Tag: spiritual growth
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A man struggling to make ends meet wants to one day buy his wife a gift. He doesn’t have much, but every night, he empties whatever spare change he has into a jar—nickels, dimes, maybe the occasional dollar. “One day,” he tells himself, “this’ll turn into something special.” Years go by. The jar gets full.…
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We’ve wandered long enough. In this week’s parsha, Moshe begins his final address to Bnei Yisrael.But he’s not speaking to the generation that left Egypt. He’s speaking to their children—the ones who struggled in the desert, grew through challenges, and matured over forty long years. Now, they stand at the threshold of Eretz Yisrael.They’re finally…
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Struggling to Feel Growing up, I always had a hard time connecting to the Three Weeks, the Nine Days, and especially Tisha B’Av. The mourning. The restrictions. The heaviness. I tried to feel something — but couldn’t. Part of it was that I didn’t fully understand what we were mourning. I mean, I grew up…
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What would you do if you knew that fulfilling a mitzvah meant you were one step closer to the end of your life? Most people might stall. Look for a way to delay. Try to hold on just a little longer. But not Moshe Rabbeinu. At the beginning of Parshat Matot, Hashem commands Moshe: “Nekom…
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Parshat Matot opens with a curious halacha: vows. If a Jew says something like “I won’t eat bread today,” it becomes halachically binding. Words alone create new spiritual realities. No action, no ritual—just speech. That’s the power Hashem gave us. It mirrors the opening of the Torah itself: “Vayomer Elokim—Yehi or.” Hashem spoke—and light came…
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A while ago, I saw this video of a couple humorously bragging about how smart their kids are. The joke? No matter what wisdom they tried to share, the kids would immediately respond, “I know.” The father consults multi-million dollar companies. The mother is an expert in her field. But to their kids? They’re clueless.…
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In Parshat Balak (23:10), Bilam says something surprising: “תָּמֹת נַפְשִׁי מוֹת יְשָׁרִים, וִיהִי אַחֲרִיתִי כָּמוֹהוּ”“Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like theirs.” It sounds noble. Who wouldn’t want the peaceful, eternal reward of the righteous? But Chazal expose the contradiction behind his words. Midrash Rabbah says: Bilam said:…
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A man walks into Macy’s and wins a 10-minute shopping spree. The doors open, the countdown starts… and he takes off running. But instead of heading for the jewelry or electronics, he wastes time and gets distracted picking things up along the way like grabbing socks, gum, and cheap T-shirts. By the time his 10…
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Korach’s claim sounded holy: “Ki kol ha’edah kulam kedoshim — The entire nation is holy!” And he wasn’t wrong. Every Jew stood at Har Sinai. We all carry a divine spark.But Korach twisted that truth. Instead of using holiness to serve, he used it to seize. He couldn’t accept that someone else had the role…
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Bnei Yisrael were living a life of open miracles in the desert.They were surrounded by Divine protection—clouds by day, fire by night, manna from Heaven, clothing that never wore out. It was a life completely enveloped in Hashem’s presence. So when it came time to enter Eretz Yisrael, they hesitated.To them, it felt like a…
