Lost and Found
The Role of the Tzaddikim in Finding What We Lost R’ Simlai taught the following Baraita about the developing Jewish child in his mother’s womb (Niddah 30b): ונר דלוק לו על ראשו וצופה ומביט מסוף העולם ועד סופו…ואין לך ימים … Continued
It All Depends on Your Vessel
How the Torah Can Be an Elixir of Life or a Deadly Poison It is taught in Kiddushin 30b: תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״וְשַׂמְתֶּם״ סַם תָּם, נִמְשְׁלָה תּוֹרָה כְּסַם חַיִּים (The Rabbis taught in a Baraita, “And you shall place [these words … Continued
A Graceful Ibex and the Healing of the Moon
Having Our Prayers and Requests Accepted It is taught (Chullin 60b): רבי שמעון בן פזי רמי כתיב “ויעש אלקים את שני המאורות הגדולים” וכתיב “את המאור…הגדול ואת המאור הקטן” אמרה ירח לפני הקב”ה רבש”ע אפשר לשני מלכים שישתמשו בכתר אחד … Continued
To Perceive the Inner Dimension of Torah
Making One’s Prayers a Delight to Hashem In Chullin 60b, Rav Asi reconciles an apparent contradiction in the account of creation regarding when the grasses grew from the ground (see Bereshit 1:12 and Bereshit 2:5 for specifics). He answered as … Continued
To Become a Litvishe Chasid — Huh?
What R’ Nachman Actually Taught About Limud Torah As long-time readers of The Shoemaker Report should know by now, the predominant השקפה [hashkafah, outlook, perspective] followed in its pages comes from Breslov chasidut. However, let’s face it, Breslov chasidut doesn’t … Continued
Men May be Created Equal, but Angels are Not
Likutei Moharan 20 and Swords of Iron After Yaakov Avinu left Lavan, he went, as the expression goes, from the frying pan into the fire. His destiny was to come face to face with his brother Esav. Knowing that this … Continued
Purification from the Filth of the Snake
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
Why We Must Learn the Secrets of the Torah
How do we ensure that in spite of aging physically, we never really get old? R’ Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk was one of the early leaders in the Chasidic movement. He was the primary talmid of R’ Dov Ber, the … Continued
Recipe for Consistent Growth
When you hear the word teshuvah, what do you think about? Perhaps the first ideas to come to mind are that it means to repent or to return to Hashem and His ways. We could add the notion of moving … Continued
To Increase the Honor of Hashem
It is written in the Gemara (Eruvin 13b): כׇּל הַמְחַזֵּר עַל הַגְּדוּלָּה גְּדוּלָּה בּוֹרַחַת מִמֶּנּוּ וְכׇל הַבּוֹרֵחַ מִן הַגְּדוּלָּה גְּדוּלָּה מְחַזֶּרֶת אַחֲרָיו (Anyone who pursues gedulah, gedulah will flee from him, and anyone who flees from gedulah, gedulah will pursue … Continued