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I always went to the Pesach seder at my Bobie and Zaidy’s house.Same table.Same songs.Same Divrei Torah.Same jokes. (bih bih bih…) After my Zaidy was niftar, we continued at my parents’ home. Even when I got married and had kids, we went back. Pesach was never up for discussion. It meant something — that night…
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The Double Mishkan: A Promise of Redemption This week’s parsha begins with a curious phrase:“Eileh Pekudei HaMishkan, Mishkan HaEidut…”Why the double language—Mishkan, Mishkan? Rashi, quoting the Midrash, explains that the repetition hints at something deeper.The word Mishkan can also be read as Mashkon—a collateral. This teaches us that the two Batei Mikdash in Yerushalayim were…
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Just Try: The Power of Effort and Emunah At the end of Sefer Shemot, we read how Bnei Yisrael completed all the parts of the Mishkan and brought everything to Moshe. Then, in Shemot 40:17–18, it says: “And it was in the first month… the Mishkan was erected. And Moshe erected the Mishkan.” Wait—who put…
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It starts with who—and what—you surround yourself with. Every morning, I get to live what feels like the dream. I head to shul a bit early for Shacharit. And I don’t rush out. After davening, I stay. I do Shnayim Mikra, say some Tehillim, whisper a few extra tefilot, and then sit down to learn—with…
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Imagine a child giving their parent a drawing. The paper is crumpled, the lines are messy, and the colors don’t stay inside the lines. Objectively, it’s not worth much. But to the parent? It’s priceless. Because it wasn’t about the paper or the crayons—it was about the love behind it. In this week’s parsha, we…
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Parshat Vayakhel begins with Moshe gathering kol adat Bnei Yisrael—every single Jew: men, women, and children. This wasn’t just another speech. It was a moment of unity. The Mishkan would be built through the collective effort of Am Yisrael, but before any work could begin, Moshe emphasized one crucial point: Shabbos. The connection between Shabbos…
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The other day, my three-year-old walked into the house like a king returning to his palace. He threw down his bag, kicked off his shoes, and marched straight to his toys without a second thought. It struck me—he had absolute trust that everything he needed would be taken care of. Rent? Electricity? Water? Those concerns…
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Purim is a time of hidden miracles. Unlike the splitting of the sea or the ten plagues, where Hashem’s presence was revealed, in the Megillah, His name isn’t mentioned even once. Yet, it is precisely this hidden presence that teaches us how Hashem guides history—even when we don’t see it at first. In Parshat Ki…
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Imagine a world where Hashem is completely revealed, where His presence is undeniable, and every action we take is in full awareness of His existence. Sounds amazing, right? But that’s not the world we live in. We live in a world where Hashem is hidden. A world where we have to search for Him. And…
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Growing Up with Hashem on the Shelf Growing up Modern Orthodox, I believed in Hashem, but I also believed that I was in control of my life. Hashem was there, of course—but He was more like a fire extinguisher, placed neatly behind a glass case that read: Break in Case of Emergency. Most of the…
