Devarim to Tisha B’Av
The power of derech eretz.- it is impossible to be rude, arrogant, rough and unpleasant while remaining a devoted servant of God.
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Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran
News and updates about Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran
Extremism at the Kotel, holy zealotry in the desert
How to distinguish holy zealotry from extremism.
We wear the holiness of Shabbat
We would not wear our everyday clothes to a wedding, so how much more should we dress for the Shabbat!
Shlach: When to confront and when to lay low
Do not feed a false fire. It will only grow stronger.
Bechukotai: The strength of the butterfly - remembering Rabbi Wallerstein
The natural world is brimming with miracles, but the transmutation of caterpillar into butterfly is in a class of its own.
What changes when we count?
Time is unaffected by us. It moves on, second by second, tick by tick, regardless of our efforts. And yet we are told to count.
To hear another, to see another, to validate another
Rav Dr. Abraham Twerski z"l: “It is virtually impossible to do anything wholeheartedly for a person unless you empathize with him."
Vayikra: Are there really unconscious mistakes?
What is sin? About missing the mark. The Vilna Gaon, taught that every sin is the result of a bad trait, which must be overcome,
The challenge of an honest eulogy
Saying goodbye:Rabbis are often anxious standing before a funeral chapel filled people each wondering "how the rabbi will handle this one.”
Mesirut Nefesh - the secret to Jewish survival
Mesirut nefesh does not make you a hero, not in the sense that we often think of heroes. There are no medals.
Pomegranates and bells: When silence is lashon hara
The judgement of when to speak up and when to remain silent is our constant challenge.
Sexual Abuse
God hears. So must we. We must look unflinchingly at the horror endured by the most vulnerable people in our time, victims of sexual abuse.
Az Yashir: Song touches the eternal
Some say that prayer is not fully prayer until it contains that ineffable spark that only true song brings to it.
Do we double down like Pharaoh when we are wrong?
The Steipler Gaon teaches that our denial does not result from ignorance, but is the result of a lack of will. Not so Pharaoh.
Grief and the care that eases it
Grief is likened to a sword over one's neck at first, says the Rambam, then it moves to another part of the room but it is still there.
To each his appropriate blessing
Same hat. Same clothes. Same curriculum. Same Jew. Same, same, same! Let's give today's young people the chance to use their strengths.
Jacob's fear of exile
Jacob's fears were justified. One need only look at the last fifty years of American Jewish history to appreciate the dangers of galut!
A simple “Good Shabbos” can change the world
The Maharal explains that when you walk by someone without offering a greeting you make him or her feel invisible and insignificant.
One day at a time
Our own experiences suggest that time, rather than being a straight arrow, is an undulating chord. Does that explain Yaakov's patience?
Hineini - I am here!
Abraham's test and our future.
To kiss the Torah, to dance with it, to be one with it
And how do Jews dance? Not individually but in a line with hands clasped or in a circle – a gathering, a community, a unity. Together.
Write this song for yourselves...
The Torah is a song. Everyone can relate to music..Every Jew will hear the music of Torah.
Slichot: It's never too early to say I'm sorry
We want to be there first, at the head of the line, to ask for mercy and forgiveness, before the Day of Judgment..
When a marriage fails
A plea for peace and understanding. Divorce, with all its hurt, uncertainty and loss should not lead to lifelong enmity.
WAZE can’t get you there - it's not found by using algorithms
When one comes up to the Beit Hamikdash he should ask of people along the way, “Where is it? Which road leads me to the House of God?”
Jealousy’s a hungry heart
How can we ensure our wants are not driven by envy?
Lives taken unintentionally
When life is lost for whatever reason there must be an accounting. The day after such a tragedy cannot be as if nothing happened.
Through the eyes of a donkey
Just like Bilaam’s donkey “turning aside”, life has a way of recognizing that the path is blocked.
You are what you wear
The Talmud teaches us to be sure our Shabbat attire is not the same as our weekday attire.
The 'Meraglim" among us: Truth, fake news, and Israel
The concept of fake news is as old as information itself.- and the Story of the Spies in this week's Torah Reading, is an early example.
Loving your neighbor while standing on one foot
The world suggests it’s wiser to maintain the walls that separate neighbor from neighbor. But what does G-d want?
R’Baz and the Racham - what a non kosher bird has to say
The bird’s call is so raucous and so recognizable that some say it is the source of our word 'shriek' - but in Hebrew, it means a whistle.
Bring down the temperature
The Torah's distinction between turtledove and pigeon teaches us a lesson about loyalty, jealousy and zealotry.
What we hide, what we reveal
Who stands behind the masks we wear?
Act first, listen second - an act of faith
The Sadducee mocked Rava, “You are an impetuous people, for you put your mouth before your ears.
The essential ingredient in Manna: Faith
Did God really want us to simply accept the gracious gift from His outstretched hand so that our faith would grow and deepen?
Strangers in a strange land
A meeting of Congress opened with a prayer to God (He/She/It) and concluded with “Amen” and “A-women”. We really are strangers.
The blessing we want for our grandchildren
Ephraim and Menashe. How is it that when we lay our hands upon our sons and grandsons' heads to bless them it is these two names we name?
View the Safran dreidel collection - a feast for Hanukkah eyes
From the US, Israel, Spain, Hungary, India, Russia, Scotland - all over the world! Made of glass, wood, metal and, yes, from clay.
Thou shalt not covet riches
Jealousy is the terror of seeing someone achieve more than us. What would we do to make sure others don’t get a bigger piece of the pie?
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