Complaining vs. Gratitude: A Mindset That Shapes Everything In this week’s parsha, Bnei Yisrael complain. They remember the “free” fish in Egypt, the cucumbers, leeks, onions, and garlic — and they long for it. Not freedom. Not connection to Hashem. Just food. Just comfort. They forget the slavery. The pain. The miracles that carried them…
Two Jews can daven the same tefillah, attend the same shiur, and give the same tzedakah — yet in Hashem’s eyes, they may be worlds apart. Why?Because it’s not just what we do that matters.It’s how.It’s the kavana behind it all. The Chovot HaLevavot teaches that one person may go through life focused on themselves,…
Living the Purpose of Our Redemption In Parshat Emor, we read a powerful command: “You shall not desecrate My holy name, and I shall be sanctified among the Children of Israel.” (Vayikra 22:32)Immediately after, the Torah reminds us: “I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt to be your God.” Rashi explains: The purpose…
Choose Life. Choose Joy. Choose Geula. There is a powerful idea toward the end of Parshat Acharei Mot: “Ushmartem et chukotai… asher yaaseh otam ha’adam vachai bahem” – “You shall keep My statutes and My laws, that a person shall do them and live by them” (Vayikra 18:5). What does it mean to “live by…
The Mouth That Destroys, The Mouth That Rebuilds Not long ago, we all felt it.The silence. The distance. The ache of being apart.During the Covid lockdowns, even Pesach seders were held in empty rooms. Shabbos meals with no guests.Some of us were lucky to have family.But too many were completely alone — no one to…
This week’s parsha begins with a moment charged with destiny:“Vayehi bayom hashmini”—And it was on the eighth day.It was the first of Nisan, but more than that—it was the eighth day since Moshe began erecting the Mishkan.For seven days, Moshe built it, served as the Kohen Gadol, performed the Avodah, and disassembled it each evening.But…
We Will Sing Again Shirat HaYam is not just a memory. It’s a preview. The song we read this Shabbat—Az Yashir Moshe—was the song of a nation who had just been saved. But if you look closely, it’s written in the future tense: “Then Moshe will sing.” Why? Because that song isn’t finished. That clarity,…