ב"ה
Vayishlach 5768 - November 23, 2007
Chassidic Thought
Time Times Seven
If making kiddush and listening to the shofar enhances our relationship with G‑d—as we believe all mitzvot do—why the strict time limitation? Is it not the thought, and the desire to connect, that count more than all else?
If making kiddush and listening to the shofar enhances our relationship with G‑d—as we believe all mitzvot do—why the strict time limitation? Is it not the thought, and the desire to connect, that count more than all else?
Life in Fragments
We don't see the connection between events in our lives. We view others as separate from ourselves. The past is a "memory" and there is no concept or vision of a future. Just like my 2-year-old daughter...
We don't see the connection between events in our lives. We view others as separate from ourselves. The past is a "memory" and there is no concept or vision of a future. Just like my 2-year-old daughter...
The Nineteen-Year Marriage
The easiest thing to do would be to get a divorce and follow one path through life, but Jews are notorious for their refusal to accept the easier solution
The easiest thing to do would be to get a divorce and follow one path through life, but Jews are notorious for their refusal to accept the easier solution
Meditations on Time
It began and it will end and then it will be no more. Each breath, each tick, each beat of the heart comes only once; none will ever repeat itself precisely. Every instant of life is a raw but precious stone, beckoning...
It began and it will end and then it will be no more. Each breath, each tick, each beat of the heart comes only once; none will ever repeat itself precisely. Every instant of life is a raw but precious stone, beckoning...
The Speed of Light
What is time? And if we understood what time is—and what are the “windows” of timelessness within our existence—what practical difference would this make in our lives?
What is time? And if we understood what time is—and what are the “windows” of timelessness within our existence—what practical difference would this make in our lives?
Parshah
The Parshah in a Nutshell
Jacob’s confrontation with Esau, the long journey to Seir, the abduction of Dinah, Reuben’s sin, and the eight primordial kings of Edom.
Jacob’s confrontation with Esau, the long journey to Seir, the abduction of Dinah, Reuben’s sin, and the eight primordial kings of Edom.
Why Does Esau Hate Jacob?
Evil exists because it is so much more powerful than good. Is there lover in the world who loves with the intensity that a hater hates? Is there a light as bright as darkness is black? Has there ever been an act of kindness unleashed with the force and ferocity contained in an act of cruelty?
Evil exists because it is so much more powerful than good. Is there lover in the world who loves with the intensity that a hater hates? Is there a light as bright as darkness is black? Has there ever been an act of kindness unleashed with the force and ferocity contained in an act of cruelty?
Jacob's Lament
Jacob's declaration -- "I sojourned with Laban, but did not learn from his evil ways" -- should not be understood as a boast but rather as a lament. Jacob is bemoaning the fact that he did not learn to do good the way Laban did evil...
Jacob's declaration -- "I sojourned with Laban, but did not learn from his evil ways" -- should not be understood as a boast but rather as a lament. Jacob is bemoaning the fact that he did not learn to do good the way Laban did evil...
Outgoing Woman
The classical interpretation is that Leah and Dinah’s behavior is being condemned as unbecoming the Jewish woman’s virtue of “innerness.” But a careful analysis of the source texts shows the very opposite to be the case . . .
The classical interpretation is that Leah and Dinah’s behavior is being condemned as unbecoming the Jewish woman’s virtue of “innerness.” But a careful analysis of the source texts shows the very opposite to be the case . . .
The Jewish Woman
Disabilities
As a child I believed I sang very well, and this assumption was never threatened until I auditioned for my junior high-school choir...
As a child I believed I sang very well, and this assumption was never threatened until I auditioned for my junior high-school choir...
The Cup Is Half-Full
A man with tens of millions, the owner of several homes around the world and a private jet, related wistfully of a colleague who built his own landing strip...
A man with tens of millions, the owner of several homes around the world and a private jet, related wistfully of a colleague who built his own landing strip...
Insights of a Senior Citizen
My journey has often been marked by sharp, uneven pebbles, other times lined with blooming flowers; the wisdom I have acquired along the way may be useful to some of you...
My journey has often been marked by sharp, uneven pebbles, other times lined with blooming flowers; the wisdom I have acquired along the way may be useful to some of you...
News
Powerful Melodies Engage Three Generations in Jewish Song
The Friedman family of Crown Heights has branched out all over the world, taking the music of their patriarch’s Bobover roots with them.
The Friedman family of Crown Heights has branched out all over the world, taking the music of their patriarch’s Bobover roots with them.
Lubavitch Lay Leaders Gather in New York for Their Own Conference
Hundreds of Chabad House supporters held a one-day gathering in conjunction with the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries.
Hundreds of Chabad House supporters held a one-day gathering in conjunction with the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries.
Harvest materiality, and sow spirituality.
— Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch (to a fundraiser for charity)
Print Magazine
It’s G-d’s world. Everything He gives is good, the sweetest good.
But it is often a good far too great for us to understand. We imagine it is not good, because that’s the only way to make sense of it with our small minds.
Yet the truth is, He gives us all the good we can handle. If we could take more, He would g...
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