effortlessly an hour later. But when a man prays, all he has done in his life enters his prayer. -Abraham Joshua Heschel God in Search of Man : A Philosophy … Continue reading
Plain Clothes Sukkah
Israel here below is balanced by the angels on high, of whom it says: ‘Who makest thy angels into winds’ (Psalm 104:4). For the angels in descending on earth put on themselves earthly garments, as otherwise they could not stay … Continue reading
Be the Change You Want to See
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing -Psalm 145:16 (Stone Edition Tanakh) Once, when a poor man came to Rav Shmelke for a donation, the rebbe realized that he had nothing for him, not a … Continue reading
Sukkot: Drawing Water from Siloam
The festival of Sukkot is the most joyous of the three biblically mandated festivals. In the holiday prayers, each festival is given its own descriptive name: Passover is the “Season of our Liberation,” Shavuot is the “Season of the Giving … Continue reading
The Empty Sukkah
Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz was a spiritual giant in his generation. At first, his greatness was mostly unknown to his contemporaries, but he had no regrets; indeed, it suited him just fine. He spent his days and nights in Torah-study, … Continue reading
