One should take account of his soul concerning the greatness of God’s beneficence to him, manifested in the composition of his physical body in the perfection of its form and its specific human kind in the shaping of his limbs. Having been brought forth...
Miracles are promised for those who fear sin: Rabbeinu Bachya (Introduction to Ki Tisa) questions how the righteous can merit long lives if they worry so much about sinning against God, when we know that apprehension usually shortens one’s life. In fact, King...
Psalm 30: Part Three: Q: I remember learning that even though we may not be worthy, the process of prayer is what transforms us into a worthy person. Here it seems as though all the intentions are there at the beginning and while we...
“Blessed is He who redeems and saves.” Redemption and salvation are usually associated as being secondary qualities. That is to say, “If you get yourself into trouble, I will save you. If you have problems, I will redeem you.” Yet in Baruch She’amar they...
The Beit Elokim of the Mabit: A person should begin his praise by praising his Creator. As Rabbi Simlai taught in the Talmud in Berachot, first one should organize one’s praise of God, and only afterwards, pray. As it is written, ‘First Moses...
The following is from the commentary of Rav Kook, the first chief rabbi of Israel. “When we come to organize all that we will articulate, corresponding to all that God has made, and in order that we may achieve just part of God’s...
The Mishna Berurah says that before reciting Pesukei D’zimrah, you should say Baruch She’amar. The Men of the Great Assembly decreed this great praise. Those include Mordechai, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Zechariah, Chaggai, and Malachi. Do these people sound familiar? They are the ones who...
“Another explanation: What does it mean when David said, ‘My God, I have put my trust in you.’ It happened to pass in Caesarea that there was a great man whose reputation traveled far and wide. One night, as guards of the region were...
The Talmud in Berachot quotes a verse from Daniel that reads, “God gives wisdom to those who are wise.” The Gemara asks the obvious question: Why waste wisdom by giving it to those who are already wise? Why don’t you give wisdom to those...
A person should take an accounting of his soul and reflect God’s great goodness to him and having bestowed upon him the advantages of intellect, the power of perception, and many other good, desired, and honored faculties. These give him superiority over irrational animals...
One should take account of his soul concerning the greatness of God’s beneficence to him, manifested in the composition of his physical body in the perfection of its form and its specific human kind in the shaping of his limbs. Having been brought forth...
The Land of Israel can change realities: 1) The Talmud (Megillah 27b) describes Rav Huna as a short man. The Rivan (Commentary to Ketubot, page 176) believes that Rav Huna would have become a tall person if he had lived in Israel. 2) The...
The Missions of Joseph and David
One of the most fascinating ways to study bible is to compare and contrast similar stories and texts. Both Joseph and David were sent by their respective fathers to visit brothers
Mitzvah/Concept #16 Rashi, in Responsum #40, deals with the Talmudic rule (Beitza 30a) that one should not rebuke sinners who offend unintentionally because it is better for them to remain ignorant that they are doing wrong than that they should be aware of it...
Prayer Tools General Principles of Prayer Two The Reality of Prayer II: God as the Source The reality of prayer exists whether there is a mitzvah of Prayer or not. The Bible is replete with people praying and addressing God. We therefore...
Expressions of Love These are the important tools derived from the Pesukei D’Zimrah. They were designed to help us create a happy and productive day for ourselves. Many are so obvious that we tend to take them for granted and forget that they...
Expressions of Love: These are the important tools derived from the Pesukei D’Zimrah. They were designed to help us create a happy and productive day for ourselves. Many are so obvious that we tend to take them for granted and forget that they are...
Pesukei D’Zimrah: Expressions of Love When we recite Pesukei D’Zimrah (literally, “Verses of Song”), which chiefly consists of psalms, poems, and hymns praising God, we get the sense that we are not alone, that we belong to world symphony of praise to...
Pesukei D’Zimrah Tools: Expressions of Love These are the important tools derived from the Pesukei D’Zimrah. They were designed to help us create a happy and productive day for ourselves. Many are so obvious that we tend to take them for granted...