Monthly Archives: April 2012

Love in Exile

In the previous chapters the Alter Rebbe explained how a Jew can perform Torah and mitzvot “with his heart” — with a love and fear of G-d. When a Jew is motivated by love and by a desire to cleave to the … Continue reading

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Why Loving Each Other Isn’t Easy

A greater and more intense love than this (i.e., than the love which results from realizing that G-d is one’s true soul and life), a love which is likewise concealed in every soul of Israel as an inheritance from our … Continue reading

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Who Are We in Christ, Part 3

Dear Rabbi, If G-d is a mystery to us, beyond human reason and logic, then how can we relate to Him? Answer: You’re right, G-d is essentially unknowable. Yes, He makes Himself known to us through His miracles, His prophets, … Continue reading

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Tazria-Metzora: Suffering at the Touch of God

Our Sages ask: “What is Mashiach’s name?” and reply “The leper of the House of Rebbi.” This is very difficult to understand. Mashiach will initiate the Redemption, and is associated with the pinnacle of life and vitality. How can his … Continue reading

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Who Are We in Christ, Part 2

The task for defining the identity of Gentile converts was largely left to the Apostle Paul, the self-described “apostle to the Gentiles.” Modern social-scientific studies on the Bible have called Paul an “entrepreneur of identity” or a “social entrepreneur” who … Continue reading

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My Beloved Profound Mystery

And that is what the Zohar says on the verse: “My soul, I desire You at night.” “One should love G-d with a love of the soul and the spirit, as they are attached to the body and the body … Continue reading

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Who Are We in Christ?

Being caught up in the fresh wind of God’s activity among the Gentiles, none of the apostles or the other Jewish believers immediately attempted to formulate a theology of Gentile identity. They just rejoiced. As we seek to formulate—or perhaps … Continue reading

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God is in the Simple Places

If we were truly humble, we would not be forever searching higher paths on the mountain tops. We would look in the simple places, in the practical things that need to be done. True, these are places in a world … Continue reading

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Practicing Faith, Part 3

What has to be healed in us is our true nature, made in the likeness of God. What we have to learn is love. The healing and the learning are the same thing, for at the very core of our … Continue reading

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Practicing Faith, Part 2

Surprisingly, when this question reached Rav Yosef Shalom Eliyashiv, shlit”a, he ruled leniently. “Although the Mishnah Berurah rules that one may not eat food which was in one of the seven liquids without washing, I am lenient in this matter. Although it … Continue reading

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