Think. Feel. Grow: Parshat Mikeitz: Yosef, Chanukah, and the Battle for True Beauty
Parshas Mikeitz always falls out around Chanukah, and Chazal explain that this is not coincidental. In explanation of this phenomenon, the commentaries discuss how Yosef is connected to Chanukah, and how he symbolizes our victory over the Greeks.
Can You Really Become as Great as Moshe Rabbeinu?
The Rambam says something absolutely shocking. He claims that everyone is capable of becoming a tzaddik like Moshe Rabbeinu. How is this possible? Not all of us are able to become leaders, let alone become the greatest leader in human history. So what does the Rambam mean?
Straightening The Bent Path
The most fundamental aspects of Torah are expressed in the most deceptively simple manner. Our job is to delve into these hidden aspects and reveal the inner depth behind them. There is probably no single object in the Torah which is more overlooked than Moshe's staff-yet how often do we ponder its paramount significance?
The Turbulent Journey To Matan Torah
Inspiration-like a flash of lightning
The Seder–4 Points
Insights for the seder
Why Do People Speak Lashon Hara? (Parshas Tazria/Metzora)
This is the gift of speech. Speech is the mechanism that enables us to connect with other people, to overcome the barrier between us, so let us respect and not abuse it.
Sefiras Ha’Omer: Achieving the Impossible
Numbers don't tell the full the story
Experiencing Shavuos as We Spiral Through Time
Our mission is to make this Shavuos the next step in our evolutionary spiral through time. We must not only re-accept what we have already accepted, we must take it to the next level,
The Curse of the Unborn Child
Elul is the time of teshuva, of self-awareness and recalibration, of inspiration and will. Ki Savo is the parsha of tochacha (rebuke). The connection between teshuva and rebuke appears self-evident, but exploring these topics in depth reveals an ever richer and perhaps less obvious connection. To better understand the connection between tochacha and teshuva, we must first understand the concept of flattery.
Rosh Hashana: The Three Stages of Teshuva
Elul and Rosh Hashanah center around the concept of teshuva, and Parshas Nitzavim is clearly linked to this theme as well. The pesukim in Nitzavim discuss the theme of teshuva, the importance of choosing life - choosing what is right, and connecting ourselves back to Hashem. As Parshas Nitzavim is connected to the transition from Elul into Rosh Hashanah, let us delve into the idea of teshuva.
Why Does Inspiration Always Fade?
We're in this world to choose, to assert our free will, and to create ourselves.
Yom Kippur: Flying Amongst Angels
Our goal as humans is not to escape the physical, but to use it as a means of connecting to the transcendent.
Rediscovering What You Already Know
Most importantly, though, when the malach struck you, you didn't lose this Torah; rather, you lost access to it. Instead of disappearing, this knowledge and clarity became buried deep within your subconscious.
Sukkos: Spiraling Through the Symphony of Life
The same is true for all spiritual circles. The ideal is not to transcend the circular system, but to uplift it, to transform the circle into a spiral, to find innovative ways of creating newness within the circular system, not beyond it.
Are You Willing To Journey Into The Unknown?
All we know is where we're leaving from, where we are right now. Only once we arrive, we will retroactively see where the journey was taking us all along.
Fantasy Or Reality: The Ultimate Challenge
You must limit your endless potential in order to make something real.
Emerging From The Waters Reborn
This is the deeper meaning of the mabul: Hashem was not destroying the world; he was recreating it. The generation of the Flood had become so corrupted that Hashem decided to start over again with Noach.
Anything Is Possible: Let’s Move Beyond The Stars
If Hashem tells Avraham that he will have a child, how can Avraham even think of suggesting otherwise? And what does it mean that Hashem took Avraham ‘above the stars’?
Parshas Toldos: The Cosmic Battle Between Yaakov and Esav
The physical is not an end in itself- it is meant to serve as a vehicle for transcendent, spiritual, conscious living. This is the battle we face on a daily basis, a battle of perception.
The Five Stages Of Faith
You know deep down that you are unique, that you were created for a reason, and that you have a unique mission in this world – yet again, it is impossible to prove.
The Cosmic Battle Between Yaakov And Esav
And this was the very battle between the perception of Yaakov and Esav. They both wanted both the spiritual and the physical.
The Principle That Saved Yaakov’s Life
What is the meaning and purpose of our desire for physicality, and how does it relate to our drive for spirituality?
Chanukah: Re-Examining Our Ideological Battle Against the Greeks
Ideally,nthe physical wisdom of the Greeks and Yefes are to reside within the tent of Shem, for science and the wisdom of the world to be in harmony with Torah. The problem occurred when the Greeks tried to destroy the Torah, which contradicted their ideology, and the Jews were forced to fight for their beliefs. This was the battle of Chanukah.
Finding The Greatness Within
You were given a taste of your own perfection, of what you could, should, and hopefully will become. And from this transcendent realm, you were birthed into the physical world.
Re-Examining Our Ideological Battle Against the Greeks
The greatest victory over the Greeks wasn't to simply prove that transcendent Torah exists; it was to reveal that ... even limited human beings can connect to the infinite.
Politics And The Jewish Approach To Leadership
Leaders are appointed by the people and are therefore completely subject to the will of the people. They walk ahead, pretending to lead, while in fact, they are merely puppets.
Straightening The Bent Path
The more power, the more potential. The value in any power is only in the extent to which it can be controlled. Otherwise, the more power you have, the more destruction you will have.
Creation Mysteries: When Contradiction Creates Clarity
The first stage was a gift, an illusion; the third is the product born of the effort and time you invested.
The Purpose Of Our Challenges
Did the great ones become great despite their challenges or because of them? What is the secret to their success?
Deepening Our Perception Of Challenges
If we can change what we want, we can change who we are. When we make new decisions, we create a new reality for ourselves.