Weekly Inspiration

The Man Who Found Hashem
The Man Who Found Hashem
November 7th, 2024
Here we stand at the beginning of the world. OK, maybe not the beginning; that was Parshas Beraishis.But yes! In reality, Avraham Avinu stands at the beginning of the world, because the world exists for one purpose alone: that we, His creations, should find Hashem and sanctify this world. The
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The Whole Package
The Whole Package
October 31st, 2024
The world goes in cycles. The earth revolves around the sun. The moon revolves around the earth. Hashem set up the heavens so that mankind would learn how to organize our life. “The heavens declare the glory of G-d and the expanse of the sky tells of His handiwork. Day following
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Hashem’s Sukkah
Hashem’s Sukkah
October 14th, 2024
Dovid Hamelech says, “Hashem will hide me in His Sukkah on the day of evil…” (Tehillim 23)When we enter the sukkah, we are going totally under Hashem’s protection. Over us are leaves and vegetation, which in themselves protect no one. But these leaves and vegetation make it clear that it is
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The Wild Horse
The Wild Horse
October 9th, 2024
A horse gallops across the endless plains, its mane flying in the wind. No human hand has ever touched him. Hour after hour he runs. No one challenges him; no corral can contain him. But the eye of Hashem is watching. Then, Hashem places a two-legged creature upon the horse’s back. The
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The Holy Garbage Man
The Holy Garbage Man
September 26th, 2024
The world is falling apart, right? No, the world is not falling apart. The world of Edom is falling apart and the world of Yishmoel is falling apart, but the world of Torah is about to be re-born in complete accordance with the writings of our Neviim andChazal.Last week I quoted the words
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The Election … On Rosh Hashanah
The Election … On Rosh Hashanah
September 19th, 2024
In the coming months, there will be an election for President of the United States. Chazal say, if Am Yisroel does not do teshuva before Moshiach, Hashem will send a ruler as cruel as Haman who will cause us to do teshuva. (Sanhedrin 97b)My friends, I believe we are in deep trouble. It is very
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The Big Bang
The Big Bang
September 12th, 2024
I have amazing midos, right? I mean, it is well-known that I am a model Yid with tremendous derech eretz, meaning there is very little I need to work on before Rosh Hashanah.In short, I am a big mensch! The other morning, I was davening at my favorite place in the world. It was the second
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The Situation On The Ground
The Situation On The Ground
September 5th, 2024
Remember last year when we didn’t blow the shofar on the First Day of Rosh Hashanah? Aruch LaNer studied the years when this happened in the past. His findings were frightening and prophetic. Those years contained either exceptionally great events -- like building the mishkan or entering the Land
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Serious Days
Serious Days
August 29th, 2024
Last week we discussed “fear,” a topic which I wanted to continue. But a major event occurred which I need to discuss. Let’s first continue with last week’s topic. In Parshas Eikev, Moshe Rabbeinu says, “Now, Oh Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you? Only to fear Hashem … to
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“The Main Thing Is Not To Fear”
“The Main Thing Is Not To Fear”
August 22nd, 2024
“Perhaps you will say in your heart, ‘These nations are more numerous than I. How will I be able to drive them out?’ Do not fear them, [but rather] remember what Hashem, your G-d, did to Paro and to all of Egypt…. So shall Hashem, your G-d, do to all the peoples before whom you fear ….”
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The Man With Yellow Hair
The Man With Yellow Hair
August 15th, 2024
“Nachamu, nachamu … comfort, comfort My people, says your G-d. Speak to the heart of Yerushalayim and proclaim that her time [of exile] has been fulfilled….” (Haftaras Va’eschanan) These words restore our soul, coming just after Tisha B’Av, when we have been reduced to pulp and
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“Shake Him Upside Down!”
“Shake Him Upside Down!”
August 8th, 2024
Recently, Rabbi Dov Landau Shlita”h, the 94-year-old Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, came to the U. S. with other great rabbis to resuscitate Israeli yeshivos, which are in mortal danger from government cutbacks. He words rang across the world: “Save us!”My friends, these two words apply to
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Be Careful With Your Words
Be Careful With Your Words
August 1st, 2024
This week, we complete Sefer Bamidbar. The Children of Israel are now situated on the Plains of Moav, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Soon they will cross into the Promised Land. Their desert travels have ended and they are poised for the culmination of their long journey, which was fraught
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Answering Barbara and Charles
Answering Barbara and Charles
July 25th, 2024
I saw the following question on a kiruv website: “We … are so horrified, frightened and disturbed by the attempted assassination of former President Trump…. [We] feel unsafe, like we’re standing on shaky ground preceding an earthquake. Is there something that Judaism teaches us about this?
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Life In The Jungle
Life In The Jungle
July 18th, 2024
The “Book of Our Heritage” says, “The purpose of … fast days is to awaken us and our hearts to teshuva by recalling our own misdeeds as well as those of our ancestors. By remembering these misdeeds, which we continue to repeat and which bring on similar calamities, we are motivated to
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Derech Eretz!
Derech Eretz!
July 11th, 2024
We were driving in Yerushalayim. Ahead of us a car stopped, blocking the narrow street. If they had moved to the side, other cars could have passed, but they were unloading the car, taking their time, ignoring the rest of the world. I stuck my head out and yelled “Derech Eretz,” but they were
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Why Is Israel The Safest Place?
Why Is Israel The Safest Place?
July 4th, 2024
Someone recently asked a Gadol why he says that Israel is the safest place in the world. Please listen carefully to his answer: “Everything in Israel is in the nature of a nes; the entire life in Eretz Yisroel is miraculous, but the rest of the world operates according to the laws of nature.
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Forget PR
Forget PR
June 27th, 2024
This week’s parsha recounts the tragic episode of the miraglim, the spies who were unable to maintain their emunah in the face of intense pressure. The results were catastrophic. Their weakness spread like a plague and resulted in the events of Tisha B’Av, the day of our greatest
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You Can Do It, Shuey!
You Can Do It, Shuey!
June 20th, 2024
Shuey Rhine was larger than life. That’s a cliché, but in his case it’s true. Shuey departed this world on 29 Iyar at the age of forty eight. He left behind a wife and children as well as his mother and his siblings. Shuey was intimately involved with our life at a time of great
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Who Was Dovid Ha Melech?
Who Was Dovid Ha Melech?
June 6th, 2024
Now we have climbed all the way up from mem-tes Shaarei tumah. We listened to the voice of Moshe Rabbeinu. We trekked through the barren desert for seven weeks, each day discarding encrustations still clinging to us from Mitzraim. We have arrived at Har Sinai. We understand that we are permitted
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"I Know Moshiach Is Close Because They All Hate Us!"
"I Know Moshiach Is Close Because They All Hate Us!"
May 30th, 2024
We must be aware of what is happening. The predictions of our Noviim, Chazal and our gadolim are quickly coming to pass. What appear to be the final chapters in Ikvos Hamoshicha seem to be in the process of fulfillment. The nations are surrounding us personally, our
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Deep Pain
Deep Pain
May 23rd, 2024
This week’s Haftara tells the story of Yirmiyahu ha Novi’s purchase of land when catastrophe loomed over Israel. This command from Hashem seemed to make no sense, even to the Novi who wrote it, but he listened to the Ribono shel Olam, Who told him, “Behold! I
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When The World Abandons Us
When The World Abandons Us
May 16th, 2024
 This week we say Selichos with the advent of B”HAB.  “Hoshia … Save [us], Hashem … for the faithful have vanished from mankind. Had not Hashem been with us when men rose up against us, they would have swallowed us alive ….” Here in
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Answering The Haters
Answering The Haters
May 9th, 2024
This week’s Parsha is a powerful exhortation to live a life of kedusha. Haftaras Kedoshim links the rejection of kedusha to Golus. If we Yidden fall into error – G-d forbid - then we are ejected from our Holy Land and thrown into the
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Hashem Hurled Paro’s Army Into The Sea
Hashem Hurled Paro’s Army Into The Sea
April 18th, 2024
I did not expect to write another article  before Pesach, but a Great Miracle has occurred. I must admit my shortcomings. I did not understand what happened last Motzae Shabbos. Yes, I heard the booms and sirens. Yes, I sat in the bomb shelter and said Tehillim.  But I
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A Sun Of Righteousness Will Shine For You Who Fear My Name
A Sun Of Righteousness Will Shine For You Who Fear My Name
April 18th, 2024
It is 2:20 a.m. Motzae Shabbos, the 6th Day of Nissan 5784, April 14, 2024 in the Holy City of Yerushalayim. We hear loud explosions and then air-raid sirens. There are reports that Iran is attacking Israel.  Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch Shlita”h has advised: if you hear sirens,
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When The Moon Blocks The Sun
When The Moon Blocks The Sun
April 11th, 2024
We are now in Chodesh Nissan, the month of our liberation. What is unique about this month? Why should Nissan be the “Head of the months?”  Nissan is different from every other month because it is uniquely tied to the season of Spring,  “Chodesh ha
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Land Of The Free And Home Of The Brave
Land Of The Free And Home Of The Brave
April 4th, 2024
Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner from the deck of a British ship in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. His poem was put to music and became the U. S. National Anthem, which describes in dramatic terms how the flag still flew over Fort McHenry. Each stanza ends with the words,
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Eclipse of the Sun
Eclipse of the Sun
March 28th, 2024
Hashem blessed Avraham Avinu, “And the fourth generation shall return [to the Land of Israel], for the iniquity of the Emorite shall not yet be full until then.” (Beraishis 15:16) Does the term “fourth generation” refer only to the Biblical Era? Perhaps it is also a
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Aiyekah … Where Are You?
Aiyekah … Where Are You?
March 18th, 2024
I remember Charles Schumer as a young New York State Assemblyman. I was then Executive Director of Yeshiva Ateres Yisroel in Canarsie, Brooklyn, the cheder established by Rabbi Avraham ha Levi Jungreis zt”l, father of the late and renowned Rebbetzin Esther. Every year Mr. Schumer
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We Have to Understand What Is Happening
We Have to Understand What Is Happening
March 14th, 2024
Now we enter the momentous month of Adar Shaini. During Chodesh Adar, we increase simcha, but -- in this dangerous, churning world -- where is the simcha? Every thoughtful person is trembling. The world is filled with anxiety.  Rabbi Eliahu Eliezer Dessler zt”l
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Listen!
Listen!
March 7th, 2024
Please listen to these heartbreaking words, the words of Shmuel ha Novi to Shaul ha Melech: “Does Hashem delight in elevation offerings and feast offerings as in obedience to the voice of Hashem? Behold: to obey is better than a choice offering … Because you have rejected the word
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Why Did We Worship The Golden Calf?
Why Did We Worship The Golden Calf?
February 29th, 2024
What a parsha!  How could Am Yisroel break down and worship an idol so soon after they had personally witnessed the greatest miracles since the Creation!  The tragedy is unbearable, but, lest we look back arrogantly and say, “How could they have brought the
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You Will Not Pay For The Bananas!
You Will Not Pay For The Bananas!
February 22nd, 2024
We were warned. “Don’t travel to the U. S. Even the government of Israel is warning people not to go because of anti-Jewish demonstrations and attacks. Your life will be in danger.” A friend emailed me: “Make sure that you have personal security and don’t look Jewish.
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Ride The Donkey
Ride The Donkey
February 15th, 2024
The Torah now discusses the centerpiece of Jewish life, the Mishkan, which became the Bais Hamikdosh.  We have lost the Bais Hamikdosh and are awaiting its rebuilding.  May we see it soon in our days!  As we near the day of its rebuilding, we are increasingly
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The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz
February 8th, 2024
This week the Torah goes in a new direction, and we are going to spend many months immersed in learning. “Story time” has ended and halacha shiur begins. It seems like a new Torah, but the Torah resembles a precious jewel with an infinite number of facets.  Rather than examine
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All We Need To Know
All We Need To Know
February 1st, 2024
This week Am Yisroel stands at Har Sinai to receive the Torah. This is the event that changed the world -- not to mention Am Yisroel -- forever. There is a Torah.  We are not wild animals. We are the Children of Hashem.  We have an eternal law to live by,
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Fill The Cup With Tears
Fill The Cup With Tears
January 25th, 2024
This week’s Parsha describes how Am Yisroel were trapped at the Yam Suf, surrounded by bloodthirsty savages on one side and the Sea on the other.  “The Children of Israel raised their eyes and behold! Egypt was journeying after them, and they were very
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Do Not Be Afraid, My Servant Yaakov
Do Not Be Afraid, My Servant Yaakov
January 18th, 2024
My dear friend, Reb Shloime Feldinger, had a penetrating insight into current events.  Megilas Esther tells us how Haman ha Rasha was able to secure a decree against our people, which even Queen Esther was unable to overturn, because a royal decree could not be anulled. So how did she
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The Bracha Goes Through Leather
The Bracha Goes Through Leather
January 11th, 2024
 “They do not know, nor do they understand. They walk indarkness; all foundations of the earth collapse.” (Psalm 82)We mourn the loss of Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon zaicher tzaddik livracha. It’s not just one man; it is an era of great rabbis who rose above their own
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Prayer Without Tears Is Not Good Enough
Prayer Without Tears Is Not Good Enough
January 4th, 2024
We have come to Sefer Shemos. We now plunge into Golus Mitzraim! The Chofetz Chaim stated that our slavery in Ancient Egypt is the prototype scenario for the events at the time of the Final Redemption. If we ever thought that the story of Ancient Egypt was some kind of fairy tale, then
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Saying Goodbye To Yaakov Avinu
Saying Goodbye To Yaakov Avinu
December 28th, 2023
We come to the moment when we must say goodbye to the Avos and plunge ahead into the rest of the Chumash. I do not want to say goodbye to Yaakov Avinu! I didn’t want to say goodbye to Yitzchak Avinu or Avraham Avinu! I miss them. I feel like an orphan! The world is
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The Suddenness Of Redemption
The Suddenness Of Redemption
December 21st, 2023
To me, there is no more dramatic moment in the Torah than the words in this week’s Parsha, “Ani Yosef … I am Yosef! Is my father still alive?” I believe this is the way Moshiach ben Dovid will appear. It is likely that he is in this world now, but hidden. There will
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Blind ... Until Hashem Opens Our Eyes
Blind ... Until Hashem Opens Our Eyes
December 14th, 2023
The first public speech I ever gave was in a prison … during Chanukah. This was in Rikers Island, a huge prison complex on a 400-acre island adjacent to LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The audience was a group of Jewish inmates, and I spoke about Yosef ha Tzaddik, who was
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Sliver Of A Moon
Sliver Of A Moon
December 7th, 2023
In this week’s Parsha we are introduced to the agonizing subject of sinas chinom, unwarranted hatred between Jew and Jew. The Torah tells us: Yosef’s brothers hated him. (Beraishis 37:4; 37:5 and 37:8) In our family, the Children of Israel, hatred is a clear
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How To Deal With The The Horse-Man
How To Deal With The The Horse-Man
November 30th, 2023
“Min ha maitzar … from the straits I called upon Hashem. He answered me …. Hashem is with me. I have no fear. How can man affect me?” (Tehillim 118) How can a person “have no fear?”  In this world, that is very difficult. Last week I quoted Yalkut
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Why Is Gaza A Perennial Problem?
Why Is Gaza A Perennial Problem?
November 23rd, 2023
Certain places have a history of misfortune.  Chazal say, “[Shechem was] a place predestined for misfortune. In Shechem they violated Dinah; in Shechem the brothers sold Yosef; in Shechem the kingdom of the House of Dovid was split.” (Sanhedrin 102a) What about
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The Kedusha In Gaza
The Kedusha In Gaza
November 16th, 2023
Several weeks ago someone sent me a video which showed a soldier on his way to Gaza. He said something which shocked me:  “Sing ‘kah Ribon’ with special kavana this Shabbos!” What is he talking about? What does “Kah
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The Fall of Yishmael
The Fall of Yishmael
November 9th, 2023
This week’s Parsha ends with the demise of Yishmael. The Torah uses an unusual word – “nafal” -- for his death. The possuk reads, “al pnai kol echav nafal … over all his brothers he fell.” (Beraishis 25:18)  The
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The Ships of Kittim
The Ships of Kittim
November 5th, 2023
My dear friends, we are in an unprecedented situation.  It appears that reliable signs of the Days of Moshiach are coming to pass right now. A remarkable event is taking place at this very moment.  Shortly after the beginning of the current conflict, the President of the United States,
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The End of Evil
The End of Evil
November 2nd, 2023
In this week’s Parsha, we learn about the destruction of an evil place called Sodom.  As I write, our soldiers are entering an evil place called Gaza. May Hashem watch over them. May they all return unscathed spiritually and physically. May we soon see the end of evil in this
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Noise And Silence
Noise And Silence
October 26th, 2023
There is much noise in the world today.  Noise is a sign of sheker. “[The word of G-d said to Eliyahu], ‘Go out [of the cave] and stand on the mountain before Hashem.’ And behold, Hashem was passing, and a great powerful wind, smashing mountains and breaking rocks,
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What Is Fear?
What Is Fear?
October 19th, 2023
Hashem says, in this week’s Parsha, “mala ha’aretz hamas … the earth is filled with ‘hamas,’ and, behold, I am about to destroy them from the earth.” (Beraishis 6:13)  Rashi interprets the word “hamas” to mean
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Tohu Vavohu
Tohu Vavohu
October 10th, 2023
Parshas Beraishis tells us that, when Hashem first created the world, all the elements were in chaos, which is called “tohu vavohu.”  Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called “Worldstorm,” in which I predicted that, before Moshiach comes, the world will return
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Clothed In White
Clothed In White
September 21st, 2023
My chavrusa is a talmid chacham. He told me last week that he was concerned about what will happen this year because Rosh Hashanah fell out on Shabbos. Then I heard that Rav Moshe Shternbuch Shlita”h made a similar statement.  When Rabbi
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Words
Words
September 13th, 2023
This is momentous! A new year! How are we going to deal with it? We all want to upgrade our existence and overcome the challenges.  No one is challenge-free. In this difficult world, every single person faces some kind of challenge; many people face multiple challenges. The darkness often
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What Is A Jewish King?
What Is A Jewish King?
September 7th, 2023
After one of my recent speeches, someone remarked how unusual it is to hear someone who “still believes in Moshiach.”  My friends, is there anything else to think about? It amazes me how people speak about other subjects as if life is going on as usual. We are
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The Eyes of Hashem
The Eyes of Hashem
August 31st, 2023
Someone asked me whether I feel safer in Israel or America. This man said that in Israel he cannot tell the difference between an arab and a Jew and he doesn’t know who might attack him.  I answered with the possuk we read a few weeks ago,  “The land to which you
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Achas Sho’alti
Achas Sho’alti
August 24th, 2023
Why do we say the Psalm “L’Dovid” (Tehillim 27) during the Month of Elul?  This entire month is a preparation for Judgment. These Yomim Tovim are both the culmination of the year and the beginning of the year, the culmination of the Yom
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View From The Golan
View From The Golan
August 17th, 2023
I am writing from the majestic Golan Heights, overlooking the Kinneret and the Galil. From here, one can easily march eastward into Syria; it is a mere forty-five miles to Damascus. (As a point of reference, the distance from Brooklyn to Lakewood is seventy-two miles.)
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The Quiet of the Night
The Quiet of the Night
August 10th, 2023
Last Shabbos we opened a bottle of wine from the Israeli winery called Har Bracha, which is located on Har Gerizim in the Judean Hills. We obtained this wine from our dear friend, Reb Yaakov Pinto, who seems to know all the great wineries in Israel.  I have heard that Israeli
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The World is Burning
The World is Burning
August 3rd, 2023
Wildfires are burning over Europe, North Africa and North America.  World temperatures in July were the hottest ever recorded.  Mediterranean Sea water last month reached the highest temperature on record.  A tourist described the scene on the Greek Island of Rhodes as
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I Want to go to Sleep!
I Want to go to Sleep!
July 27th, 2023
I have a hard time with Krias Shema al Hamita. I’m “too tired!” I want to go to sleep! I guess that is the challenge! This is where we meet our yetzer ha ra, at exactly the place where our physical self is most vulnerable. It’s like eating. Before eating, I have in
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Think!
Think!
July 20th, 2023
Lately there have been demonstrations in Israel. The forces of chaos are sprouting like mushrooms. What should we do when chaos surrounds us? I do not think that we can stand in front of the crowd and try to speak common sense to them, because they do not want to listen. They are not looking for
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I Felt Like A Criminal
I Felt Like A Criminal
July 13th, 2023
Last week, preparing to come back to Israel, I returned my rental car. At the Hertz counter, I met a young lady in the uniform of TSA (Transportation Security Agency), waiting to pick up a car. I told her that we would be seeing some of her colleagues at the airport that evening, and I mentioned
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And the Earth Had Become Filled with Robbery
And the Earth Had Become Filled with Robbery
July 6th, 2023
I have a friend who operates upscale gift stores in exclusive tourist destinations. He told me that his customers are constantly “helping themselves” to merchandise.  Let’s just stop a minute here. We are not talking about the “inner city.” We are talking about
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Crazy is the Norm
Crazy is the Norm
June 29th, 2023
Recently former Police Commissioner William Bratton was quoted regarding New York City drug-use policy with the words, “The world has turned upside down.”  This reminds me of an encounter I had with a philosophical highway patrolman. (See “From Sinai to Yerushalayim,”
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On the Garden State Parkway
On the Garden State Parkway
June 22nd, 2023
My wife and I were driving on the Garden State Parkway at around 1 a.m. on Motzae Shabbos. We were in the right lane in a dark section of road. Suddenly, looming up out of the night, I saw a black car, with no lights or reflectors, parked halfway in our lane. Fortunately, I was able to swerve
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Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers
June 15th, 2023
The events of Parshas Shelach continue to shake us thousands of years later. They are the foundation of our national tragedy, the catalyst for the catastrophic golus in which we are trapped to this very day.  I would like to focus on one possuk which reveals what went
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Snakes
Snakes
June 8th, 2023
Years ago, my wife and I were flying to San Diego for a speech. On the plane, I had an amazing experience where I got a whole drasha from a can of Coke. Yes, Coca Cola! You can see the story in the new book about us – From Sinai to Yerushalayim -- by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer. On page
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Ruth
Ruth
June 1st, 2023
This Shabbos is the Yahrzeit of Ruth Villency A”H, my wife’s mother.  Her Hebrew name was “Rochel,” but everyone knew her as “Ruth.” At the end of her long and active life, she was in the hospital for almost two weeks. We literally
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The Perfect Dream
The Perfect Dream
May 18th, 2023
Recently I was asked to make a video for a group in Israel that consists of young people who are waiting to meet their “basherte,” the person whom they will marry.  The challenge is to make this period in their lives meaningful, not just as a stressful “waiting
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Moving Toward Har Sinai
Moving Toward Har Sinai
May 11th, 2023
Now we are approaching Har Sinai.  Our ancestors marched for seven weeks from Mitzraim to receive the Torah on Shavuos and stand in the Presence of Hashem. Lest we don’t perceive the awesomeness of this moment, the Torah shakes us up just
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Rashi Predicted Everything
Rashi Predicted Everything
May 4th, 2023
American college campuses have become like Nazi Germany. Jewish students feel threatened. This hatred is being funded by Jewish and non-Jewish organizations who are attempting to destroy the Jewish character of Israel and Jewish institutions around the world.  My friends, it is time to wake
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Take It Seriously
Take It Seriously
April 27th, 2023
Sefiras ha Omer has the elevated feel of Yom Tov and in fact is considered a type of Chol ha Moed linking Pesach and Shavuos. At the same time, it is a period of fear, stress and danger. Terrible decrees fell upon Am Yisroel during this period, especially the
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Is Mitzraim Out Of Us?
Is Mitzraim Out Of Us?
April 20th, 2023
It has been a strange winter in the Land of Israel.There was a frightening lack of rain the first few months of the rainy season.Then around Chanukah came two weeks of heavy rain.Following that, more drought, but in Mid-March about ten days of downpours. Following that, more drought,
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Whats The Big Deal About Chometz?
Whats The Big Deal About Chometz?
April 1st, 2023
Why are we so strict?  Why does every crumb of chometz have to be eliminated?  About fifty-seven years ago, I found G-d. I have written about this time and again, but I want to make a point. On January 10, 1966, when I awoke in the middle of the night and our life was falling
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Birth Pangs Of Moshiach
Birth Pangs Of Moshiach
March 23rd, 2023
The story of Pesach should shake us profoundly. If Hashem had not liberated us from Mitzraim “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm … then we, our children and our children’s children would have remained enslaved to Paro in Egypt.” What exactly does
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Affliction And Redemption
Affliction And Redemption
March 16th, 2023
In the midst of this collapsing world, we read the Parshios about the construction of the Mishkan and the inauguration of the month of Nissan. This is the key to survival.  It is healthy to study one’s life experiences because one sees miracles.
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Listen To The Angel
Listen To The Angel
March 9th, 2023
The New York Times has been conducting a crusade against the world of Torah, slandering us and our educational system. The New York Times is a Jewish company; its founders and publishers are Jewish.  What is wrong with us! This week’s Parsha describes how the Children of
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Light and Gladness, Joy and Honor!
Light and Gladness, Joy and Honor!
March 2nd, 2023
How exactly did Hashem speak to the noviim? How did Avraham Avinu hear Hashem’s voice? What did it sound like? Or maybe it was not audible.  Moshe Rabbeinu saw a burning bush, but how did Hashem’s voice reach Moshe? Hashem identified Himself, but how did the voice sound to
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Are You A Rabbi?
Are You A Rabbi?
February 23rd, 2023
I was checking out of a kosher store and the non-Jewish clerk asked me if I am a rabbi.  “Why do you ask?” I said.  “Because all the rabbis who come here have an attitude. They’re so nasty. And you are so nice! You can’t be a rabbi!” Hashem
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Assemble All The Jews
Assemble All The Jews
February 16th, 2023
“Mishenichnas Adar marbim b’simcha … With the advent of Adar we increase simcha.” The amazing thing is that, no matter how devastating our tzouris, we increase simcha in Adar. Are we blind to reality? What happens if there is so
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A Kingdom of Ministers and a Holy Nation
A Kingdom of Ministers and a Holy Nation
February 9th, 2023
“In the third month from the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, on this day they arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai. They … encamped in the wilderness … opposite the mountain. Moshe ascended … and Hashem called out to him from the mountain, saying ‘So
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“Stand Fast and See The Salvation of Hashem”
“Stand Fast and See The Salvation of Hashem”
February 2nd, 2023
There is a frightening possuk in Sefer Bamidbar.  “If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those whom you leave shall be pins in your eyes and thorns in your sides.” (Bamidbar 33:55)  This week we read how Bnai Yisroel were
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A New Book!
A New Book!
January 26th, 2023
I am humbled and honored to announce the release of a magnificent new book, called “From Sinai to Yerushalayim,” written by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer and published by Artscroll/Mesorah Publications.  Twenty two years ago, I merited to publish my first book, “From
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Paradigm For The End Of Days
Paradigm For The End Of Days
January 19th, 2023
A recent demonstration at the University of Michigan called for “the demise of Israel” and the murder of Jews.  “Ain chadash tachas ha shemesh…. There is nothing new under the sun.” (Koheles) The fact is: these people don’t have a clue what a Jew is and
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SHA’AR NUN – The Fiftieth Gate
SHA’AR NUN – The Fiftieth Gate
January 12th, 2023
My friends, I am writing these words on 10 Teves, a day of deep mourning. This is the day that the City of Yerushalayim was surrounded.  It is still surrounded! We have not recovered from this catastrophe!  This is the week that the Torah buries its head in sackcloth and we enter
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The Cop And The Doctor
The Cop And The Doctor
January 5th, 2023
Have you thought about death?  What will we be doing when we die? Will we be in pain or at peace? Will we be in touch with reality or living in a world of confusion G-d forbid?  In this week’s Parsha, we learn what the Great People of the world do at the moment of death.
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Speaking To Angels
Speaking To Angels
December 29th, 2022
In next week’s Parsha, Yaakov Avinu gives the famous bracha, “Hamalach ha goail … May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads, and may my name be declared upon them and the names of my forefathers Avraham and Yitzchak and may they proliferate
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At This Time In The Season
At This Time In The Season
December 22nd, 2022
In the bracha Shehecheyanu, we say, “You have brought about nissim for our avos, b’yamim ha haim b’zman ha ze.” Isn’t it amazing that we remember what happened to our Avos at a certain season?  What is it about a certain season that
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Rain and Pain
Rain and Pain
December 15th, 2022
We read twice a day: “Beware lest your heart be seduced and you turn astray and serve gods of others and bow to them. Then the wrath of Hashem will blaze against you. He will restrain the heaven so there will be no rain….” (Shema) If we turn astray from Hashem – G-d
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Voting On Torah
Voting On Torah
December 8th, 2022
Recently, Israel elected a government pledged to restore Torah values. This was a great relief for those who understand that our only hope is Torah and who suffered from the terrible attacks on Torah which had characterized the previous government.  But I want to consider the entire idea of
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Integrity
Integrity
December 1st, 2022
In this week’s Parsha we meet Lavan, the father of two righteous daughters but himself the quintessential deceiver. There was nothing straight about Lavan. His name tells it all; he was “white” on the outside and black on the inside. He pretended to be an altruist, but in fact he
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Red Red Meat
Red Red Meat
November 24th, 2022
Someone recently wrote to a Jewish website with the following question: “In light of the recent spate of high-profile antisemitic celebrity incidents … how should we respond?” In this week’s Parsha, we meet Esav, the progenitor of the quintessential anti-Semite,
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We Are A Family
We Are A Family
November 17th, 2022
In this week’s Parsha, we meet our Mother Rivka. Her father was intensely evil, but she became a tzadekes. This sometimes happens. As we mentioned last week, Rus – the mother of Dovid Hamelech and Moshiach – grew up in the pollution of Moab. “Mai ashpos yarim
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Hashem Created Us with Brains
Hashem Created Us with Brains
November 10th, 2022
Why does the Torah tell us about Sodom?  “Everything that occurred to the Patriarchs is a sign for their descendants.” (Ramban to Beraishis 12:6) The entire future of the world is foreshadowed by the lives of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs.  The people of Sodom were
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B’Chol L’Vavcha … With All our Heart
B’Chol L’Vavcha … With All our Heart
November 3rd, 2022
The Torah warns us not to go after “our hearts and our eyes,” but rather to look at the tzitzis. But we have to know: the Torah is not telling us to ignore our heart.  Just the opposite.  “Hakodosh Baruch Hu liba boie … Hashem desires the heart!”
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When The Foundations Collapse
When The Foundations Collapse
October 27th, 2022
In this week’s Parsha, the world is destroyed by a Flood.  Last week we read how G-d created the world. By Noach’s generation, however, the world had forgotten that He exists. It wasn’t just that mankind rebelled. It was worse than that. Hashem’s Existence was
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The Shmittah Farmer
The Shmittah Farmer
October 20th, 2022
We begin the Torah again.  The world was created perfect: “Hashem G-d planted a garden in Eden… and placed there the man whom He had formed.” (Bereishis 2:8)  Mankind was created perfect: “My G-d, the soul You placed within me is pure ….”
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Our Invisible Protection
Our Invisible Protection
October 6th, 2022
The Chofetz Chaim said there would be three wars before Moshiach. He said that the first was the First World War. He predicted the coming of the Second World War. And then, he said, there will be a third war. Dovid ha Melech hints of this, when he says three times in Psalm 118, “Kol
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Open Letter to the New York State Department of Education
Open Letter to the New York State Department of Education
October 2nd, 2022
Distinguished Public Servants, In the last chapter of our Holy Torah, which we read next week, it says that “G-d presented His fiery Torah” to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai. (Deuteronomy 33:2) Through this Torah, which has been handed down from generation to generation, we
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Handwriting On the Wall
Handwriting On the Wall
September 29th, 2022
What distinguishes Am Yisroel from every other nation? Every person and every nation, since the beginning of history, has had difficulties, trials, tribulations, sorrows, pain, trouble. It is unending.  Generally, people blame their troubles on someone else. Nations blame other
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Words Fail
Words Fail
September 22nd, 2022
Since the Churban and the advent of our Golus two thousand years ago, we have been at the mercy of violent and ruthless enemies. Sometimes the violence is physical and sometimes it is aimed at our holy Torah way of life, attempting to destroy the very basis of our existence.
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Ahmads Coffee
Ahmads Coffee
September 14th, 2022
Ahmad is a street sweeper in Yerushalayim. I meet him when I leave shul after Shacharis. I did not know whether he was a Jew or an Arab, but I would say “Boker Tov” to him every day. It soon became apparent that, in his somewhat difficult job working on the street, he
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The Movement
The Movement
September 8th, 2022
Joseph and Ruthie Pearlman are our neighbors in Yerushalayim. Joseph is a lawyer and talmid chacham. Ruthie is a writer of mystery stories.  I don’t do book reviews and I don’t read detective stories. (OK, I confess that one of my favorite books in the “old days”
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The Malach in the Airport
The Malach in the Airport
September 1st, 2022
It is Chodesh Elul. I have a story.  We traveled to Europe during bain ha zmanim. One family member was carrying an expensive and vital medical device. In the rush, it was left on board the plane, under her seat. Once inside the terminal, when we realized what had happened, it was
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"There is No Fear of G-D in this Place"
"There is No Fear of G-D in this Place"
August 11th, 2022
Avraham Avinu says about the Philistines, “There is no fear of G-d in this place; they will kill me because of my wife.” (Beraishis 20:11) In 1936, Rabbi Elchonen Wasserman zt”l spoke in Berlin. He noted that the Philistines had an “advanced culture, technology
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"Let Him Put His Mouth to the Dust"
"Let Him Put His Mouth to the Dust"
August 4th, 2022
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come … Before the silver cord snaps and the golden bowl is shattered and the pitcher is broken at the fountain.” (Koheles 12:1ff) When I hear these words, a terrible sadness overcomes me. I think about how
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Fire!
Fire!
July 28th, 2022
Wildfires are burning over Europe and North Africa, not to mention the United States. An unprecedented heat wave is also melting glaciers, resulting in floods, avalanches and further destruction.  We spent last Shabbos in Tiveria, on the shores of the Kinneret.  Tiveria,
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Bubbling Pot
Bubbling Pot
July 21st, 2022
Let’s try to imagine what it was like for those trapped in Yerushalayim as destruction closed in around them. This perfect Land of Torah, this perfect Nation! Our ancestors had everything … yet they let it slip away, and now destruction was closing in like a giant claw.  The
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An Earth-Shaking Rashi
An Earth-Shaking Rashi
July 14th, 2022
There is an earth-shaking Rashi on Parshas Balak.  OK, I grant that every comment by Rashi is earth-shaking.  But this one shook the earth under me so that I felt it.  There is no understanding or wisdom in the world except the Torah. In Birkas Kohanim, we
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High Steaks
High Steaks
July 7th, 2022
The first bracha in Shemoneh Esreh is called “Avos … Patriarchs,” but it is really about Hashem, Whom the Patriarchs discovered. Calling it “Avos” is an act of tznius, modesty. Hashem is hidden and so is this reference to
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A Humble Man Riding A Donkey
A Humble Man Riding A Donkey
June 30th, 2022
Every day after Shacharis, I cross the street to say “Good Morning” to Shmuel ha Novi. From an open courtyard, there is a direct view of his Kever, which sits atop a ridge on the northern border of Yerushalayim.  Shmuel ha Novi is the Prophet who anointed Dovid King of
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Each Man Under His Vine and Fig Tree
Each Man Under His Vine and Fig Tree
June 24th, 2022
The month of Tammuz begins next week.  This is the season when sensitive souls among Am Yisroel begin to feel a palpable fear. Tisha B’Av is approaching, the day of destruction. “The harvest has passed; the summer has ended, but we were not saved.”
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Seven Mitzvos for all Mankind
Seven Mitzvos for all Mankind
June 17th, 2022
Why are they shooting?   In the year 2021, there were 692 mass shootings in the U. S. (CNN) This year is matching that pace. Theories abound about how to react to such a catastrophic phenomenon, for example by restricting the sale of guns. But that does not reach the heart of the
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He Sends the Dew to Revive Us
He Sends the Dew to Revive Us
June 10th, 2022
Do we believe in techias hamaisim … resurrection of the dead?  Do we believe in dew?  The appearance of dew is likened to the resurrection of the dead.  “Techias ha Maisim … resurrection of the dead” is the second bracha in Shemoneh
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We Have to be Like Dovid Ha Melech
We Have to be Like Dovid Ha Melech
June 2nd, 2022
Now we are about to ascend to Har Sinai, to stand before this mountain and hear the Voice of Hashem.  Is this possible?  My friends, the news is catastrophic on every level. How can the Voice of Hashem be heard today? As I have often said, I myself cannot bear to open a newspaper,
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This Job is too Big for Us
This Job is too Big for Us
May 26th, 2022
Why does the Tochecha precede Shavuos?  Why do such fearsome days as these precede the Geulah Shelemah? Let’s try to understand.  Since the petira of Saar ha Torah Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, our Arab cousins in Israel have gone on a rampage,
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Tears
Tears
May 19th, 2022
“Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of disciples … and they all died during one period because they did not treat each other with respect. And the world was left barren until Rabbi Akiva came to our rabbis in the south and taught [the Torah] to them … and it was these [later
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Survival
Survival
May 12th, 2022
Last week, outside Israel, we read the following Haftara: “The word of Hashem came to me, saying: Now you, Ben Adam … rebuke … the city of bloodshed and let her know all her abominations…. Thus says my L-rd Hashem Elokim …. Through your blood that you shed you
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The Ships Of Tarshish
The Ships Of Tarshish
May 5th, 2022
      Recently, in the Black Sea, a Russian missile cruiser, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, was sunk, reportedly by Ukrainian missiles. The name of the ship was “Moskva,” which means “Moscow” in Russian. If the ship was named “Moscow,” you can
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Better Than We Can Believe
Better Than We Can Believe
April 28th, 2022
Pesach is so powerful. Every year the Yom Tov becomes more real to me, as we see the events of ancient history playing out on the world stage. We have been discussing this for weeks, so you know what I am referring to.  On the last day of Pesach, I was mentally burdened. I
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Is Pesach Real?
Is Pesach Real?
April 13th, 2022
Is Pesach real? This year, my friends, more than ever, we can taste and feel the reality of Pesach.  This is the essence of Pesach:  ·      Am Yisroel were imprisoned spiritually and physically within an alien
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All of It has turned White
All of It has turned White
April 7th, 2022
Last week we read a passage in the Torah which stated, “The Kohain shall look and, behold, the affliction has covered his entire flesh. Then he shall declare the affliction to be pure. All of it has turned white, it is pure.” (Vayikra 13:13) This possuk refers
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The Powerful Words of Rabbi Yechiel Perr Shlita"H
The Powerful Words of Rabbi Yechiel Perr Shlita"H
March 31st, 2022
We are now in the count-down to the awesome Yom Tov of Pesach.  What is so awesome? Why is Pesach such a big thing?  My friends, if we understand this, then we can begin to understand everything.  Our ancestors were like nothings in Mitzraim. Not only
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Our Protection is Gone
Our Protection is Gone
March 24th, 2022
There are many signs in the world today that Moshiach is very close.  ·      The Gadol ha Dor, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, Zaicher Tzaddik Livracha, has left this world. In Ancient Egypt Moshe Rabbeinu appeared only after all the progenitors of the Twelve
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Switch Two Letters
Switch Two Letters
March 10th, 2022
Even the English language can reveal truth in Torah.  For example, at Kennedy Airport in 1974, on our way to Israel with Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis in 1974 – our first taste of Torah life -- Zaida (Rebbetzin Jungreis’ father zt”l) told us: “What can you learn from
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Hodu To Cush
Hodu To Cush
March 3rd, 2022
“Achashverosh reigned from Hodu to Cush … 127 provinces.” (Megillas Esther 1:1) That means he ruled the entire world.  “Three Kings ruled the entire world … Ahab, Achashverosh and Nebuchadnezzar.” (Megillah 11a. According to the Artscroll commentary,
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Sounds of War
Sounds of War
February 24th, 2022
The Gemorah says that in the sixth year there will be “sounds” and in the seventh year “wars…. [and then] in the aftermath of the seventh [year] the son of David will come.” (Sanhedrin 97a) The Gemora seems to equate the seven years before Moshiach comes with
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Petrified of the Number "Thirteen"
Petrified of the Number "Thirteen"
February 17th, 2022
In honor of Purim Katan, which falls this week, I want to rerun an article I wrote six years ago, also during a Jewish Leap Year. This entire subject is so deep and so pertinent to our current world situation. We, the Children of Israel, have to understand how we are rooted in Eternity. I want to
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The World of Torn Dungarees
The World of Torn Dungarees
February 10th, 2022
My friend, Rabbi Reuven Cohen Shlita”h, is a distinguished Rosh Kollel in Kiryat Sefer. He is also a kohain who is an expert on the laws of korbanos and the avoda of the Bais Hamikdosh. He goes each week to theKotel, the Western Wall, and he is crying. He
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Center of the World
Center of the World
February 3rd, 2022
This week’s Parsha teaches us about the Mishkan. The Mishkan, which became the Bais Hamikdosh, is the center of the world and the center of our existence, the focus of all Am Yisroel.  It is also the center of the hatred of all the nations against
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Deeply Hidden Blessings
Deeply Hidden Blessings
January 27th, 2022
“Mi shenichnas Adar marbim b’simcha … When Adar enters, we increase simcha ….” What cause is there for simcha?  The world is reeling in confusion. The plague does not appear to be diminishing. Chaos is everywhere. People are drowning in tzouris.
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You Can Fight Hashem, But You Cannot Win
You Can Fight Hashem, But You Cannot Win
January 20th, 2022
We have reached in this Parsha the central point in history.  Everything in history is leading up to this point and everything afterwards follows from it.  The whole point of history is Torah. “Hashem looked into the Torah and created the world.” (Beraishis
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Candies In the Wall
Candies In the Wall
January 13th, 2022
This week we read about the miracle of the “mann” which Hashem provided to our ancestors in the Desert. Through this daily miracle we lived for forty years where there was nothing to eat and nothing to drink. As Hashem says, “I shall rain down for you food from heaven.”
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Why Yaakov Forgot
Why Yaakov Forgot
January 6th, 2022
When Yosef ha Tzaddik was dying, he told his brothers, “Hashem will surely remember you [to bring you out of Mitzraim]” and he used the double expression “pakod yifkod,” which means “surely remember.” In fact, Yosef saw this as so
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Extreme Confusion
Extreme Confusion
December 30th, 2021
As Sefer Shemos begins, we enter Mitzraim. This intense story is vital for us to understand. It is a step-by-step guide, telling us what is in store for us in our own times.  In our days, we live in confusion. Political leaders all over the world are blundering. Some of them
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The Jewish King
The Jewish King
December 23rd, 2021
In this week’s Parsha we meet Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest individual and the greatest prophet in history. “Never again has there arisen in Israel a prophet like Moshe, whom Hashem had known face to face ….” (Dvarim 34:10) Moshe was also considered the
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Hashem Was Holding My Hand
Hashem Was Holding My Hand
December 16th, 2021
A terrible car accident occurred in the Five Towns last week.  During the same week, a violently destructive tornado struck the Midwest.  Life can go upside-down in an instant.  In these days before Moshiach, we are witnessing events beyond our comprehension. Hashem is
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Yosef
Yosef
December 9th, 2021
In this week’s Parsha we hear the drumbeat of Moshiach. “‘Ani Yosef. Ha’od Avi chai? … I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?’ … But his brothers could not answer him….” My friends, this is how Moshiach is going to come. All jaws will drop.
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Why Is Rosh Chodesh Teves Unique?
Why Is Rosh Chodesh Teves Unique?
December 2nd, 2021
I made an amazing discovery at this time last year.  There is nothing more exciting than a spiritual discovery, because your consciousness suddenly expands and the entire world becomes clearer. A layer of the onion is peeled away and something separating you from Hashem disappears. You have
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Jealousy
Jealousy
November 25th, 2021
First, an update: as soon as last week’s article on “Geshem … Rain” appeared, it started to rain in Israel!  I do not attribute this phenomenon to the article itself. However, it is possible that people started praying for rain after reading the article, and
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Geshem ... Rain!
Geshem ... Rain!
November 18th, 2021
Hashem says, “I will provide grass in your field for your cattle and you will eat and be satisfied.” And then He says, “Beware lest your heart be seduced and you turn astray and serve gods of others and bow to them. Then the wrath of Hashem will blaze against you. He will
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Alone in a Dark World
Alone in a Dark World
November 11th, 2021
This Parsha begins with intense drama: Yaakov is totally alone; the sun sets; he is enwrapped in darkness. He sleeps and dreams and sees a ladder extending up to Heaven.  This is Yaakov Avinu and his children forever: we are alone in the dark world and our umbilical cord, the only
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The Children Struggled
The Children Struggled
November 4th, 2021
This Parsha is so big! This is our past and present and holds the key to our future.  Most of us have grown up in the culture of the West. Today you can be in the Far East and still live in the culture of the West. This is the culture of Esau, Yaakov’s twin brother. They came from the
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Eastward, To the Land of the East
Eastward, To the Land of the East
October 28th, 2021
After the death of Sarah, Avraham Avinu “took a wife whose name was Keturah. She bore him [several sons].” Avraham “gave all that he had to Yitzchak, but to the children of [Ketura, Avraham] gave gifts. Then he sent them away from Yitzchak his son while he was still
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Every Grain of Sand is Different
Every Grain of Sand is Different
October 21st, 2021
On the seventh day of the month of Cheshvan in the Land of Israel, we insert the prayer for rain into the Shemoneh Esreh.[1] On that very day this year, rain fell in the Land of Israel! “Af bri is designated as the name of the angel of rain, to thicken and to form clouds, to
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Beyond Comprehension
Beyond Comprehension
October 14th, 2021
“Aizehu Gibor … Who is strong? He who subdues his personal inclination, as it is said, ‘He who is slow to anger is better than the strong man, and a master of his passions is better than the conqueror of a city.’” (Pirkei Avos 4:1) Can you imagine the strength of
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The Institution Of Marriage
The Institution Of Marriage
October 7th, 2021
Recently, Switzerland – known as one of the world’s most conservative countries -- conducted a national referendum legalizing the deviation from the Torah laws of marriage which is currently sweeping the world. (I am intentionally being vague, because I do not even want to dignify this
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Yes, The Sin is Mine!
Yes, The Sin is Mine!
September 14th, 2021
“Al chait .… May it be Your will, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, that You forgive us for all our unintentional sins and pardon us for all our intentional sins and grant atonement to us for all our rebellious sins .… for the sin that we have sinned before
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Let the Year and its Blessings Begin!
Let the Year and its Blessings Begin!
September 2nd, 2021
Next year is Shmittah. The Gemora tells us that “B’motza-ai Shvi’is ben Dovid ba … after Shmittah the Son of David will come…” (Sanhedrin 97a) The “Son of David” is Moshiach.  But there have been
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Break Your Will
Break Your Will
August 26th, 2021
“Even though I walk through the valley overshadowed by death, I will not fear evil, for You are with me….” (Tehillim 23) Human beings go through a lot. We cannot even begin to understand some of the pain that we ourselves and others endure. How did even one person survive
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A Week In Gehenom
A Week In Gehenom
August 19th, 2021
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I am overflowing with praise and gratitude to the Ribono shel Olam. But I had a week in Gehenom. I had spine surgery on Friday, August 6, the 28th Day of Menachem Av in the year 5781, the Year before Shmittah. This was
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Yisroel Neuberger: Stop Kvetching!
Yisroel Neuberger: Stop Kvetching!
August 5th, 2021
By the time you read this, if things go as planned, I will have had spine surgery.  I would appreciate your prayers. My name is Yisroel ben Malka.  Jews pray for good health by using their mother’s name. Mothers are filled with compassion for their children. Did we not just read
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Fear
Fear
July 29th, 2021
There is a famous niggun with words attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: “Kol ha olam kulo, gesher tzar me-od … all the world is a narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to fear ….” These are powerful words. What exactly do they mean? Even if we do not
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"Anna"
"Anna"
July 22nd, 2021
This is the week of Shabbos Nachamu, a time of comfort after the unbearable suffering of Tisha B’Av. This Shabbos, we rekindle the fire of hope within our hearts, the hope and belief that Hashem will soon wipe away all our tears. At this time, I want to present a bitter-sweet
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There May Yet Be Hope
There May Yet Be Hope
July 15th, 2021
There is a place in Yerushalayim where our Bais Hamikdosh used to stand, and we are wondering: “What happened? Why is it not yet rebuilt? Why has Moshiach not come?” My friends, it is not so difficult to understand.  Every year we read Parshas
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Real Fruit
Real Fruit
July 8th, 2021
This Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av and the Nine Days begin.  We are in the U.S. for a few weeks. The United States has been a wonderful haven for Am Yisroel for hundreds of years, but things are changing here and all over the world.  We noticed
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The Loudest Sound in the Universe
The Loudest Sound in the Universe
July 1st, 2021
Dear friends, we are in the midst of the Three Weeks and we are concerned. All around us, frightening events are occurring. It says in Tehillim, “Yimotu kal mosdai aretz … all the foundations of the earth collapse ….” (Psalm 82) This is happening globally
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Torah is the Fence of the World
Torah is the Fence of the World
June 24th, 2021
In this week’s Parsha, Rashi asks why Hashem saw fit to “rest His Shechina on [Bilaam] a wicked non-Jew.”He answers from Medrash Tanchuma that Hashem wanted to prevent the [non-Jewish] nations from having an excuse for their evil by saying, “if we would
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There May Yet Be Hope
There May Yet Be Hope
June 17th, 2021
The Month of Tammuz inaugurates the most tragic period in the Jewish calendar. As we begin this month, in the year 5781, extremely disturbing events are taking place among the Jews in the Land of Israel.  As I write, the State of Israel has formed a government whose agenda is hatred
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A Hole in the Ground
A Hole in the Ground
June 10th, 2021
This is the monumental rebellion.  How on earth can Korach rebel against his cousin, his friend, his leader, his beloved Rebbe, Moshe Rabbeinu? Can you imagine!  The generation of the Midbar merited to live with Moshe Rabbeinu, to learn from Moshe Rabbeinu, to be led by Moshe
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Are We Grasshoppers?
Are We Grasshoppers?
June 3rd, 2021
In the Long Island community where we used to live before we made aliyah, there was a recent rally on the theme, “We dare not be silent as our community is targeted by violent anti-Semitism.”  Could this happen in America? In my book, Hold On, I wrote: “There is
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What is Gaza?
What is Gaza?
May 27th, 2021
There is never “coincidence” when it comes to the weekly Torah Portion.  Each week, it is decreed in Heaven that words of Torah come to give us insight into whatever is going on at that exact moment in our lives or the life of the world.  Last week was the second week in
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Why Do They Hate Us?
Why Do They Hate Us?
May 20th, 2021
As I write from my home in Yerushalayim, I hear the sound of Israeli jets overhead. Missiles are falling. Arabs are rioting. This country is at war.  Not only that, but the world is at war against us.  Around the globe, demonstrators denounce Israel.  Why do they hate
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Fire on the Temple Mount
Fire on the Temple Mount
May 11th, 2021
This is Dovid ha Melech’s Yom Tov.  Dovid was born and died on Shavuos. We read Megilas Rus, the story of how Dovid arose from the “ashpos,” the trash heap of Moav to bring healing to the entire world. And we receive the Torah. Why is Dovid in particular
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We Are All Crushed
We Are All Crushed
May 5th, 2021
Why is the Redeemer called “Moshiach?” It’s all about olive oil. “Moshiach”means “anointed,” as it says, “Shmuel took the horn of oil and anointed [Dovid] in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of Hashem passed over Dovid from
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Barley and Wheat
Barley and Wheat
April 28th, 2021
It says in this week’s Parsha, “You shall count for yourselves … seven weeks, they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh week, the fiftieth day, you shall count, and then you shall bring a new meal-offering to Hashem….” (Vayikra 23:15)  We are in
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Fire!
Fire!
April 21st, 2021
Is this the end of Corona? Is life returning to “normal?” We all desire a normal existence.  But it seems clear that Corona, like the Plagues of Ancient Egypt, came into the world to accomplish something, and we must ask: has that been accomplished?  I have often repeated
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Holy People
Holy People
April 13th, 2021
This Shabbos is the twenty-fourth Yahrzeit of my beloved mother, Malka bas Aharon.  She was a heroic lady.  It takes courage to confront oneself, especially if you are living “the good life.” But she did it. She was a straight person, “Yashar” as they say in
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The Egg
The Egg
April 7th, 2021
I have presented this moshul several times since having heard it years ago from Rabbi Naftali Jaeger Shlita”h, who told it over in the name of the Ishbitzer Rebbe. This is a such a classic that I feel moved to tell the story once again, and now is the time.  We are in the season of
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When You Reach the Bottom
When You Reach the Bottom
March 24th, 2021
Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky zt”l was imprisoned along with other yeshiva bocherim in 1941 in a railway boxcar bound for Siberia. There was barely any air, food or water. The train rolled along for 2500 miles; the trip lasted over one month. When they finally reached this frozen wasteland, their
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Ten Drops of Wine
Ten Drops of Wine
March 17th, 2021
“Baruch Ata … Blessed are You, Hashem, Who creates the fruit of the vine.” What is it about wine? Why does Purim overflow with wine?  Why do we drink Four Cups on Pesach?  Why do we inaugurate Shabbos with wine? Imagine: you had a stressful week. You feel pressed
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Who Is Hashem?
Who Is Hashem?
March 10th, 2021
This Shabbos we usher in Chodesh Nissan. In two weeks it will be Pesach!  This is the season of our liberation from personal and national slavery. There is a reason that Pesach is in the forefront of our thoughts every day, and that is because the battle against slavery has not ended. It will
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I Am a Neshoma
I Am a Neshoma
March 3rd, 2021
Why did our ancestors make a Golden Calf?  What does it have to do with us today, 3300 years later?  This was a very serious event. Because of it, Hashem was prepared to eliminate the entire generation which He liberated from Egypt. In the words of Rabbi S. R. Hirsch, Hashem said in
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Waking From a Bad Dream
Waking From a Bad Dream
February 23rd, 2021
Is rain in Israel such a big deal?  “Mashiv haruach u’morid hageshem …. He makes the wind blow and the rain descend.”  Egypt is watered by the Nile. No one has think about it. It just happens every year. The River floods and live-giving water revives the land.
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Elevate Everything On Earth
Elevate Everything On Earth
February 10th, 2021
The Chumash now becomes a different sefer. Up to now, we have been studying a historical account beginning with the creation of the world and leading up to the moment at which Am Yisroel stands before Hashem at Har Sinai. Now the Written Torah becomes explicitly a Book of Law. In the next many
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A Fearsome Storm
A Fearsome Storm
February 3rd, 2021
Even though Har Sinai is the lowest of the mountains, it is the eternal reference point. This is the peak we have been climbing since Beraishis.  Everything in history centers around Har Sinai. Not only is the meeting between Hashem and Am Yisroel the central focus of Jewish history, it is
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Panic!
Panic!
January 27th, 2021
Talk about panic. “Egypt pursued … and overtook them, encamped by the sea …. The Children of Israel raised their eyes and behold! Egypt was journeying after them and they were very frightened. The Children of Israel cried out to Hashem. They said to Moshe …. ‘What
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Total Dependance
Total Dependance
January 20th, 2021
Corona is a year old.  This plague was first mentioned in the news on December 31, 2019. At first its significance was not understood, but since then it has turned the entire world upside down. We heard recently about a once-wealthy country where people have been basically confined to their
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The Code Word
The Code Word
January 14th, 2021
I shall harden Paro’s heart and I shall multiply My signs and My wonders in the Land of Egypt. Paro will not heed you, and I shall put My hand upon Egypt, and I shall take out My legions – My people, the Children of Israel – from the land of Egypt with great judgments. And Egypt
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Exile
Exile
January 7th, 2021
“Yosef died and all his brothers and that entire generation…. A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know of Yosef.” (Shemos 1:6-8) So Golus began. It all started with machlokes, a fight between the brothers! Several weeks ago, the high court of the European Union decided to
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Dreams
Dreams
December 30th, 2020
Dreams play a huge role in Sefer Beraishis, especially in the lives of Yaakov Avinu and Yosef ha Tzaddik. Dreams can offer us a glimpse of Shomayim and affect our actions in this world. Now that Sefer Beraishis is concluding and we must say farewell to our Avos and Imahos until next year, it is
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Where is Moshiach?
Where is Moshiach?
December 23rd, 2020
Anyone who has read my columns over the years will know that Vayigash is, for me, the most emotional Parsha in the Torah.  “Ani Yosef! Ha-od avi chai? …. I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?” Imagine the brothers’ shock when they hear these words. Jaws drop. Eleven
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A New Moon In The Sky
A New Moon In The Sky
December 18th, 2020
So here we are the Eighth Day, and a New Moon is shining in the night sky!  We have conquered darkness and depression and we have found a path to escape from the tyranny of our feelings, which mislead us constantly. There is hope where we thought there was no hope. There is Shalom Bayis where
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The Light of the Menorah
The Light of the Menorah
December 17th, 2020
Greetings Friends,  Here are some thoughts for the Seventh Day of Chanukah, continuing our discussion:  When a wife says in her heart, “I cannot stand to look at my husband,” she is following her feelings, her Yetzer ha Ra.  Of course, it works two ways. A husband can
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Am I A Slave?
Am I A Slave?
December 16th, 2020
Dear Friends, here is a message for the Sixth Day of Chanukah, continuing in our series:  Every morning we say “shelo asani eved,” which means that I am thanking Hashem for not making me a SLAVE!  Ever since we were expelled from Gan Eden, we have been slaves to the Yetzer
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The Great Battle
The Great Battle
December 15th, 2020
Greetings, Dear Friends,  Here is the message for the Fifth Day of Chanukah, continuing in our series …. Shalom Bayis breaks down when we follow our heart and eyes and not the Holy Torah. When our feelings govern our behavior, we are on the slippery road to Gehenom.
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Going After Your Heart
Going After Your Heart
December 14th, 2020
I mentioned the wife who is repelled by her husband.  What does this have to do with Torah sh’baal pe and the Yetzer ha Ra?  Everything!  Every day we say in the Shema, do not go after “your heart and your eyes.” What happens when you go after your heart? You
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The Oral Torah
The Oral Torah
December 12th, 2020
Many marriages are struggling these days. The light has gone out of the house; often the husband and wife do not know how to restore it. Recently someone told me about a couple that has been married for many years, but the wife actually feels repelled by her husband. This is a very dark scenario,
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The Aishes Chayil
The Aishes Chayil
December 11th, 2020
During Chanukah, when we light the menorah and the flame is burning, Jewish wives are not allowed to work, as it says, “Women customarily refrain from work as long as the [Chanukah] lights in the home are burning.” (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 139:3)  We remember the remarkable courage
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The Unique Yom Tov
The Unique Yom Tov
December 10th, 2020
Dear Friends,  This Chanukah, I plan to send out one message (written and video) for each of the eight days. Here is the message for the First Day.  Leah and I wish you a Yom Tov … and an entire life! … filled with light and blessing!    Chanukah is the only
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The Dust Storm
The Dust Storm
December 2nd, 2020
We begin every day with these brachas, so they must be important. “Blessed are You, Hashem … Who gives the heart understanding to distinguish between day and night.” “Blessed are You, Hashem, that I am not a slave!” “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who clothes the
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Do You Think I Am A Calm Person?
Do You Think I Am A Calm Person?
November 25th, 2020
The opening scene of this week’s Parsha always thrills me. I see Yaakov Avinu in this vast world with the stars above him, setting out on the journey which will change world history forever. He is completely alone; there is no one else … until he becomes aware of the malachim going up
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Bereft... Memories of Rabbi Dovid Feinstein ZT"L
Bereft... Memories of Rabbi Dovid Feinstein ZT"L
November 19th, 2020
In the spring of 2019, my dear friend and colleague Reb Tsemach Glenn took me to the Lower East Side of Manhattan and introduced me to the Gaon ha Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l. If you have read my book, From Central Park to Sinai: How I Found My Jewish Soul, you will know that I was raised on the
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We Do Not Have the Strength
We Do Not Have the Strength
February 16th, 2020
“They shall make a Sanctuary for Me….” (Shemos 25:8) We need a Sanctuary, a place where the Shechina can rest, where our souls can find rest, a place we can trust, a place where Truth prevails.  In this week’s Parsha, Hashem commands us to build the Mishkan, the
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