Building the Mishkan: from Descent to Ascent In the beginning of Parashat Terumah, Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu to instruct B’nei Yisrael to bring donations of various materials in order to construct a sanctuary for Him to dwell in (Shemot 25:8): … Continued
Likutei Moharan 190 and Moshe’s Extra Day In Parashat Yitro, we read the account of Matan Torah, the Giving of the Torah. In Parashat Va’etchanan which relates what took place forty years later, Moshe Rabbeinu adds some details that weren’t … Continued
A ‘Thought Journey’ to Expand One’s Awe of G-d In Parashat Beshalach, we read about the splitting of the Yam Suf, a miracle that demonstrated Hashem’s powers probably more than any other miracle He ever performed. Granted, most of us … Continued
Seeing the Points of Good in Each Jew The story is told of the Tanna Elisha ben Avuyah who abandoned the ways of Hashem and became the heretic whom they called ‘Acher’ [‘Other’]. We won’t go into the details of … Continued
A Practical Strategy to Survive the Darkness Let’s be honest. No matter who we are or what we do, the war is taking its toll on us, sucking away our vitality. Many of us are sad or depressed. Grief, despair, … Continued
A ‘How-to’ Guide for Likutei Moharan 21:2 In last week’s article entitled They Found One Sealed Flask of Oil, we discussed the meaning of a rather cryptic statement in the Sifra di’Tzniuta (Zohar ha-Kadosh, Terumah 178a): עַתִּיקָא טָמִיר וסָתִים זְעֵירָא … Continued
The Meaning Behind the Miracles of Chanukah Three kinds of intelligence [שֵּׂכֶל, seichel] are capable of illuminating the mind of man. The lowest level corresponds to what each and every one of us is capable of achieving on his own … Continued
Yaakov’s Encounter with the Ministering Angel of Esav After Yaakov Avinu conducted his family and possessions across the river when returning to what would eventually become known as Eretz Yisrael, we read the following in the Torah (Bereshit 32:25): וַיִּוָּתֵר … Continued
Sichot ha-Ran 89 and Swords of Iron In last week’s article entitled Men May be Created Equal, but Angels are Not, we expounded upon two major teachings contained in our holy Torah. The first teaching was from Pirkei Avot 4:11 … Continued
Following in the Footsteps of R’ Akiva and Nachman Ish Gamzu In our last article entitled Rabbi Akiva’s Night in the Field which we published just prior to the start of the Festival of Succot, we learned how to face … Continued