The Five Stages of Faith
It is always important to reinforce our commitment to the journey of faith. There is no greater act of emunah than living a spiritual, holistic life in an often chaotic, fragmented world.
Can You Really Become as Great as Moshe Rabbeinu?
The Rambam says something absolutely shocking. He claims that everyone is capable of becoming a tzaddik like Moshe Rabbeinu. How is this possible? Not all of us are able to become leaders, let alone become the greatest leader in human history. So what does the Rambam mean?
Chanukah: Re-Examining Our Ideological Battle Against the Greeks
Ideally,nthe physical wisdom of the Greeks and Yefes are to reside within the tent of Shem, for science and the wisdom of the world to be in harmony with Torah. The problem occurred when the Greeks tried to destroy the Torah, which contradicted their ideology, and the Jews were forced to fight for their beliefs. This was the battle of Chanukah.
Haman And Today’s Battle Against Amalek
As we encounter Purim and our victory over Haman, let us delve deeper into the unique spiritual and existential battle that the Jewish People must continue to wage against the philosophy of Amalek.
Why Do People Speak Lashon Hara? (Parshas Tazria/Metzora)
This is the gift of speech. Speech is the mechanism that enables us to connect with other people, to overcome the barrier between us, so let us respect and not abuse it.
Rosh Hashana: The Three Stages of Teshuva
Elul and Rosh Hashanah center around the concept of teshuva, and Parshas Nitzavim is clearly linked to this theme as well. The pesukim in Nitzavim discuss the theme of teshuva, the importance of choosing life - choosing what is right, and connecting ourselves back to Hashem. As Parshas Nitzavim is connected to the transition from Elul into Rosh Hashanah, let us delve into the idea of teshuva.
Purim: Our Existential Battle Against Amalek
After Hashem performed the ten makkos and took the Jewish People out of Mitzrayim, Hashem’s providence was flamingly clear in the world.
Yosef And The Battle For True Beauty
Before Adam sinned, he looked nothing like you or I do today... The Midrash says that he wore kosnos ohr (skin of light). When you looked at Adam, you didn’t see his body but saw Adam himself, i.e., his neshama.
Aseres Hadibros: Oneness and Twoness
We are commanded to treat every pasuk and word in the Torah with equal awe and respect, and yet there is a prevailing custom to stand in shul as the Aseres HaDibros are read, seemingly attributing unique significance to them.
Yom Kippur: Flying Amongst Angels
Our goal as humans is not to escape the physical, but to use it as a means of connecting to the transcendent.
Why Are There Two Sets Of Luchos?
While the general juxtaposition of the mitzvos on the right and left sides of the Luchos carries fundamental significance, there is a powerful connection between the specific commandments on each side as well.
A Tzaddik Falls Seven Times And Rises
The Jewish People were indeed on the loftiest of levels — a state that we can hardly imagine. They had just witnessed earth-shattering miracles and received the Torah from Hashem Himself on Har Sinai.
Think. Feel. Grow: Parshat Mikeitz: Yosef, Chanukah, and the Battle for True Beauty
Parshas Mikeitz always falls out around Chanukah, and Chazal explain that this is not coincidental. In explanation of this phenomenon, the commentaries discuss how Yosef is connected to Chanukah, and how he symbolizes our victory over the Greeks.
Parshas Toldos: The Cosmic Battle Between Yaakov and Esav
The physical is not an end in itself- it is meant to serve as a vehicle for transcendent, spiritual, conscious living. This is the battle we face on a daily basis, a battle of perception.
Chesed, Din, And Tiferes: The Guiding Principles Of Reality
How can it be that Hashem made a mistake – that He originally wanted to create the world with din but then changed His mind?
The Turbulent Journey To Matan Torah
Inspiration-like a flash of lightning
Re-Examining Our Ideological Battle Against the Greeks
The greatest victory over the Greeks wasn't to simply prove that transcendent Torah exists; it was to reveal that ... even limited human beings can connect to the infinite.
The Birth Of Torah Sheba’al Peh (Part III)
Moshe took everything that came before and expressed it through his unique lens. The Maharal and Ohr Hachaim describe this process as Moshe’s transformation into a normal Navi.
The Five Stages Of Torah
This five-stage pattern exists within every process in life. Everything in this world, even that which appears chaotic, scattered, and disorganized, shares this underlying pattern.
Yom Kippur: Flying Amongst Angels
As we approach Yom Kippur, we recognize that it is unquestionably one of the most important days of the year. And yet, in many ways, it is a mystery.
The Torah’s Powerful Approach To Happiness
True happiness is what you experience when you are actualizing your potential, working toward becoming the person you are meant to become.
Why Are There Two Sets of Luchos?
Each individual dibrah on the right parallels the corresponding dibrah on the left. Together, they make up a unified whole of connection to both Hashem and one’s fellow man.
What Made Moshe’s Prophecy Unique? (Part I)
Imagine a life beyond the one you currently experience – one with new senses and sensations, new colors added to your field of vision, and new sounds to your range of hearing. What if you had abilities that far surpassed anything you can imagine?
The Cosmic Battle Between Yaakov And Esav
And this was the very battle between the perception of Yaakov and Esav. They both wanted both the spiritual and the physical.
Filling The Void: The Spiritual Joy Of Wasting Words (Part II)
Destroying the yetzer for transcendence was like destroying a spiritual radio located within our consciousness. Once you destroy the radio, the transmitter and receiver no longer operate.
Experiencing Shavuos as We Spiral Through Time
Our mission is to make this Shavuos the next step in our evolutionary spiral through time. We must not only re-accept what we have already accepted, we must take it to the next level,
The Curse of the Unborn Child
Elul is the time of teshuva, of self-awareness and recalibration, of inspiration and will. Ki Savo is the parsha of tochacha (rebuke). The connection between teshuva and rebuke appears self-evident, but exploring these topics in depth reveals an ever richer and perhaps less obvious connection. To better understand the connection between tochacha and teshuva, we must first understand the concept of flattery.
The Spiritual Concept of Beauty
This is true beauty, where the inner and outer melt into a oneness, where the physical perfectly reflects the inner spirituality and projects something deeper than itself.
Purim: Our Existential Battle Against Amalek
Amalek rejects Hashem’s connection to this world or any connection between the spiritual and the physical. Essentially, Amalek denies Hashem’s control of this world and the ability for man to uplift himself to the level of the spiritual.
Purim: Our Existential Battle Against Amalek
Amalek rejects Hashem’s connection to this world or any connection between the spiritual and the physical. Essentially, Amalek denies Hashem’s control of this world and the ability for man to uplift himself to the level of the spiritual.
Headlines
Latest News Stories
Recommended Today
Sponsored Posts
