“And with all your might/possessions” Contrary to common opinion, this doesn’t mean that you have to give Tzedaka. Of course, you do. But the proscription to do so does not originate from this passage. This passage is saying that because you know that all your...
“And with all your might/possessions” Contrary to common opinion, this doesn’t mean that you have to give Tzedaka. Of course, you do. But the proscription to do so does not originate from this passage. This passage is saying that because you know that all your...
“With all your hearts” Note that we are commanded to love God with our “hearts” (plural). This means to love God with both our evil inclination and our good inclination. We have to turn our evil inclination around so that we love God with our...
“With all your hearts” Note that we are commanded to love God with our “hearts” (plural). This means to love God with both our evil inclination and our good inclination. We have to turn our evil inclination around so that we love God with our...
“You shall love God with all your hearts, and with all your soul, and all your might/resources.” This is a commandment to love God, but how can love be commanded? If someone holds a hold a gun to your head and says, “Love me!” and...
“You shall love God with all your hearts, and with all your soul, and all your might/resources.” This is a commandment to love God, but how can love be commanded? If someone holds a hold a gun to your head and says, “Love me!” and...
“Hashem Echad” – God is One - means something frightening. It means that God is the only being that actually exists. Nothing else exists. God creates and recreates us at every moment, and our continued existence is assured only because God wills it. Our existence...
“Hashem Echad” – God is One - means something frightening. It means that God is the only Being that actually exists. Nothing else exists. God creates and recreates us at every moment, and our continued existence is assured only because God wills it. ...
“HaShem Echad” – God is One - also conveys the idea that there is only one God, and there is no other. When we say “HaShem Echad”, God says to us, “I love you, and I want you to love Me in return. I am...
“HaShem Echad” – God is One - also conveys the idea that there is only one God, and there is no other. When we say “HaShem Echad”, God says to us, “I love you, and I want you to love Me in return. I am...
The Shema is where we work on our relationship with God. This means hard work, just like the work on any other relationship—with our spouse or children. In any relationship, we commit to some extent and have doubts to some extent. It’s not possible...
The Shema is where we work on our relationship with God. This means hard work, just like the work on any other relationship—with our spouse or children. In any relationship, we commit to some extent and have doubts to some extent. It’s not possible...
In summary, in the Shema God states: “I love you, I want you to love Me back. And I want you to know that there are obligations here, just like in any relationship. You have obligations, and I have obligations. And I am reliable. Tremendously...
The three paragraphs are followed by a blessing declaring God to be “true and certain, established, enduring, fair, faithful, beloved, cherished, delightful, present, awesome, powerful, correct, accepted, good, beautiful …” In a human marriage, loving the other person is complicated. Love makes us to the...
My Uncle Noach zt"l taught: The Mishna says we should hear with our ears. That seems obvious—we don’t hear with our eyes! But the truth is that most of us don’t hear with our ears. We hear with our brains and our emotions. But saying...
The first paragraph (from Deuteronomy 6:5-9) says that we should love God. In the preceding blessings, we saw how much God loves us, so now God says to us, “I want it to be a two-way relationship. I want you to love me.” The second...
Introduction: Forms of Prayer
Muktzah: Introduction
The most thrilling and fascinating moments of my childhood were when I snuck out of bed, avoiding
“Ha’tov shimcha u’l’cha na’eh l’hodot”- “Your Name is ‘The Beneficent One’ and to You, it is fitting to give thanks.” There is a difference between “hakarat ha’tov”, recognition of how I have benefited (from another) and “hoda’ah”, thanks, or gratitude.