A Generation that is Entirely Innocent or Entirely Guilty R’ Yochanan taught (Sanhedrin 98a): אין בן דוד בא אלא בדור שכולו זכאי או כולו חייב. בדור שכולו זכאי דכתיב (ישעיהו ס, כא) ועמך כולם צדיקים לעולם יירשו ארץ בדור שכולו … Continued
Mashiach and the Mechanics of Rebuke (Likutei Moharan II:8:1) A little over a year ago, we published a d’var Torah entitled To Rebuke or Not to Rebuke: That is the Question. In that article, we explained what happens to someone … Continued
How Machloket Not for the Sake of Heaven Serves a Higher Purpose In last few articles from The Shoemaker Report we have taken the time to explain teachings from the Zohar ha-Kadosh and from the Vilna Gaon that state unequivocally … Continued
The Secret of the Erev Rav (Part 3) In the past two issues of The Shoemaker Report, we examined the origins and characteristics of the souls of the converts who accompanied the Jewish People when they left Egypt in the … Continued
The Secret of the Erev Rav (Part 2) In last week’s article, The Erev Rav Also Went Up With Them, we learned a number of important points related to the Erev Rav and their relationship to B’nei Yisrael. First, the … Continued
How the Mishkan Was Built In what is perhaps his most well-known lesson in Likutei Moharan, R’ Nachman of Breslov explains the importance of looking for, and finding (!), the good points in every Jew, even in someone we might … 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
We know the story. Balak hired Bilaam to curse Yisrael but was unsuccessful because Bilaam was permitted only to speak blessings upon Yisrael. Nevertheless, Bilaam devised a plan, which he knew that if it succeeded, destruction would come upon Yisrael … Continued
In last week’s article, we reviewed the six main attributes of the parah adumah (disgraced, unblemished soul, occupied fully with Torah, a tzaddik who exhibits true shiflut, yet despised by the nation) and challenged the reader to see the connection … Continued
In the early days of the automobile, if someone wanted to start his engine, he inserted the hand crank and turned it forcefully. Although he probably did not understand what was actually going on under the hood when he turned … Continued