"But alas, what should I blame except my irrational desire? It lifts me so aloft, and flies so high in the sky that it reaches the sphere of fire which scorches its wings; then unable to bear me up, it drops me from the sky....
Joshua, Chapter 1: Imagine Moshe standing on the mountain, viewing the Land of Israel, so close, and yet he will not enter. After forty years of leading his nation from Egypt, always dreaming of building the country
1Kings 8:54 – 9:1: What an experience! King Solomon and Israel have completed the construction and dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. All are united in the effort and the emotional high
(Based on Ecclesiastes 4:12): There are some people who have the custom of reading the entire Torah three times on the night of Hoshana Rabbah. (Abudirham; The Order of the Succot Prayers: Hoshana Rabbah)
Can you explain for me, please, how come that its written that ‘HASHAFAN KI MA’ALEI GEIRA’ - ‘And the Hyrax, for it brings up its cud, but its hoof is not split – it is unclean to you.’ (Leviticus 11:5) when it’s against nature. So...
I slept in the Succah with my grandfather zt”l and was determined to stay up and learn as long as he was awake. After all, how could I possibly become like him if I didn’t study as assiduously? It actually wasn’t that difficult because I was...
In Honor of the Holy Breslaver’s Yahrtzeit Xerxes was furious. His engineers had constructed a bridge across the Hellespont in 480 BC, and an act of God had taken out the bridge. Xerxes blamed both the sea and the hapless engineers: “As soon as the strait had...
My friend and I were sitting and having a deep conversation. During the long silences, I could hear the ticking of the clock behind me. The volume of the ticking rose and fell every few seconds. I did not need to look behind me to...
Debbie baked all sorts of special treats for Succot, for family, friends and customers. She organized all the beautiful packages on the dining room table and left for a few minutes to answer the phone. When she returned to the dining room, all the pastries...
Poor Lord Monboddo! The Scottish jurist, natural historian and linguist, was visiting the King’s Bench in London, when the hall began to collapse, fixtures plummeting from the walls and ceiling. Judges and lawyers panicked and ran pell-mell, fleeing for the exits. Lord Monboddo sat very...
We say in Hallel: “God is The Power, He illuminated for us; bind the festival offering –isru chag- with cords until the corners of the Altar”. The day following a festival is called Isru Chag. On the day of Yom Tov, Israel has elevated itself to a higher degree of sanctity and entertained holy
"Blessed be he who comes in the Name of God. We bless you from the House of God." The Alter of Kelm derives from this verse that only one who already has committed himself to the
A poor man knocks on the door of a wealthy man on a boiling hot day, sticks out a cup and begs for a cold drink. The wealthy man is more than happy to pour a drink, but woe to the poor person if the cup has no bottom.
“As in the days when you left the land of Egypt I will show it wonders.” (Micah 7:15) A poor person who finds a million dollars will always recall that feeling. Even if he invests his money and makes many more millions,
The Bard’s clown in “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” has more to teach me than does Mary Poppins. “Honrificabilitudinitatibus,” which, depending on whom you ask, either means, ‘the state of being loaded with honors,’ or is an anagram proclaiming that Francis Bacon, not Shakespeare, wrote the great...
We can observe the most complex and complicated laws. We can build a House for God that will actually attract His Presence, but it seems as if we cannot build a simple booth without some magical help: