יום שישי, א׳ אלול תשפ״וFriday, August 14, 2026
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Rabbi Shafier is the founder of TheShmuz.com. The Shmuz is an engaging, motivating shiur that deals with real life issues. All of the Shmuzin are available free of charge at www.TheShmuz.com or on the Shmuz App for iphone or Android.
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Man has two competing sides to him, each one crying out to fulfill it needs, each one demanding its fill.
The Torah is teaching us that even a mature adult faced with a difficult trial will be greatly influenced by what others are doing.
This mitzvah seems very difficult to understand. The answer lies in our understanding how our middos are shaped.
The answer to this question is based on understanding the connection one Jew has to another.
Our conscious reality would change because part of who we are is the animal soul, and we would thereby acquire cruelty.
We would assume the selfish person would be happy. After all, he is singly focused on what’s good for him.
Stopping there, the Jewish people looked up and saw the Egyptians chasing after them.
This concept has great relevance to us both on the receiving as well as on the giving end.
Before Hashem created the world, He thought (if it could be) to create it with the middas hadin – strict justice.
If a person is locked into the idea that he cannot change, then in fact he won’t be able to. To such a person, the Torah has no relevance.
He had so eliminated bad character traits from his heart that he would feel nothing negative.
Magazine estimates that during this time his wealth increased at the rate of a million dollars an hour.
Frank didn’t create the process; he doesn’t even know which ingredients go into the mixture.
One of the causes of this breakdown is the misuse of the very system Hashem put into man to allow him to flourish.
The answer to this question is based on understanding the underpinnings of our relationship with Hashem.
Amazingly, whenever we accomplish something in this world, the results are credited to us even though we are fully aware that Hashem is the One Who did it all.
So too if someone intended to help Shimon and succeeded, we understand that good was coming to Shimon because Hashem decided long ago.
“Yeah. break those bones. Crack. Crack. Splatter goes me. Hee, hee, hee. And then. . . and then, they take me to the hospital.
Hashgacha pratis, or personal intervention, is very different. This refers to Hashem’s personal involvement in a nation’s or a person’s life.
For the proper running of society, and therefore for the good of mankind, there needs to be a system of leadership and a hierarchy of authority – what we know as government.
Before each person is born, he is predestined for certain abilities and talents, a particular level of intelligence, and an exact disposition and temperament.
Pharaoh had no problem with emunah, but he sure didn’t trust in Hashem – he rebelled. He had emunah, but no bitachon.
For the next seventeen years, every time they spoke and every time they were together, there was a certain wedge keeping them apart.
Obviously, this wasn’t the first time Yaakov read Shema. He had accepted Hashem’s dominion on a daily basis for decades. But this was a new level of understanding he was only able to obtain through these powerful emotions.
Earlier in history, the Beis HaMikdash had been the center of life, the pride of every Jew.
“These are the chronicles of Yaakov: Yosef was seventeen years old, and he watched his brothers.” – Bereishis 37:2 At the age of seventeen, Yosef was wise in the ways of the Torah and the ways of the world. He was called a “ben zikunim” because even at such a young age he showed […]
The answer to this question can best be understood with a perspective on capitalism.
Yaakov Avinu wasn’t afraid that he would learn to steal because of Lavan; he was afraid that his image of what is considered normal behavior might be affected.
The Shmuz is a Torah lecture that offers a worldview on major life issues ranging from working on our middos to learning to be a better spouse, from understanding the meaning of our davening to what our purpose is in this world.
Children knew their place, and the idea of a child speaking back to an adult was unheard of.
No longer does Frank dream about spending time with his child, no longer does he yearn for that relationship. What happened?
Avraham spent his life emulating Hashem. Every waking moment of his existence was focused on making himself as much like Hashem as humanly possible.
It seems that in an attempt to portray gedolim as great, we have made them non-human – angels just barely wearing human form.
The more a person grows, the more clearly he relates to his spiritual side, and the less the Nefesh Ha’Bahami clouds his vision.
And Adom said, “The woman that you placed with me, she gave me from the tree and I ate.” — Bereishis 3:12 Adom HaRishon was given one mitzvah: not to eat from the Eitz HaDas. When he transgressed it, Hashem gave him the opportunity to do teshuvah. Not only did Adom not repent, he […]
If you were the most generous, loving person in the world, and you were completely devoted to help me, if my time on this planet is up there is nothing that you can do to change that; any human is powerless to change my destiny.
“More than what the rich man does for the poor man is what the poor man does for the rich man” (Midrash Rabbah, Rus 5:9).
The answer to the question on Rashi seems to be that the namesakes of the shevatim were in fact men of unimaginable greatness,
The story of Bilam, the gentile prophet, is most peculiar. It begins when Balak, the king of Moav, recognizes that he is in danger. The Jewish nation had just destroyed Sichon, and Moav was next. Out of desperation, Balak sent messengers to Bilam saying, “Please, curse this nation so that we can remain in our […]
How can Rashi say that all we need to do in order to reach that lofty level is to fully accept Hashem’s mitzvos?
To allow for free will, there are times when Hashem will allow a person the “opportunity to be the messenger.”
Everything you see – from the flower to the bee, from the oceans to the mountains, rivers, planets, the sun, the moon and the stars – all just sort of happened.
“When Hashem…will broaden your boundary as He spoke to you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ for you will have a desire to eat meat, to your heart’s entire desire you may eat meat.” – Devarim 12:20 For forty years in the midbar the Jewish people ate mon. Guided by Moshe Rabbeinu, engaged […]
The farmer understands he didn’t bring the rain. It wasn’t his acumen that stopped the pestilence.
Man has conflicting wishes and desires. Man has forces pulling him in competing directions.
On Super Bowl Sunday itself, life seems to stop. Over one hundred million people watch the game. About half of the households in the country show it in their living rooms and dens.
We are affected by our environment. Our perspective on the world is affected by what those around us do.
It is the right amount of the right middah in the right time that is the key to perfection. Each middah has its place, time, and correct measure.
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow and do not bear a sin because of him.” – Vayikra 19:17 When the Torah mentions the obligation to rebuke a fellow Jew, it ends with the words “and do not carry a sin because of him.” The Targum translates […]
The answer to this question is based on one of the greatest shortcomings of man – self-limiting beliefs.
When Chazal call not eating treif food a chok, that refers to how it functions.
And the farmer can’t help but feel a sense of pride. After all, it was his wisdom that led him to choose corn, not like that fool of a guy next door who planted wheat.
So what type of praise is it that Aaron followed orders?
If my garment is clean, then I will be careful about maintaining its beauty. If it is soiled, I will not be as careful.
This concept should be very relevant to us as we, too, should be happy beyond description.
The avodah (service) of the kohen gadol is vital and highly sensitive; the world’s very existence depends on it.
While it may appear that man is in charge, Hashem orchestrates every activity on the planet
Hashem placed this world at man’s disposal. In a real sense, man is the steward of Creation.
He is fully aware that who he will be for eternity is in his hands.
How can the Da’as Zekeinim say this was Hashem’s plan to allow them to become the Torah Nation? We know it was actually a punishment.
How is it possible that the clothing was more valuable to them than gold or silver?
It is exactly like that of an animal, with all of the passions and desires necessary to drive man though his daily existence.
How did their hatred toward the Jews make their own lives disgusting? It’s the Jews they hated, not themselves.
When Hashem made man, He created two worlds – this world and the World to Come. Each has its purpose.
Because we see these events as world changing, as moments in history, they become part of us forever.
Our right to exist and our form of self-government were decided by the ruling parties.
If Hashem is watching tzaddikim, why couldn’t He just save Yosef from all the suffering he was about to endure?
If a man owns a successful small business, he might do a million dollars a year in sales. But that is the gross revenue, not the amount he takes home.
It almost sounds as if Hashem is saying, “I have to keep Yaakov from getting too comfortable; otherwise he will forget Me. I can’t promise him sustenance because then he won’t need Me. He won’t write. He won’t call. He won’t love Me anymore.”
Why does Lavan’s speaking before his father show that he was wicked? Disrespectful, yes. Rude, certainly. But a rasha?
What happened was that Frank Jr. stopped being the little babe looking with love into his father’s eyes, and the relationship took on a very different nature.
Is it possible a man could be standing in a burning building, knowing this life is in danger, and be too lazy to move?
Avram’s father was not impressed with the cleverness of his son. In fact, he was so unimpressed that he took him to Nimrod the king, who pronounced him an enemy of the state and attempted to execute him.
Strict din demands perfection. There is no room for shortcomings and no place for excuses; you are responsible.
I, the one who is housed inside this body, am completely and utterly spiritual.
When Hashem formed man, He gave him the keys to Creation. As the Midrash tells us, Hashem said to Adam, “This is your world now. You are in charge of it; take care that you don’t destroy it.”
Imagine a man who, after having a few too many drinks, gets into his car and begins driving. It takes a while before he is pulled over, but finally the police arrest him, and he stands trial for driving while intoxicated.
This world has its purpose; it has been ideally fashioned to allow man to grow.
Our understanding of what is and what is not possible creates imagined ceilings of opportunity for us.
How can the Torah expect me today, thousands of years after the mitzvahs were given, to view each mitzvah as if I’m fulfilling it for the first time?
A replica reminds a person of the original. Granted it is in miniature, and granted no one would mistake it for the original, but it carries, almost in caricature form, some semblance of the original.
When a person feels he can control the destiny of other people, he runs the risk of feeling self-important, significant, and mighty.
If a man sins and follows his inclinations, he will find comfort in this world – but when he dies, he will go to a place that is all thorns.
While it’s clear to you and to me that a 14,000-pound creature can easily break away from the light ropes holding it, the reality is that it cannot.
One of the manifestations of the immature person is a sense of entitlement.
When Hashem first thought (if it could be) about creating the world, the middah of din was in operation.
We may not recognize the adverse affect of eating forbidden foods, but they leave an indelible imprint.
There are often two distinct perspectives of an event: the perspective from living in the moment, and the perspective of history.
The rock doesn’t have needs, yet it listens to Hashem. How much more so should we, who have so many needs?
Clearly, they were lacking in bitachon. Their faith in Hashem was deficient. But they weren’t guilty of speaking lashon hara.
Of even greater significance, once the miraglim made their mistake and concluded that Hashem wasn’t powerful enough to bring the people into the land, what they then spoke wasn’t lashon hara at all
To gain power or distract the population from their suffering, a monarch would look for a place to put the blame.
Why can’t a man just admit it is wrong to steal but he wants to do it anyway?
One of the quirks of human nature is that the average person assumes he is smarter than the average person.
When Hashem created man, He took these two diverse segments and mixed them together, creating a new synthesis called man.
The Torah is teaching us that even a mature adult faced with a difficult trial will be greatly influenced by what others are doing.
The more a person focuses on his purpose in the world, the more he values the Torah.
To properly fulfill the mitzvah of tochachah, there are two absolute requirements. The first relates to attitude, the second to method.
Rashi is bothered by the expression Hashem used: “the Jews need only travel.”
August 14, 2026 
