The ‘Impossible Challenge’
While the Ramban suggests that a test is within one’s capacity, the very Hebrew word for a test suggests otherwise. The root of the word nisayon is neis, the Hebrew word for miracle.
The Purpose Of Our Challenges
Did the great ones become great despite their challenges or because of them? What is the secret to their success?
Transcending Ego To Connect With The Infinite
As human beings, we are naturally resistant to external instruction or direction, preferring to do things only when we want to do them.
A Tzaddik Falls Seven Times And Rises
Most of humanity lies somewhere along the middle of the spectrum. Our point of free will is located in the decision sphere of whether or not to gossip, to hit snooze, to give charity, to smile, to eat right, etc. These are the battles of inches; sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose.
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 Birth of Torah Sheba’al Peh (Part II)
The physical world was naturally seen as an expression of a spiritual reality, and it was easy to source the physical back to the spiritual.
The Two Stages of History: Seeing And Hearing
You must pick up on every hint of clarity you receive, put the pieces together, and form the image in your mind while still walking in darkness.
Are You Willing To Journey Into The Unknown?
All we know is where we're leaving from, where we are right now. Only once we arrive, we will retroactively see where the journey was taking us all along.
Your Creation Story: The Journey Of Self-Discovery
Like Adam, each of us has our own unique creation story.
Emerging From The Waters Reborn
A central question in the story of the mabul is why Hashem specifically chose to destroy the world through a flood. Hashem could have chosen any form of destruction, and yet, He chose water. Why?
Mirrors And Windows: The Secret Of Schach
The spiritual concept of beauty, and its relevance to marriage, is central to the connection we aim to develop through the process of Succos.
Ideals Lost And Found
The first stage is a gift, a spiritual high. It’s there to help you experience the goal, the destination. It’s a taste of what you can and hopefully will ultimately accomplish, but it’s not real. It’s given as a gift and is therefore an illusion.
Sefiras HaOmer: Achieving The Impossible
How do we, as physical and limited beings, transcend our finite dimensions? How do we relate to the abstract, to the infinite, to the spiritual?
Klal Yisrael’s Transformative Origin Story
How many things are we holding ourselves back from achieving simply because we believe them to be impossible?
Taking Advantage Of Our Ordeals
We must ask ourselves: Is this the best way to handle an ordeal? When we face challenges, how do we act during these moments of pain and discomfort?
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.
Are You Willing To Journey Into The Unknown?
The inability to fully understand the destination of one’s own growth can be compared to a child’s inability to grasp a complex scientific or spiritual concept.
Transcending Ego To Connect With The Infinite
The spiritual concept of intoxication is related to the theme of transcendence and the expansion of consciousness. Although done inappropriately, Nadav and Avihu were attempting to transcend their physical state and connect to Hashem on the deepest level.
Lashon Hara:The Ultimate Corruption Of Speech
Do you ever wonder what people really think about you? Whether they think you’re brilliant, caring, and fun; or lazy, self-centered, and boring? The truth is that you’ll never know; people only talk about you openly when you’re not in the room.
Why Strive For Greatness? (Part I)
What is the Jewish perspective on the goal of life? Do we limit ourselves to our own individual happiness, or should we be striving for something even deeper and greater?
True Marriage: Peering Through The Surface
The lecture questioned the Western model of beauty and love, rejecting the notion of love at first sight. While physical beauty is important, inner beauty, spiritual beauty, is infinitely more powerful.
Emerging From The Waters Reborn
Every day, we get to choose who we are, what we believe in, and how we are going to live our lives. Each morning, we get to create our identity, begin anew. As Avraham Avinu says, Anochi afar va’efer – I am but dust and ashes (Bereishis 18:27).
The Deeper Purpose Of Torah Wisdom
Every single thing that we see and experience in the physical world stems from the spiritual root – the transcendent dimension of Torah.
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.
Aseret Hadibrot: Oneness And Twoness
One unique feature of the Luchot is that there were two sets given to us. The original was created by Hashem and given to Moshe, whereas the second set was hewn by the hands of Moshe. However, the difference between these two sets is not simply practical; the two sets of Luchot are fundamentally different.
Oneg And Nega: The Story Of Eden, Nahar, And Gan (Part I)
The goal is for the essence of Eden to flow untainted through the Nahar into the Gan – for the spiritual to be powerfully and completely expressed through the physical.
What Do We Really Want?
Most spiritual schools of thought are focused wholly on the spiritual; they view the physical world as lowly and dangerous. They therefore claim that the physical should be avoided to the greatest extent possible.
Flying To Falling: The Raging Battle Within Us All
Cheit Ha’Egel, the sin of the golden calf, is perhaps the most infamous event in the Torah, a sin compared to the original sin of Adam HaRishon and one that has repercussions throughout Jewish history.
Sefiras Ha’Omer: Achieving The Impossible
In truth, we are not counting down to Matan Torah, but rather are building toward it, ascending one day at a time.
The Beis HaMikdash: A Place Of Connection
We all yearn for connection: to ourselves, to other people, and, of course, to Hashem. But connection is difficult; it requires time, patience, and constant effort. Genuine communication takes a lifetime to achieve.
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