Blog

Bible-Personalities-Abraham’s Big Day

On the 15th of Nisan, God made the Brit bein haBetarim with Abraham , and the angels appeared to inform Abraham that Isaac would be born the following year (Seder Olam 5). They appeared as human beings to Abraham,

Tags: Abraham, Bible, Biblical Personalities, commentaries, Midrash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Bible-Personalities-Moshe and The Burning Bush

Moshe saw the Burning Bush on the 15th of Nisan (Rabbeinu Bachya, Bo): My wife told me that I was talking in my sleep: “Red eyed from wine (Genesis 49:12),” Rashi explains that this is an allusion to the great

Tags: Bible, Biblical Personalities, Burning Bush, commentaries, Midrash, Moses, Moshe, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Bible-Personalities-Sarah and Pharaoh

The Midrash teaches that the 15th of Nisan is the anniversary of Sarah being brought to the house of Pharaoh (Bereishit Rabbah 12:15): “Her husband’s heart trusts in her, and he shall lack no fortune.” Who is this woman?

Tags: Bible, Biblical Personalities, commentaries, Midrash, Parsha, Pharaoh, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Sarah, The Foundation Stone

Nisan-Perfecting Our Speech XIII-Breslav

Great is the power of the spoken word! We find in the Talmud that when a man is worried because of an evil dream, he should narrate it to three persons, who should tell him: “you have dreamed a good dream.” Thus, a word

Tags: Jewish Calendar, Nisan, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Speech, The Foundation Stone

Haggadah-Mix of Slavery & Freedom

A thief watched a clerk every day as he carried bags of money for deposit in a bank. He went in to a clothing store and said, “I wish to order an expensive suit of clothes for an out-of-town friend. I shall watch for a man of

Tags: Haggadah, Passover, Pesach, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Seder, The Foundation Stone

Amidah-Gevurot-Pesach

A Chassid of Reb Leib Sara's wished to carry his masters trunk for him, but found it too heavy to lift. The Rabbi picked it up and carried it without difficulty. He explained, “in Psalm 103:20 we read, “You, mighty in strength,

Tags: Pesach, Tehillim

Haggadah-Looking Back

“And you shall see My back (Exodus 33:23).” In my use, a French officer was quartered in the home in Mayence where I was a boarder. We became friends, but we lost sight of each other when we both left the city.

Tags: Haggadah, Passover, Pesach, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Seder, The Foundation Stone

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 IV-Alshich

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe Alshich: “like the bowmen of Ephraim who played false in the day of battle, they did not keep God's covenant, they refused to follow His instruction; they forgot His deeds

Tags: Pesach, Tehillim

Haggadah-Nirtzah-Our Hands Are Full

Rabbi Baruch Leipniker's sister-in-law told the following parable: “A cattle dealer was accustomed to sell the meat of his cattle to a butcher and to place the hides in his garret which he used as a storeroom. Once he became

Tags: Haggadah, Passover, Pesach, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Seder, The Foundation Stone

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 III-Alshich

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe Alshich: “He established a decree in Jacob, ordained a teaching in Israel, charging our fathers to make them known to their children, that a future generation might know,

Tags: Bo, Tehillim

Haggadah-Fifteen Steps of the Seder-Shelah

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yeshayah Horowitz, author of Shnei Luchos Habris (Shelah Hakodesh) (1560-1630), born in Prague, where he became chief rabbi. In his later years he moved to Eretz Yisrael

Tags: Haggadah, Passover, Pesach, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Seder, Shelah, The Foundation Stone

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 II-Alshich

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe Alshich: “I will expound a theme, hold forth on the lessons of the past, things we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not withhold them from their

Tags: Haggadah, Tehillim

Haggadah-What Is This Work-Shelah

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yeshayah Horowitz, author of Shnei Luchos Habris: Pharaoh said to Moses that he did not comprehend the meaning of the term Avodah, "service." He did not know if Moses

Tags: Haggadah, Passover, Pesach, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Seder, The Foundation Stone

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 I-Alshich

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe ben Chaim Alshich (1508-1593) [others say 1522-1570]. Born in Adrianople, Turkey, student of Rav Yosef Karo in Adrianople and Rav Taitatzak in Salonica. He authored

Tags: Pesach, Tehillim

Prayer Skills-Ramban-A Gift of Love

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe ben Nachman, the Ramban: in my opinion, “seeking God,” always refers to prayer. It is thus written, “I sought God and He answered me (Psalms 34:5-Pesukei d'Zimrah-Shabbat & Festivals),”

Tags: Kavanot, Machberes Avodas Hashem, Prayer, Praying with power, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Ramban, Service of God Notebooks, The Foundation Stone

Prayer Skills-On Time-Maggid Meisharim

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yosef Karo: The Maggid warned Rabbi Yosef Caro to come on time to synagogue, so that he would be able to say the entire service in order. When one skips prayers, he upsets

Tags: Kavanot, Machberes Avodas Hashem, Prayer, Praying with power, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Service of God Notebooks, The Foundation Stone

Shema-Ahavah Rabbah-Ahavat Olam-Bet Yosef

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yosef Karo, Beis Yosef, Shulchan Aruch, Kesef Mishneh,and Magid Meisharim, (1488-1575). His first major work, the Beis Yosef is a comprehensive commentary on the Tur;

Tags: God, i-Love, i-Pray, Kavanah, Kavanot, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Shema, The Foundation Stone

Prayer Skills-Pray First-Shelah

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yeshayah Horowitz, author of Shnei Luchos Habris: The Great Assembly composed prayers that are the same for all Israel, as well as an order of service that all should say. Still,

Tags: Kavanot, Machberes Avodas Hashem, Prayer, Praying with power, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Service of God Notebooks, The Foundation Stone

Amidah-Shaking While Praying-Shelah

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yeshayah Horowitz, author of Shnei Luchos Habris: Shaking in prayer causes one to lose concentration, while standing motionless enhances it. The verse, “All my bones shall say,”

Tags: Kavanot, Machberes Avodas Hashem, Prayer, Praying with power, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Service of God Notebooks, The Foundation Stone

Prayer Skills-Multiple Troubles-Shulchan Aruch

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yosef Karo: If a community has two troubles, they should only pray for mercy concerning one of them. They should say, “Even though we have many troubles in our hearts, we

Prayer Skills-For Everything-Shelah

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yeshayah Horowitz, author of Shnei Luchos Habris: Since everything comes from God, we have an obligation to pray to Him for all our needs. No matter what you need,

Tags: Kavanot, Machberes Avodas Hashem, Prayer, Praying with power, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Service of God Notebooks, The Foundation Stone

Shir Hashirim-Awakening Desire-Ramban

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe ben Nachman, the Ramban: When the sages say that we do not know how to pray with God's Specific Name, they are only speaking of prayers for the redemption. Israel is in

Tags: Prayer, Song of Songs

Prayer Skills-When Not To Pray-Shulchan Aruch

The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yosef Karo: When the city is under siege, or when an individual is being pursued, they are not permitted to fast and pray, for this may sap their strength. Instead, they should immediately

Tags: Kavanot, Machberes Avodas Hashem, Prayer, Praying with power, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Service of God Notebooks, The Foundation Stone

Bible Personalities-Gideon

On the 16th of Nisan, “The angel of God came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

Tags: Bible, Biblical Personalities, commentaries, Gideon, Midrash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Biblical Personalities-King David’s Dilemma

On the 16th of Nisan King Saul’s seven sons were killed (Bamidbar Rabbah; Nasso): During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of God. God said, “It is on account

Tags: Bible, Biblical Personalities, commentaries, Gibeonites, King David, King Saul, Midrash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Biblical Personalities-Hezekiah’s Illness

The 12th of Nisan is the anniversary of, “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what God says: Put your house in order, because

Tags: Bible, Biblical Personalities, commentaries, Hezekiah, Midrash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Biblical Personalities-Yehudah-Bitter & Pure

“And she sat in the entrance of Enaim, when Judah saw her he thought her to be a harlot, for she had covered her face (to see Genesis 38:14).” The name Tamar is composed of the words, Tam, meaning innocent and pure,

Tags: Bible, Biblical Personalities, commentaries, Midrash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Categories

Bible-Personalities-Abraham’s Big Day

Bible-Personalities-Moshe and The Burning Bush

Bible-Personalities-Sarah and Pharaoh

Nisan-Perfecting Our Speech XIII-Breslav

Haggadah-Mix of Slavery & Freedom

Amidah-Gevurot-Pesach

Haggadah-Looking Back

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 IV-Alshich

Haggadah-Nirtzah-Our Hands Are Full

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 III-Alshich

Haggadah-Fifteen Steps of the Seder-Shelah

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 II-Alshich

Haggadah-What Is This Work-Shelah

Tehillim-The Pesach Psalm-78 I-Alshich

Prayer Skills-Ramban-A Gift of Love

Prayer Skills-On Time-Maggid Meisharim

Shema-Ahavah Rabbah-Ahavat Olam-Bet Yosef

Prayer Skills-Pray First-Shelah

Amidah-Shaking While Praying-Shelah

Prayer Skills-Multiple Troubles-Shulchan Aruch

Prayer Skills-For Everything-Shelah

Shir Hashirim-Awakening Desire-Ramban

Prayer Skills-When Not To Pray-Shulchan Aruch

Bible Personalities-Gideon

Biblical Personalities-King David’s Dilemma

Biblical Personalities-Hezekiah’s Illness

Biblical Personalities-Yehudah-Bitter & Pure

Recent Posts

More Links