תשרי 14, 5779, 9/23/2018
 Mercy, mercyRachmanus (mercy), rachmanus...rodef rachmanus...Rabbi Soloveitchik explained it best. Vaetchanan: If at first...Sometimes, it is better to do some than to try and do it all. Sometimes, now is too soon. We live in the Age of Balaam - and haters are gonna hateOne hundred and twenty can stand in the General Assembly and vote in defense of haters and murderers, in defense of Hamas, but it is God Who will stymie Bilaam! Blind to the blessingsHow easy it is to complain and ignore the blessings from the safety those very blessings confer upon us. A dispute for the sake of HeavenIf leading was easy, anyone could do it. Fake NewsPropaganda by any other name.... Each like the whole of Creation“Here’s the difference between us,” explains the Israeli prime minister. “We’re using missile defense to protect our civilians, and they’re using their civilians to protect their missiles.” - Charles Krauthammer Counting up, counting downLag Ba'Omer marks the end of the sad customs of the period of sefira. Do we count ba'Omer or la'Omer How do we get to love? (Overseas)How do we go from seething in silence from the myriad hurts and humiliations we experience to a silence of strength and grace?The speaking voiceIt is surely no coincidence that Parashat Tzav is always read during the Nisan- Pesach time of the year. Often, on Shabbat Hagadol. Sweeten to taste: Leavened foods on the altarWhy is it forbidden to bring leavened food as an offering? Vayakhel-Pekudei: The urgency of the nowWhat happened between the time they left “as one” and when “only a few” returned? Who stands behind the mask?Rava said, It is one’s duty levasumei, to make oneself fragrant [with wine] on Purim until one cannot tell the difference between ‘arur Haman’ (cursed be Haman) and ‘barukh Mordekhai’ (blessed be Mordecai). Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 7b Plant, believe, carry onThe message of the acacia trees in the desert. Why do 70% of Powerball winners go bankrupt within a few years?To set a place. To be prepared. Not "dumb luck". The children we haveBelieve me Rebbi, I only care about my child’s Yiddishkeit, and if he doesn’t go on the right path then I prefer that he should just die already - spoken to Harav Aaron Leib ShteinmanShmot: …For as his name is, so is heWhat's in a name? A good deal. Raising children: "Fair" does not mean "the same"The goal should not be to mold them into a uniform sameness so much as to elevate each one. The Dreidel Rabbi speaksMiracles. They spin and spin all around us. Modesty in the age of abuseRescue us from the hand of Esau. Trust when it countsAvraham trusted his CEO implicitly, but, he demanded an oath when it came to finding a wife for his son.A friend in needA friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies- Aristotle. What's love got to do with it?Love, yes, but also hard work. Data Plan? Who decides – you or your IPhone?A Jew must be master of his movement in the world; he cannot allow himself to be swayed by outside forces. Political correctness is no substitute for truthWe must show compassion and sensitivity to the person, not the act. A simple task? A menial task? A mitzvahThe kohanim would draw lots to determine who would have the privilege of cleaning the ashes! Vayakhel-Pekudei: DetailsAs God tends to our needs and wants, doesn’t it make sense to likewise orient ourselves to the needs and wants of our wives? Mishpatim: There are no alternative factsHow did we obey before we knew the facts? Prepare!There are many, many perspectives on how best to prepare but most of the various perspectives can be boiled down to a few universal steps. As stands the tree, so stands the man: Singular and strongThe singularity of each tree is to be celebrated. Also that of man.Denial is not a river in EgyptDenial doesn’t mean there are no consequences. To grow, to become greatA new child is loved for what he may become... Heasfu - Assemble!The Divine Presence rests only on one in a state of happiness... Love and marriageThere should be a break between falling in love and marriage. Matchmaking, a holy taskSo important, so weighty, so meaningful is the decision that it is sometimes a wonder that any of us manage to cross that threshold! Until the waters lap at our feetKnowledge and faith. Noach’s faith was driven by his intellect; it had no passion or emotional intensity. Confession: The Klausenberger Rebbe and Rabbi SoloveitchikThe nullity of being and the greatness of being. Move de lineShalom Habayit. Shalom Aleinu. A Plea for Peace and Understanding Fins and scalesFish, children and scholars. Who can legislate morality?Can we be commanded not to covet? We have had three weeksThree Weeks to recreate a bond of Love, Respect and Passion. Kashering and the art of living: Lessons from Matot-MaseiIn the world, of the world? Chukat (Diaspora): To sing a new songOur children and students. Behaalotcha (Diaspora): The gap yearTo teach, to inspire. Behar (Diaspora):The numbers don’t lieBalance and symmetry. A small people, a great impactIsrael is a light unto the nations. Parshat Acharei Mot: Israel and moralityWhen in Rome...? In the eye of the beholderA good eye. Mishpatim: Sticks and stonesInsults and how we react to them. Shmot: Parenting AnnouncementsParenting and a child's potential. A dreidel storyRedemption is the ultimate miracle. Even for dreidels. Yasher Koach: It’s nice to be acknowledgedWe all act differently if we know we will be acknowledged or our actions are being recorded. Welcoming guests at the Sabbath tableTo sit at Henny Machlis' table, at the home of the famous Jerusalem couple whose open house welcomed thousands over the years for Shabbat and holiday meals, was to meet a modern day Abraham and Sarah. The Parchment Burned but the Letters Ascended…Is my father’s lesson, that those who perished left us with a clear mission – to live and thrive, to build a Jewish world, true? |
