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Taking it With You: A Chamber for the Shechinah

It is written, “And she (the Shunammite) said to her husband, ‘Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of the Lord who passes by us continually. Let us make a little chamber on the wall, and let us set before him a bed,

Tags: Aleinu, Daveing, iPray, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Siddur, Tefillah, The Foundation Stone

Amidah: See & Know – Chanukah Kavanah

“See, please, our affliction.” After Teshuvah and Forgiveness we ask that God behold our suffering. We are specifically requesting that even the Attribute of Justice/Power behold our affliction, as in, “And the Lord

Tags: Amidah, God, i-Attach, i-Pray, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Shmone Esrei, Tefillah, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: Accessing the Light of Torah

It is written, “and God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light (Genesis 1:4).” The midrash says, “He divided it from the darkness and stored it away for the righteous (Bereishit Rabbah 3:6).”

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: Transforming Through Love

I heard from my master, the Baal Shem Tov, that creation came about through Justice, which is the Constriction (Mavo Sh'arim 1:1:1). Constriction is an aspect of Justice, since Love gives without restraint, while

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: The Light Higher Than the Soul

There is a Light that is higher than man's soul. This is the Light of the Infinite. Even though human intellect cannot reach it, man's thoughts still pursue it.

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: Women Miracles

We recite a blessing, “Who performed miracles for our forefathers,” on Chanukah and Purim, but we do not do so on Pesach, even though the Exodus too was accompanied by miracles. The reason for this seems to be because

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: Dreidle: The Order of Creation

A favorite subject of the philosophers is the order of creation. They may ask why a star is worthy of being on high while other things are consigned to a lower realm. Or why lower animals are not given man’s faculties.

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: Sharing His Light

It is written, "Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be lifted up, you doors of the universe, and the King of Glory will come…Who then is the King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory (Psalms 24:7,10)."

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Shemah: Using the Shemah to Prepare to Access His Greatness

See: “Through His Greatness.” We say the Shema, “Hear O Israel, God is our Lord, God is a Unity (Deuteronomy 6:4).” We can use this to prepare for the Amidah: when we pray and say in the Amidah, “the great Power,”

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

Amidah: Through His Greatness

Whenever you look at a physical thing, you should contemplate that you are also looking at and expression of the imminent Divine Presence. In this manner, you are serving God through your own smallness.

Tags: Amidah, God, i-Attach, i-Pray, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Shmone Esrei, Tefillah, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: Accessing His Light

The Infinite Being fills all worlds and provides the Life Force for them all. Each spiritual universe contains countless entities, with myriads upon myriads of levels of angels and souls. The number of such universes is also

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: The Nothingness of Light

God's Essence and Being, which is called the Infinite, literally fills all the world, with respect to both space and time. Both the heavens above and the earth below are equally filled with the Light of the Infinite Being. It is

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Amidah: When God Steps Back

The Baal Shem Tov offered the following analogy: When a parent teaches his child to walk, he does so in the following manner. When the child walks two or three steps toward the parent, the parent moves back from the child,

Tags: Amidah, God, i-Attach, i-Pray, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Shmone Esrei, Tefillah, The Foundation Stone

Chanukah: A Sample of His Light

The Baal Shem Tov offered the following analogy: A person comes into a store where they sell many types of delicacies and sweetmeats. The first thing the storekeeper does is to give the customer a sample of each kind, so

Tags: Chanukah, God, Hallel, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Prayer Skills: Chanukah Kavanot

When the Children of Israel thirsted for water in the desert, God told Moses, “Behold, I will stand before you buy the rock and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people shall drink (Exodus 17:6).”

Tags: man & God, Psalms, Torah, Zacharia

Vayeishev: Hachsharat haAvreichim: Joseph’s Practice for Us

Let every one of our group, if he is occupied during the whole day with running after his livelihood, consider it an obligation to say a number of times during the day, in the middle of his exertions: “Master of the Universe! I am

Tags: Bible, Chumash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone, Torah

Vayeishev: Belz: Joseph’s Lesson: Constant Awareness

Every man of Israel, when he is in the synagogue or the study hall and involved in Torah study or prayer, is closer to God. But a person also has to be involved with matters of this world, and sometimes he is distracted by them.

Tags: Bible, Chumash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone, Torah

Vayeishev: 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, Chumash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone, Torah

Vayeishev: Tzidkat haTzaddik: Natural Urges

All natural things are doing God's will. So, when a person does natural acts, which he must do according to his nature, it too, is called, “going to do the will of his Maker,” and such an act is a mitzvah.

Tags: Bible, Chumash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone, Torah

Haftarah Discussions: Vayeishev: Holiness Demanded By God’s Love

Only Amos, Hoshea, and Isaiah speak of "Kodesh," holiness in the sense of that which belongs to God alone as God. “My holy Name (Amos 2:7),” and, “has sworn by His Holiness (4:2).”

Tags: Amos, Dreams, Vayeishev

Shomer Emunim: Vayeishev: Giving Thanks

Just as we are to give thanks to God even when afflictions come upon us, God save us from them, so, of course, are we to have this awareness and give thanks for each and every kindness that comes to us from God,

Tags: Bible, Chumash, Parsha, Portion of the Week, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone, Torah

Haftarah Discussions: Vayeishev: The Original OWS?

The disaster that befell Israel and Achav at Ramot Gilead was at the beginning of a long period of depression. In the days of Yehu, Damascus seems to have had its own way with Israel. “In those days God began

Tags: Amos, Haftarah, Kings, Prophecy, Vayeishev

Shabbat Prayers: Kabbalat Shabbat: This You Have Accomplished

In many communities the congregation pauses after Kabbalat Shabbat to recite a chapter of Mishnah, “With what may we light the Shabbat candles?” One of the laws is, “A person must say three things in his home on the

Tags: Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Sabbath, Shabbat, The Foundation Stone

Taking it With You: A Higher Vocabulary

“A Redeemer shall come to Zion and to those of Jacob who repent from willful sin, the words of God. And as for Me, this is My covenant with them, said God, My spirit that is upon you and My words that I have placed in

Tags: Aleinu, Daveing, iPray, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Siddur, Tefillah, The Foundation Stone

Shema: Meriting God’s Light

The blessings of the morning Shema begin, “Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates all. He Who illuminates the earth and those who dwell upon it with compassion.”

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

Pesukei D’Zimrah: Yishtabach

The concluding blessing of Pesukei d'Zimrah begins, “May Your Name be praised forever.” The Sages based this phrase on the verse, “Deliver us, God, our Lord; and gather us from the nations, to give thanks to Your Holy Name,

Tags: iPraise, Pesukei d'Zimrah, Praising God, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, Singing to God, The Foundation Stone

Morning Blessings: May it be Your Will

One of the most common phrases in our daily prayer is, “May it be Your will.” The Abudirham teaches that this phrase is based on the verse, “Who finds a wife, finds a good thing and wins favor from God (Proverbs 18:22).”

Tags: Morning Blessings, Prayer, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation Stone

Categories

Taking it With You: A Chamber for the Shechinah

Amidah: See & Know – Chanukah Kavanah

Chanukah: Accessing the Light of Torah

Chanukah: Transforming Through Love

Chanukah: The Light Higher Than the Soul

Chanukah: Women Miracles

Chanukah: Dreidle: The Order of Creation

Chanukah: Sharing His Light

Shemah: Using the Shemah to Prepare to Access His Greatness

Amidah: Through His Greatness

Chanukah: Accessing His Light

Chanukah: The Nothingness of Light

Amidah: When God Steps Back

Chanukah: A Sample of His Light

Prayer Skills: Chanukah Kavanot

Vayeishev: Hachsharat haAvreichim: Joseph’s Practice for Us

Vayeishev: Belz: Joseph’s Lesson: Constant Awareness

Vayeishev: Bitter & Pure

Vayeishev: Tzidkat haTzaddik: Natural Urges

Haftarah Discussions: Vayeishev: Holiness Demanded By God’s Love

Shomer Emunim: Vayeishev: Giving Thanks

Haftarah Discussions: Vayeishev: The Original OWS?

Shabbat Prayers: Kabbalat Shabbat: This You Have Accomplished

Taking it With You: A Higher Vocabulary

Shema: Meriting God’s Light

Pesukei D’Zimrah: Yishtabach

Morning Blessings: May it be Your Will

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