He is 99 years old. It is three days after painful surgery. Abraham circumcised himself for God. He is expectant of a life changed. Does his soul soar as never before? Does he feel a different connection with God? But he is not waiting. Abraham...
I was sick for many years. I desperately prayed for healing and for the necessary clarity to understand what God was teaching me through my suffering. My wife and I went from one doctor to another searching for the correct diagnosis. We would silently sit in...
When my father zt”l would walk up from behind, gently grab my arm and say, “Let’s walk,” I always felt a special warmth and connection. Most of those walks did not have an agenda, and, in fact, were usually silent. We simply walked. They differed...
Isaiah 40:27 – 41:16:“Why do you say, ‘My way is hidden from God, and my cause has been passed over by the Lord?’” What an interesting way to begin the Haftarah for the portion
As I was growing up, people would describe Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky zt”l as a great Tzaddik, and his cousin, my grandfather, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Ruderman, as a great Torah Sage. After my grandfather passed away, I read an article in L’eylah Magazine by Dr. Joel...
Abraham and Sarah were old. They were childless. The Talmud and Midrash actually describe them as clearly limited in the reproductive arena. God promised children to Abraham. He first met God in the furnace of fire. He knew God. Sarah had not. She knew that she...
He experienced unlimited life and as an astonishing gift, God lifted Abraham above the stars in order to say, "What you experienced was real! You are not limited by the forces of nature or by destiny." Abraham's response was so perfect, that the verse describes God...
He is literally flying. He experienced life without limitation. Abraham called on the deep wells of his courage to battle evil. He took, what most would have considered an unlikely guerrilla force and fought in open conflict with the mightiest army of his time. He...
In Honor of the Yahrtzeit of the Aish Kodesh: Rav Kalonimus Kalman Shapira, Piasetsna (Piacezna) Rebbe, author of Chovos Hatalmidim and Aish Kodesh (1889-1944). His father, Rav Elimelech of Grodzisk, was a direct
True humility leaves one feeling elevated, never depressed. True humility opens windows of opportunity. If one feels, "I will never be on the level to achieve that," his humilty is not real. It is destructive and
They had not parted on the best of terms (Battles of Weapons and Faith), and Abram had to run a wage a great war against the superpower of his time and risk everything in order to save Lot. (The Invisible Man) Lot had rejected his uncle...
Abram was sitting and teaching in his Yeshiva. Suddenly, a giant appeared. When Abram and his students saw that Og looked filthy, tired and frightened, they realized that they did not need to fear him. But as soon as they heard his breathless report of...
Word of Abraham’s miracle quickly spread from city to city. The local authorities appreciated the danger of his revolutionary idea, but were hesitant to confront Abraham, lest they lose as much as did Nimrod. Abraham left Haran, with his wife, servants, flocks and his new followers....
He had never received a communication from God. All he had was a conviction that God exists, One, and All-Powerful. He understood that the idols in his father’s factory were no more than dolls. They had no power. His ideas were dangerous. The entire power...
