Keeping Torah and Values in Focus
Wednesday night (August 24th, 2022) the Beyond Meaningful Relationship – Relationshipful Meaning chaburah continued our study of Rav Dessler’s Qunterus haChessed chapters 4 through 6 (pp. 35-39)…. This week we saw how …[g]iving leads to love, far more than the other way around.
Adding together the two pesuqim, then, we get a more complete description of the path Hashem expects us to walk:
1- To be aware of the enormity of the Divine,,,.
2- which should motivate us to emulate…
3- … we come to love Him
and aim everything at wholeheartedly following His Plan to be good to us.
4- Hashem gave us Jews the Torah and mitzvos …
5- To help us become good human beings, creatures who are fair, motivated by lovingkindness, humility, in our partnership with our Creator.
Wednesday night (August 17th, 2022) the Beyond Meaningful Relationship – Relationshipful Meaning chaburah started our study of Rav Dessler’s Qunterus haChessed ,,, chapters 1 through 3 (pp. 32-35). In them, Rav Dessler talks about the potentials in a person for nesinah and netilah — giving and taking. These potentials have more to do with attitude and motive than the actual action…
Wednesday night (August 10th, 2022) we completed our study of both versions of Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe’s essay Olam haYedidus. … [It] concludes with a discussion of zarus (estrangement) and akhzarius (cruelty,which Rav Dessler explains as a contraction of akh-zariyus – an extreme estangement). Our alienation from other people, from G-d and even our “need” to stay busy and never have to build a relationship with ourselves. Something to think about when singing “Mah yedidus menukhaseikh — How much affection inheres in your rest!” at the Shabbos table!
The Jewish Tribune, “The Voice of Ango-Jewish Orthodoxy since 1962” ran an excerpt of Widen Your Tent in this week’s (10th August, 2002) issue. The excerpt includes the majority of section i.2. Here’s a...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. If you missed anything or just want to join mid-stream, there are always the posts in...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. Even if you missed the discussion so far, this week was a great time to start!...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. (And there are always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category, which has recordings of any...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. Even if you missed the discussion so far, this week was a great time to start!...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. Even if you missed the discussion so far, next week is a great time to start!...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. (If you missed our discussion so far, there is always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. (If you missed our discussion so far, there is always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria...
The Beyond Meaningful Relationships – Relationshipful Meaning series at the kloiz meets on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. (If you missed our discussion so far, there is always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria...
Why should you care about my opinion about how Jews ought to respond to the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States? You shouldn’t. Here’s why. Halakhah prohibits abortion in most...
IMPORTANT ADMINISTRIVIA: We are now learning on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. (If you missed our discussion so far, there is always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.) Wednesday night (May 11th, 2022)...
IMPORTANT ADMINISTRIVIA: Starting this week, May 4th 2022, we are learning on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. (If you missed our discussion so far, there is always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.)...
IMPORTANT ADMINISTRIVIA: Starting this week, May 4th 2022, we will be learning on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT. (If you missed our discussion so far, there is always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria...
(If you missed our discussion of the Maharal in episodes 1-5, see their posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.) Thursday night (Apr 7th, 2022) 7pm EDT we started our study of the Vilna Gaon’s...
(If you missed any of parts 1 – 4, see their posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.) Thursday night (Mar 31st, 2022) 7pm EDT we completed our study of Maharal, Derekh haChaim 1:2, and...
From Sanhedrin 103b: תניא רבי נתן אומר מגרב לשילה ג’ מילין והיה עשן המערכה ועשן פסל מיכה מתערבין זה בזה בקשו מלאכי השרת לדוחפו אמר להן הקב”ה הניחו לו שפתו מצויה לעוברי דרכים. A...
(If you missed any of parts 1 – 3, see their posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.) Wednesday night (Mar 23rd, 2022) 7pm EDT we continued our study of Meharal, Derekh haChaim 1:2. (Caveat:...
As the wise king wrote, “For everything there is a time, and a season for every goal under heaven.” The “time for war” was when Canaan was simply a battleground for warring barbaric tribes,...
(If you missed parts 1 or 2, see their posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.) Thursday night (Mar 10th, 2022) 7pm EST we continued our study of Meharal, Derekh haChaim 1:2. Go to http://thekloiz.aishdas.org...
(If you missed part 1, see Welcome to the Kloiz!) This week, Thursday night (Mar 3rd, 2022) 7pm EST we will continue our study of Meharal, Derekh haChaim 1:2. Go to http://thekloiz.aishdas.org for links...
While looking at Unqelus this week, I had a thought that is an application of the idea in Prayers and Requests. (See also Meshekh Chokhmah – Vayechi II – My Sword and My Bow.)...
I am excited to announce the launch of a new project I’m calling “Zelmele’s Kloiz”, starting with a shiur on Thursday evenings. First, about the shiur: We will be looking at a series of...
When learning about berakhos, whether the halakhos or the latter third of the mesechta, I like to emphasize the following point… The vast majority of berakhos are derabbanan. So, why so many different berakhos,...
A post on Facebook by Jeremy Phillips raised the question of why Hashem chose a vigilante to be His lawgiver. He got me thinking. Hashem even lauds Moshe’s vigilantism in the Torah when he...
A short thought, maybe “just” a conversation starter… There is a paradoxical obligation: it is prohibited to conform in all ways only to the letter of the law. One must stay well within it...
Any exploration of the Aruch HaShulchan must first consider this question: Is halacha a set of rules that we follow or the system by which we reach those rulings?
I The pasuq (Devarim 28:61, parashas Ki Savo) reads, if we would translate it naively (ignoring the point we’re about to see in Rashi): גַּ֤ם כׇּל־חֳלִי֙ וְכׇל־מַכָּ֔ה אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א כָת֔וּב בְּסֵ֖פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את יַעְלֵ֤ם...
The first time we encounter Yerushalayim (Bereishis 14:18), it is under the rule of Malki-Tzedeq, a “kohein leKeil elyon — a priest of the most high G-d”, under the name “Shaleim”. The other half...
The following is based on an article by Rav Mordechai Yehuah Leiv Zaks in no. 27 vol. 6 (1953) of HaPardeis. (H/T Eruv Online blog.) All of our community eiruvin rely on Rashi’s opinion...
I was wondering about something related to the attempt to travel on the Derekh haMelekh through Edom. Derekh haMelekh is the name of an actual highway of the time. But it sounds much like...
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