The Mind’s Eye, the Heart’s Eye
Both the mind and the heart possess an “inner eye.” On Shabbat the inner eye of the mind opens to see Godliness in contemplative meditation. In the Temple the inner eye of the heart opens to see...
View Article9th of Av: the Seer of Lublin’s Yahrzeit
The Seer of Lublin passed away, at the age of 70, on the 9th of Av 5575 (1815), a day of national mourning, but also, according to the sages, the birthday of the Mashiach. Long before his passing he...
View ArticleShining the Mentor’s Light
The Seer of Lublin once said, “Between mentor and mentor (Rebbe and Rebbe) I can’t differentiate and I don’t want to differentiate. Between disciple and disciple (talmid and talmid) I can differentiate...
View ArticleThe secret of peace
Life is worthless without peace In the Torah portion of Behar, we read that as a consequence of observing the sabbatical and jubilee years, God’s promises us, “…You shall settle the land securely… and...
View ArticleA Royal Egg
Four Types of Eggs in the Talmud Four different types of egg are mentioned in the Talmud, and they each have a different status in Jewish law. The four types belong to two different groups: 1) eggs...
View ArticleHow long do we have to wait for Mashiach?
Patience, alacrity, Torah and mitzvah In a previous article, we discussed the swiftness with which Pinchas acted and in contrast we saw that Joshua did not complete the task of conquering the landof...
View ArticleCompleting Moses’ task
On the verse in this week’s parashah, “You have begun to show your servant…” the Zohar asks, What beginning is the verse referring to? It is certainly referring to Moses as being the first to be whole...
View ArticleReturning to a virgin state
Elul is the month of Divine compassion, the month in which we hear the blast of the shofar and are inspired to return wholeheartedly to God. The Ba’al Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, who...
View ArticleA Message for the New Year 5773 from Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh
On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we traditionally eat foods whose names carry a positive symbolic connotation. Just as we taste foods as positive symbols at the festive table on Rosh Hashanah, so...
View ArticleSurviving catastrophe
In Parashat Noach, humanity undergoes two great catastrophes. The first is the flood – the holocaust that annihilates all of humanity and all land-life except those who survive in Noach’s ark. The...
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