ב"ה

Tish'ah B'Av 5764 - July 27, 2004

A Debt of Truth

What remains of the destroyed Temple to be held as "collateral"? What is the debt whose payment will trigger the Temple's return to us?
Parshah
Va’etchanan in a Nutshell
In which Moses implores G‑d, describes the Exodus and the giving of the Torah, predicts Israel’s abandonment and return to G‑d, and summarizes the fundamentals of the Jewish faith.
The Voice of the Conflicted Soul

Knowing that You are all-capable, knowing that You certainly could have arranged it that I should reap the intended benefit without needing to experience the pain, how do I justify the suffering that You inflict on me?
Story
A Tisha b'Av Prank

They opened a skylight in the study hall and dropped a snare; when someone walked into the study hall, they would yank on the rope so that the snare fastened itself around him, and pull him up to the roof...
It's Been 2,000 Years; Can We Still Be in Love?

Jewish history is comprised of two segments: pre and post Temple destruction. The first era is marked by miracles and constant divine intervention; the second by suffering and Divine concealment.
Parenting
Believe like a Child

We would never tell a two-year-old, "Why, that's not how that word is pronounced at all! And what a way to walk! Oh, you'll never walk or talk properly." So why do we do that with our children's dreams?
There are four things whose creation G-d regrets every day. The first is galut (exile)
— Talmud, Sukkah 52b
Print Magazine

More than 1,700 years in advance, the author of the Zohar predicted a revolution of science and technology around the year 1840. There he describes the fountains of wisdom bursting forth from the ground and flooding the earth—all in preparation for an era when the world shall be filled with wisdom and knowledge of the One...