יום שבת, י״ט תמוז תשפ״וSaturday, July 4, 2026
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Looking for an inspirational speaker or scholar in residence? Contact Rabbi Staum at 845-641-5094 or at rabbistaum@strivinghigher.com. Rabbi Dani Staum is a popular speaker, columnist and author. He is a rebbe in Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, NJ., principal of Mesivta Orchos Yosher in Spring Valley, NY, and a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding. His writings can be found at strivinghigher.com.
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The very fact that our families sit together for two meals each week, without any electronic distractions, discussing and sharing Torah thoughts and ideas, and hopefully singing and laughing together, makes it an invaluable gift.
Shabbos is a day of outpouring of blessings, so one should take too many croutons/noodles to put in the soup, so that he/she has soup with croutons, and not the other way around.
More damaging than any external gremlin, however, are the gremlins within us. These are the voices of negativity and doubt.
One can become a believer by appreciating the wonder of the food he eats.
Perhaps the most important idea to know about spiritual growth is that it’s never all or nothing.
Of course, he could have just told them. But he wanted them to have the written note that they could reread many times.
One of our greatest needs is for validation. No one likes feeling like he or she is crazy or out of control.
Alex was the best camper in the camp. He was deeply motivated and loved davening and learning . . . But Alex didn’t have a bris milah.
When the Chofetz Chaim felt the slightest tinge of anger welling up within him, he would excuse himself, walk away, and would talk to himself: “Yisroel Meir, why are you becoming angry? Calm yourself.”
The intense darkness of Egypt was the result of the fact that ‘no man could see his brother.’ They were too busy caring only for themselves.
The moral of the story is that we should be like Nike and just do it, except for those times when we shouldn’t just do it.
For the app to be more effective, they should use words like geshmak, gefilte fish, heimishe, and gezunt.
Like the city of Shechem, the shechem (shoulder) in the body can be embracing or distancing; it all depends on one’s attitude and approach.
If we try to force our children (and adults) to follow a narrow and rigid one-size-fits-all derech, then we are guilty of creating a metaphorical Sodom bed.
…when we invariably resort to our old habits, we think we have failed…Rosh Chodesh is a monthly renewal to “get up and come” back on track.
Within that degenerate ocean, however, are islands – paradise islands for the soul and oases of divine connection.
Laughing together at a Shabbos table helps bring the family together and allows the beautiful kedusha of the seudah to penetrate more and be more memorable.
I tell my students that now the words in their new Gemara look like they are in a foreign language. (To be fair, they are written in a foreign language.…)
The visiting woman was so shaken by the tragic story that she began to sob. She couldn’t get over what happened to Yosef.
When I was young, despite my protestations, my parents insisted that I eat gefilte fish. On one difficult occasion, I forced down the gefilte fish. As soon as I did, I felt that the fish was davening to Hashem to be rescued from inside my stomach.
What is the connection between my clothless haircuts, new shoes, barehanded weed whacking and this time of year?
Elul is about focus and awareness. It’s about reminding ourselves throughout the day that Hashem is always with us – at work, on vacation, in the pool, on the basketball court, when we are surfing the net, when we are alone in our bedrooms and when we are eating.
One of the biggest impediments is our desire for quick fixes and instant accomplishments. The long road intimidates us, and we lack patience for it. But true accomplishment requires patience, resilience and perseverance.
The path towards growth and accomplishment doesn’t follow a straight line. In fact, there isn’t one uniform path to follow. Each of us has our own arc, our own journey and our own process to arrive at our charted and coveted destination.
The prizes speak for themselves, but the hype generates the excitement that propels the event to a different level.
The Gemara relates that one of the signs of the times for the generation prior to Moshiach is that there will be a proliferation of chutzpah.
My rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, dolefully notes that many Jews today think Jewish history began in 1948 when the state of Israel was founded. They have cast away thousands of years of Jewish values, tradition, sacrifice and pride.
It is axiomatic that in Judaism we don’t merely commemorate or mark historical events. There is little purpose in celebrating or mourning the past.
Ultimately, Yirmiyah was painfully vindicated. At that point, as the shamed nation was being led into exile, they cried. But by then it was too late.
Our lives have constant turbulence causing our internal selves to be constantly shifting. Because our lives are so transient and in flux, being strong in our convictions and beliefs is a formidable challenge.
To our generation Rabbi Akiva might have said...vahavta lachem k'reiacha - love yourself like (you love) your friend.
Women more naturally live with a sense of tomorrow.
I was speaking about my Bubby and Zeide and referred to their coming to America after the war. One student asked, "Would that be the Civil War, Korea, or Vietnam?"
The greatest of leaders are those who are able, not only to lead by example, but also to lead through experience.
The challenge is finding the delicate balance between knowing our calling and not burning ourselves out.
The greatest feelings of accomplishment result from when one invests the most effort in its attainment.
As the end of their forty-year sojourns in the desert approached, Moshe Rabbeinu, knowing that he would not lead the nation into Eretz Yisroel, requested that Hashem help him appoint a worthy successor.
Leadership is not domination, but the art of persuading people to work toward a common goal.
Having a good eye means one is able to view others positively on an intellectual level.
Learning Torah and perforning mitzvos are not only something we do, it becomes part of who we are.
When there is cause for celebration our complete focus should be on that celebration.
The soul must be saved from panic, for panic can destroy it.
Yaakov's blessings conveyed to his children the characteristic at the epicenter of their being.
If one wins the lottery and is instantly transformed from pauper to millionaire, although at first he can hardly give enough charity, he soon acclimates to his new lifestyle.
If we want to achieve personal greatness, we have to hold onto our goals and dreams.
The wise Sages declared that every individual is related to himself! In fact, we are our own closet relative, even more than our own parents and children.
When one vows to do something, or to refrain from doing something, the Torah views that pledge with tremendous seriousness. Violating one’s word is referred to as a “desecration of one’s word.”
Shabbos is a window into the euphoric Messianic world when this world will be completely devoted to G-d, on all levels.
Ultimately our job is not to overcome sin but to transcend the pitfalls and challenges of life.
If one's fear of sin exceeds wisdom, his wisdom will endure.
Our problem is that in the daily bustle of life we hardly ever stop to smell the flowers.
So long as we are alive, we have the ability to strive for higher and greater levels.
They knew that if they performed acts of kindness with each other G-d would perform kindness with them.
During the subsequent Days of Penitence, we prepared for the awesome and holy day of Yom Kippur, begging our Father and King to grant us a tabula rasa, so that we can begin anew.
Why are you running so fast and why are all these people following you?
The ninth of Av became a harbinger of the numerous tragedies we would suffer throughout the exile.
Even the greatest of people must be wary of the dangers of their own passions and pursuits.
One who teaches his friend's son Torah is analogous to the father himself.
It was not enough for the Kohen to offer his ruling; he also had to instruct and guide.
The Red Cow which was completely burnes symbolizes the eradication of one's past.
When G-d promised Avraham that his children would emerge from Egypt laden with great wealth, he was not referring to material wealth.
It was only Yehuda who stepped forward to protect Binyamin because he had committed himself to the cause.
Anyone can appear spiritual and holy when he is davening or learning Torah.
Each mitzvah and each holiday is a guide and a map
A person who gives charity dolefully or begrudgingly demonstrates that his faith is somewhat wanting and he has not fully fulfilled the mitzvah of giving charity.
Although the nation was excited about entering the Promised Land, first and foremost they were glad to be out of the clutches of their nefarious oppressors.
G-d is the only “force” that is completely sovereign and independent. The rest of creation, however, requires a dynamic giver-taker relationship.
The Malbim explains that when G-d asked Moshe what was in his hand he was testing him. He was essentially asking Moshe to define how he viewed his role as leader.
Yearning and striving for holiness is a testament to one's love and devotion to the Creator.
What did the absence of wine have to do with the nation’s ultimate understanding that Hashem is the true G-d?
The status of a vessel or a tool is dependent on its purpose.
There is no greater joy and gratitude that a father can have than when a lost child is led home.
The Mesilas Yesharim (Chapter 1) explains that our purpose in this world is to gain entry into the World to Come. The medium for that is Torah and mitzvos, for which one can only achieve reward in this world.
When one is able to serve G-d and feel connected with Him on an emotional level, it is far greater than one who merely has an intellectual and rational connection.
Children resist authority and struggle against structure, chores, and rules. But deep down they feel loved when they are granted guidelines and limits.
Amalek, our ultimate foe, understood that when unified, we are invincible and indestructible.
Every person is presented with moments when he/she must make difficult decisions about how to proceed.
Humility is not achieved when all is well and life is peachy but rather when times are trying and challenging.
People often think that all they are missing is "just a little more" and then they can be truly happy.
A person who truly feels that everything is a blessing from G-d will count his blessings and realize just how much he has.
Avraham became a great man during the 175 years of his life, while his predecessors became increasingly wicked, despite staggering knowledge, during their lifetimes of hundreds of years.
Often in life we become stuck – stuck in the morass of our habits and the rote of our comfort level.
The innkeeper smiled and replied, “Why do you think we are dancing? We are dancing because G-d destroyed the Bais HaMikdash!”
After listening to the driver’s incredible story, Rabbi Levenstein asked him, “What about you? After seeing such a miracle why didn’t you became Torah observant?”
Twelve of the greatest leaders of the nation, one from each shevet, were dispatched to survey the land. The results of that mission were catastrophic.
It is one thing to do a chesed for someone one time or when it is convenient. But for a person to go a few hours out of his way every year for a stranger demonstrates incredible selflessness.
Rav Pam said we must realize that God has no pleasure from such negative speech.
A friend of mine recently heard a comment that left him stunned. A colleague told him that his mother, a survivor of Auschwitz, who had recently lost her husband of five decades, told her son, “You should know, being alone is worse than Auschwitz!”
Even if he has committed sins that warrant his rejection from the community, he is never rejected by G-d.
Winston Churchill repeated a grade during elementary school. He twice failed the exam to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He later wrote, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to the convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up!”
That was G-d's original request, that Moshe "please" speak to the people and request that they borrow and share with their own friends - their fellow Jews, and demonstrate fraternity and devotion.
Standing up for the truth is by no means an easy feat and Yosef paid for it dearly.
The great scholar and ethicist, Rav Yisroel Lipkin of Salant zt”l, was once in the home of an assimilated Jew in Vienna. The man’s daughter was an accomplished pianist.
He was known as one of the most successful and wealthy individuals in the country, and his fame seemed to grow as quickly as his profits. He was the envy of his acquaintances, the bane of his competition. So when the accusations were leveled against him it was an absolute shock. He was accused of murdering a seventeen-year-old girl and the evidence against him was incriminating.
"A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.
Rabbi Yitzchak Zilber zt’l was a legendary leader of Russian Jewry for over three decades. He remained resolutely firm in his faith and practiced Torah and mitzvos throughout his arduous years behind the Iron Curtain, even in the brutality of a Russian Labor Camp. His autobiography, To Remain a Jew[1] is his incredible account of how he remained faithful to G-d even under the most trying circumstances. The following is just one anecdote recorded in the book:
A friend recently related the following personal story: “A few months ago I was invited to a wedding of close friends. Though the bride and groom were from New York they were celebrating their wedding in a resort village in Mexico, south of Cancun. I, and other guests who were Shomer Shabbos arranged all the food.
July 3, 2026 
