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Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Four: A Feast of Song

The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”?

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Three: A Song of Teshuvah

The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”?

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Three: A Song of Teshuvah

The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”?

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Two: Becoming A Servant of God

The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”?

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Two: Becoming A Servant of God

The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”?

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One: An Internal Conversation

The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”?

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One: An Internal Conversation

The words of this psalm are to be considered in light of the verse, “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance neginati in the night; I commune with my own heart.” (Psalm 77:6-7) What is meant by, “I call to remembrance neginati”?

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Charm School

One of the essays that made Jamaica Kincaid famous was "Charm" about the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm for young black women. "At some point, all this will become extinct. As black people integrate, they won't want to do the special little things that they...

Tags: Chanukah, Miketz

Yosher Divrei Emet – Moshe’s Light

The 20th of Kislev is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Meshulam Feivish HaLevi of Zbarazh, author of Yosher Divrei Emes, a basic work on chasidic thought (1794). He studied under R. Yechiel Michel of

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Pachad Yitzchak: Chanukah & Covenant

The 20th of Kislev is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yitzchak Hutner, Rosh Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, author of Pachad Yitzchak (1907-1981). His uncle, R’ Benzion Ostrover, had been

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Mishnat Chachamim: Tehillim Chapter Four: “B’nei Ish”: The Importance of Studying Mishna

The 20th of Kislev is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Feivish of Kremenitz, the Mishnas Chachamim (1774) God gave us the Mishna – which spells out Neshama – as a gift to nurture and protect our

Tags: Parsha, Portion of the Week, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Spiritual Growth, The Foundation Stone

Haftarah Vayeishev: Are We Listening?

Amos 2:6 - 3:8 It often seems as if Israel will never fully recover from the sin of the sale of Joseph. When we read the story of the Ten Martyrs

Tags: Amos, God & Israel, Haftarah, man & man, Shema, Tisha B'Av, Vayeishev, Yom Kippur

Table Talk: Vayeishev

Free Choice vs. God's Providence

Does God determine our choices?

(37:24) "And they took him and they threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water

Tags: Comforting Mourners, Individual Providence, man & man, Samuel, Vayeishev

Lights XXI

“Let there be light!” (Genesis 1:3) We must not allow ourselves to blame the “times,” i.e. our circumstances and resultant despair for the deterioration in our spiritual standards. They are not

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Countdown to Chanukah 10: Al HaNissim

“In the days of Matityahu, son of Yochanan Kohen Gadol, the Chasmonai, and his sons.” (Al Hanissim) Why do we mention the people of the time? The Maharsha (Megillah 11b) wonders about

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Lights XXII

The Torah teaches that light is much more than the absence of darkness; it is an independent, active force. Darkness wanted to attach itself to this force, therefore God separated between

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Countdown to Chanukah 9

The Rambam (Hilchot Chanukah 3:1) writes that the Syrian Greeks did not allow the people to toil in Torah. Yet, we say in Al Hanissim that they wanted to “make us forget the Torah,”

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

The Maggid of Mezeritch: Collecting Sparks

The 19th of Kislev is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezritch (1704-1772). Born in Lukatch to Reb Avraham, he descended from Rav Hai Gaon and Rav Yochanan

Tags: Parsha, Portion of the Week, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Spiritual Growth, The Foundation Stone

Countdown to Chanukah 10: Al HaNissim

“In the days of Matityahu, son of Yochanan Kohen Gadol, the Chasmonai, and his sons.” (Al Hanissim) Why do we mention the people of the time? The Maharsha (Megillah 11b) wonders about

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Clothes Part Two

Why did Joseph leave his clothes with Potiphar's wife? She could not claim rape, otherwise her clothes would have been torn, not his. She doesn't even claim rape, but "to make sport." In fact, if you study the verses carefully, her husband demands more information than...

Tags: Vayeishev

Novaradok: Spiritual Lessons

The 17th of Kislev is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yosef Yoizel Horowitz, Alter of Novardok (1849[or 1858]-1919). Born in the Lithuanian town of Plongian to Rav Shlomo Zalman, Rav and

Tags: Mussar, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Directing the Conversation

"Do you see what the slave that my husband brought into the house wanted to do?" Potiphar's wife wasn't complaining about Joseph, but her husband. She was blaming him! Joseph had taken over the management of all of Potiphar's properties. He was the man in charge. Potiphar's...

Tags: Vayeishev

Miracles XII

“As in the days when you left Egypt I will show it wonders.” (Micah 7:15) The verse speaks of days and not a single day because the day we left Egypt was connected to 50 Gates of Miracles: The exodus is mentioned fifty times in the Torah. Fifty is the number of Binah,

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Purifying The Oil XII: The Oil of Blessing Part Two

Continued from Purifying the Oil XI: It is true, the immediate comparison in the passge is between blessing and dew, not oil, but the two mean the same thing, as this dew was distilled by God from the supernal oil. Wine and oil belong respectively to the Left and the Right sides,

Tags: Chanukah, God, Lights, Miracles, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Categories

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Four: A Feast of Song

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Three: A Song of Teshuvah

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Three: A Song of Teshuvah

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Two: Becoming A Servant of God

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One Part Two: Becoming A Servant of God

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One: An Internal Conversation

Chanukah Hallel: Paragraph One: An Internal Conversation

Charm School

Yosher Divrei Emet – Moshe’s Light

Pachad Yitzchak: Chanukah & Covenant

Mishnat Chachamim: Tehillim Chapter Four: “B’nei Ish”: The Importance of Studying Mishna

Haftarah Vayeishev: Are We Listening?

Table Talk: Vayeishev

Lights XXI

Countdown to Chanukah 10: Al HaNissim

Lights XXII

Countdown to Chanukah 9

The Maggid of Mezeritch: Collecting Sparks

Countdown to Chanukah 10: Al HaNissim

Clothes Part Two

Novaradok: Spiritual Lessons

Directing the Conversation

Miracles XII

Purifying The Oil XII: The Oil of Blessing Part Two

Clothes Part One

Countdown to Chanukah 11: Al HaNissim

Me’or Einayim: Earthquake & Finding God

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