The Art of Listening
11/15/2024 12:13:18 PM
Nov15
Baruch and Miriam looked at each other, each in a state of shock. The Levaya had concluded, and all that remained was the Kel Moleh. Yet, before the Kel Moleh, Mr. Yosef Greenberg* attempted to stand up from his wheelchair. Baruch and Miriam rushed to their elderly father's side. They were unsure what their father's intentions were.
Read more... Yishai Netanel ben Sarah Tova
11/15/2024 12:07:53 PM
Nov15
The situation in Israel seems to get more frightening by the day. Although we believe B'Emunah Sheleima (with complete and total confidence) that Hashem has everything in His plan book, we daven that all should go as quickly and safely for our brothers and sisters in harm's way.
Read more... The Kittel
11/15/2024 11:55:51 AM
Nov15
I spoke to my son Tuvia at his army base just minutes before the fast began. He asked me, Ta, when do I know if I am allowed to eat on Yom Kippur? How do I know if I am required to go on a mission whose length is unknown if I should eat beforehand? I did not know what to answer.
Read more... One on Compassion
11/15/2024 11:12:10 AM
Nov15
With Rosh Hashana Hashanah just days away, and Droshos to prepare and write up, and congregants to meet with, this was the last thing I thought I needed. I do my best to avoid mediating financial disputes.They usually end with all sides disgruntled and having negative feelings towards me, and no one satisfied with my attempts at Solomonic solutions.
Read more... The Flight with Ori
09/19/2024 03:35:02 PM
Sep19
I was flying solo on the 1 AM El Al flight to Newark. I had just completed an overwhelming and exhausting six days in Israel to attend my grandson's Bar Mitzvah. I left the day after Tisha Bav-Wednesday, August 14, and was returning on Wednesday morning, August 21. I was not expecting any conversation as I sat in my aisle seat quietly and wiped out. Yet, as so often happens, Hashem has His plans for us.
Read more... Results
09/18/2024 12:06:13 PM
Sep18
So I decided to go off line for 36 hours, meaning, I am still writing- however, I am not checking my email or phone messages etc. Why did I do this? Very simple.
Read more... False Advertising
09/18/2024 12:02:22 PM
Sep18
I decided to go for a walk the other day and passed a spot which not only sells alcholic beverages, it actively promotes consumption of alcohol as a more effective way of dealing with mental health than conventional therapy.
Read more... Tensely Proud
09/18/2024 11:55:53 AM
Sep18
For most of you today is a regular Sunday- however, for me, this day is anything but regular. You see today for me was a very different type of Sunday. I am sure everyone has their own peckel and, often I spend time listening to other’s worries and fears. Please indulge me as I would like to share with you my own personal peckel.
Read more... Rav Kook ZT"L
09/12/2024 03:10:43 PM
Sep12
Today is the 89th Yahrtzeit of HaRav Avrohom Yiztchok HaKohen Kook ZT”L. Rav Kook needs no introduction to most of us. As the first Chief Rabbi of what was then British Mandatory Palestine in Eretz Yisroel and Rav Kook was one of the Gedolei Yisroel. His literary output is amazing. He wrote in all aspects of Judaism.
Read more... In Memory of Malki Lazar Z"L
09/05/2024 03:36:12 PM
Sep5
It was Wednesday afternoon, Erev July 4. I had a doctor's appointment in Ho-Ho-Kus. I glanced at my ETA and was shocked that my normally thirty-minute drive was now 57 minutes! The AAA projection of 70.9 million travelers heading on the roads for Independence Day was being fulfilled on my screen. However, I realized that perhaps this delay could facilitate a potential Mitzvah.
Read more... The Cuckoo Clock
09/03/2024 02:31:53 PM
Sep3
I observe a daily morning ritual, like clockwork. To be more precise, the ritual is clockwork. Before I leave my house for shul at 6 a.m., I descend the stairs and head straight to the eastern wall of our dining room, where I make a beeline for the object of my avodah, approaching it with a sense of purpose and reverence.
Read more... Tu B'av
08/20/2024 03:06:53 PM
Aug20
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: ”There were no days more joyous than the 15th of Av (Tu B'Av) and Yom Kippur, for on those days the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in borrowed white clothing, in order not to embarrass those who did not have...and the daughters of Jerusalem would dance in the vineyards.” (Mishna Ta’anit 4:8). This year, no one is dancing.
Read more... Erev Tu B'av
08/20/2024 03:02:42 PM
Aug20
In Shul this morning, during Chazaras HaShatz something amazing occurred. As I was listening to the repetition of the Shmoneh Esrei, suddenly I noticed the Kohanim standing in front of the Aron HaKodesh. Was it a Yom Tov today? Why are the Kohanim going to the Duchan?
Read more... In Loving Memory of Elon Weiss ZT"L
08/08/2024 12:46:51 PM
Aug8
'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few' (Winston Churchill- August 20, 1940) Over the phone, I could hear the electronic doors closing on the light rail in Yerushalayim. I asked my son, Meir, ”Where are you going?” ”Har Herzl.” My heart sank as tears welled up in my eyes. I knew Har Herzel was the military cemetery.
Read more... I am not alone ...
07/26/2024 11:07:15 AM
Jul26
The man seemed from another era as he slowly and carefully walked into the office and quietly sat down. The wrinkles running across his face revealed his painful past. Laibel Leibstein* had recently turned 90. He had lived in Boro Park for years, yet sometimes still confused the streets.
Read more... Mah-Jongg!
07/11/2024 11:36:47 AM
Jul11
”Four Crak! Three Bam! Eight Dot!” The words roll off the tongues of the four women, intensity focused on the small rectangular tiles before them. The tension builds as the women, all concentrating on the strange-looking tiles before them, as if they are on a life-saving mission, are vying to be able to scream out the coveted utterance only known to the select initiated group of Jewish women world over.
Read more... Rav Shneur Kotler and the Lubavitcher Rebbe
07/11/2024 10:44:13 AM
Jul11
Today is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur Zalman Kotler ZT’L Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, who passed away in 1982. It is also the Yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who passed away in 1994. Both these individuals left an indelible and everlasting impact on the Jewish world.
Read more... The KLOP
07/05/2024 12:21:44 PM
Jul5
KLOP- Yiddish Definition: 1- v. To knock in order to call attention. 2- 2- n. A bang, hit, blow. The man was so excited as he awoke in the morning. He was up and about and keen on doing his Chessed project. It was Rosh Chodesh, and he knew that the regular Chiyuvim (mourners) who generally lead the davening were precluded from doing so because of the semi-holiday of Rosh Chodesh.
Read more... Shlomo the Caterer
07/03/2024 03:02:04 PM
Jul3
The war has taken a terrible toll on the Jewish people. The loss of the precious Neshomos of those killed on Simchas Torah and the brave soldiers who give their lives Al Kiddush Hashem are the most painful of the sacrifices made by the people of Israel. Yet, during these more than six months of the war, there have been many difficulties faced by simple people in Israel in their daily quest to support their families. Shlomo Tal* is one of those.
Read more... You Never Know
06/11/2024 11:53:38 AM
Jun11
Shavuos is a difficult time for a Rav. The Rav is expected(?) to lead the Shul in learning throughout the night. (Full disclosure, I have not stayed up the entire night in years.) Yet, as difficult as learning the entire night may be, preparing for the night's learning is harder.
Read more... The New Suit
05/31/2024 10:12:38 AM
May31
Last Shabbos, the 17th of Iyar, the 32nd day of the Omer, was the 38th Yahrtzeit of my Rebbe, Rav Nissan Alpert ZT”L (1927 – May 25, 1986). I spoke about him in Shul that Shabbos. However, nothing could have prepared for what transpired that following day in Shul on Lag B'Omer.
Read more... R’ Avrohom Aronovitch ZT”L- On His Seventh Yahrtzeit
05/29/2024 11:29:44 AM
May29
I have a personal sadness on this day. Today is the seventh Yahrtzeit of Rav Avrohom Aronovitch. Rav Aronovitch was a special man; he was a teacher of Torah and a lover of Jews. He was the first person in town to ensure we all observed the Mitzvah of not wearing Shatnez. He was a wonderful father and husband to his family. Yet, to me, he was my friend.
Read more... The Hockey Puck of Love
05/16/2024 11:22:58 AM
May16
When his father, an academic who enjoyed physics over sports, asked his fourteen-year-old son where he would like to go, the young boy did not hesitate.
Maalot Kedoshim
05/15/2024 02:24:53 PM
May15
When I awoke this morning, I felt it. Something wasn’t right. The feeling was different than the constant feeling of anxiety which has held me captive since October 7th. This time was different. During Krias Shema, the epiphany took hold of me. After davening, I checked the dates. My feelings were correct. My internal clock sensed that today was different. Today’s discomfort was a flashback. A flashback to an event I can never and will never forget.
Read more... A Humble Giant
05/13/2024 12:14:48 PM
May13
Today is the ninth Yahrtzeit of Harav Aharon Lichtenstein (May 23, 1933 – April 20, 2015).I had the privilege of learning Torah, and perhaps more relevant for me was the privilege of simply observing him in his day-to-day life. This Shabbos at 5:30, Rav Lichtenstein will be the subject of my Shabbos afternoon Shiur.
Read more... Yad Leah
05/07/2024 03:53:37 PM
May7
Sara was having a tough Pre-Pesach day. Living in Israel has its own unique challenges. However, living outside of Yerushalayim in a smaller settlement community, you are “privileged” to experience “special challenges.” That morning, her entire family overslept as there was an unexpected Hafsakat Chashmal (power failure) during the night, causing her alarm clock to flash 4:00 and disabling its alarm.
Read more... I Took a Cab - In Memory of Leah Bas Meir A”H
04/17/2024 10:43:39 AM
Apr17
Nine years ago today, my mother passed away. What can I extrapolate from her life to help me better navigate the challenges of my life? She was a true Ohev Shalom- lover of peace in a real and meaningful way.
Read more... Huvi Saves the Day
04/11/2024 01:59:34 PM
Apr11
It was a warm day even for Beit Shemesh in the winter. All of the girls arrived at the Simcha Hall dressed for the Simcha. As soon as they arrived, they realized something was wrong. The air conditioning in the Shul broke that afternoon, and the family had no other option but to continue in the heat.
Read more... A Happy Ending
03/29/2024 10:48:37 AM
Mar29
I appreciate the downtime when I sit in my office on Shushan Purim. It's a time to review the events of the last twenty-four hours. It is a day to take stock and wind down from the frenetic pace of Purim. Once I became a Rav, I understood all too well why Yom Kippur is referred to as ”Yom Ki-Purim”- a day ”somewhat like” Purim. The responsibilities of a Rav to his Kehilla on Yom Kippur are quite daunting.
Read more... You Never Know
03/14/2024 03:11:32 PM
Mar14
As the plane landed at Ben Gurion airport, before even disembarking from the El-Al flight, Mendel Diamond* was texting his wife. Mendel had arrived from Los Angeles to bury his mother, who had passed away the day before. As soon as he passed through customs at the airport, he met up with his cousin Baruch, who would take him straight to Har Menuchos.
Read more... Sat, June 14 2025
18 Sivan 5785
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Sat, June 14 2025 18 Sivan 5785