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When We Ask, G-d Listens

When We Ask, G-d Listens

October 18, 2025 – 10:23 pm | Comments Off on When We Ask, G-d Listens61 views

Noach: When We Ask, G-d Listens
A man once petitioned Rabbi Nosson of Breslov for a blessing to find his match. He complained that he had been seeking the right woman for many years and had still not found her. Rabbo Nosson discerned that he was slipping into despair, so …

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Simchat Torah »

The Thrill of Intimacy

October 11, 2025 – 11:45 pm | Comments Off on The Thrill of Intimacy
Simchat-Torah

The radical transition from the Yom Kippur solemnity to the Simchat Torah revelry can be dizzying, but it makes sense. There is a method to the madness. Read the full story »

The Hostages Are Coming Home

October 9, 2025 – 11:29 am | Comments Off on The Hostages Are Coming Home
hostages

As I write this on Thursday morning, it appears that the hostage exchange will at least begin before Monday evening, the commencement of the Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah holiday. It is hoped that all the living hostages will have been returned by then in a single wave. The bodies …

Leave Your Resentments at The Door

October 2, 2025 – 11:18 pm | Comments Off on Leave Your Resentments at The Door
Sukkot-family

When you think of the Sukkah, you think of walls and sechach—a foliage roof. Yet, the name Sukkah is all about the foliage roof, the sechach; that is why it is called Sukkah. Sukkah is a derivative of sechach. The foliage roof indeed makes the Sukkah; otherwise, it is just …

Extracting Sparks from Stones

September 20, 2025 – 11:11 pm | Comments Off on Extracting Sparks from Stones
Orthodox Jews wearing tallit shawls are praying with Siddur prayer books at the Western/Wailing Wall or Kotel, holiest site in Judaism; Jerusalem Israel

G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like flames” (Jeremiah 23:29). Flames don’t burn unless they have fuel to consume. The same is true of G-d’s words. “For G-d your G-d is a consuming …

Is Your Love for G-d Actionable?

September 17, 2025 – 8:54 pm | Comments Off on Is Your Love for G-d Actionable?
types-of-flowers-780x520-1

Minutes of formal meetings always end with a list of actionable items. Committees love to talk and to hear themselves talk, but if the discussions don’t produce actionable items, they are not useful.
The same is true about love. Loving someone in theory or loving the idea of someone is not …

Many Organs; One Organism

September 6, 2025 – 10:24 pm | Comments Off on Many Organs; One Organism
organism

This week, we make a dramatic declaration in our Torah reading: “You have singled out G-d . . . and G-d has singled you out” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18). On the surface, this means we singled out G-d to be our master, and He singled us out to be His people. Our …

When You Are On Your Own

August 30, 2025 – 10:34 pm | Comments Off on When You Are On Your Own
On-Your-Own

When You Are on Your Own
We humans are social creatures; we are not designed to live alone. We prefer companionship, connection, and emotional engagement. However, sometimes we shy away from community because we feel a need for alone time. These withdrawals are understandable, but they are also dangerous. There is …

Tomorrow Is Too Late

August 23, 2025 – 11:10 pm | Comments Off on Tomorrow Is Too Late
tomorrow

A good friend recently lost his father. I meant to call him as soon as I heard, but he was sitting Shivah in Mexico. So, I told myself I would call him after Shivah. A week passed, and I was going to call him that day, but I developed a …

Improve Your Eye Sight

August 16, 2025 – 11:33 pm | Comments Off on Improve Your Eye Sight
eyesight

Every year, on the last Shabbat before Elul—the final month of the year, we read a Torah portion that begins with the word reeh—see. The passage reads, “See, I set before you a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that you fulfill the commandments of G-d your G-d that …