Tag: spiritual growth
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In the opening of Sefer Vayikra, there’s a quiet but powerful message hidden in the very first word. The Torah says “Vayikra el Moshe”—“And He called to Moshe.” But the word Vayikra is written with a small alef. The Ba’al HaTurim explains: Moshe, in his deep humility, didn’t want to write that Hashem called to…
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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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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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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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Did you know that Hashem’s name is incomplete? The Torah tells us exactly why. This week is Parshat Zachor, when we fulfill the mitzvah to remember Amalek. But Amalek isn’t just an ancient nation—it’s an ideology. They stand for randomness and coincidence, for a world without Hashem. They are the opposite of emunah. When Amalek…
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I Thought I Had a Superpower For the last decade, I believed my ADHD meds gave me a superpower. Six hours of laser focus.Six hours of clarity.Six hours where my brain worked the way I always wished it would. I felt unstoppable. I could think, write, create, and execute at a level that finally felt…
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This Shabbat, we read Parshat Shekalim, the first of the Arba Parshiyot—a reminder of the mitzvah of the half-shekel, which Bnei Yisrael gave to sustain the Communal Korbanot. But this mitzvah is far more than just a historical tax. The Gemara Yerushalmi reveals something incredible:Haman paid a sum of silver to buy the right to…
