Va’eira
What is faith? Ask ten people, and you will likely get ten different answers. Ask ten Jews, and you’ll get at least twenty. Join Manis Friedman for an insightful discussion of what it means to believe. Then, trace the thread of faith through this week’s Parshah in What is G‑d’s Answer? and Whacking the River.
If we believe in G‑d, we must also believe in ourselves. Enter the world of Yankel the Master of Sins, and gain a new understanding of how meaningful our actions, or lack thereof, can be. Even Yankel had a unique gift to contribute to the world—don’t be afraid to make your mark! And Miriam Adahan provides a lesson in giving our loved ones (and ourselves) some much-needed space.
Finally, with his Tanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi transformed the way we think about faith, G‑d and ourselves. As we mark the anniversary of his passing on 24 Tevet (this year on Friday, December 31), we pause to renew our appreciation for the life and teachings of the founder of Chabad Chassidism.
You ask why My people must suffer so terribly in their exile. You ask why is My face hidden, but the night is always darkest just before the dawn . . .
The statement, “I believe there is a G-d,” is meaningless. Faith is not the ability to imagine that which does not exist. Faith is finding relevance in that which is transcendent.
Our source of sustenance is neither regular nor predictable. Our eyes are forever trained upward, in hope and in faith . . .
Rachel was a Holocaust survivor who lived a life of tragedies and great challenges. Yet she often said, in a voice choked with emotion, “G‑d is so good to me.”
The trees remind me of growing. Each one is a masterpiece, and I am awed. I am also a “masterpiece,” and I am also unfinished . . .
What does G‑d want with sinners like me? Does He appreciate all the effort I put into trying not to be what I am?
The ego employs a more innocuous method of thwarting our connection to G‑d. It allows us to seek spirituality, but inserts the condition, “Only do not go far off—pray for me!”
It happens all too often. People become so set in their mediocrity that they give up hope of ever achieving a breakthrough.
My children specifically enjoy hearing my most vivid image of a late March Canadian blizzard, the night of my Bat Mitzvah . . .
When Rabbi Hillel finally finished, his companion was quite upset. “I don't understand,” he complained. “I thought you wanted to spend Shabbat with the Rebbe . . .”
The most renowned of the Jewish medieval scholars, Maimonides indelibly changed the face of Judaism. Read about his scholarship and achievements, and the modern-day global campaign to incorporate his teachings into every Jew’s daily study schedule.
This is what man is all about; this is the purpose of his creation—to make for G‑d a dwelling in the physical world . . .
The Rebbe said with great feeling: “You speak of all that you need. But you say nothing of what you are are needed for.”
Which crime is worse, financial exploitation or verbal abuse? “Money can be reimbursed,” the Talmud notes, “but the hurt from words is irreparable . . .”
Pidyon Haben: We are commanded to “redeem” firstborn sons after they reach 30 days of age. What is the significance of this rite, and how is it done?
When people marry, many feel as if they were given an imaginary thermometer and now have the right to check their spouse’s moods whenever they feel like it.
Are you in a fight with the other guy, or are you facing a struggle between the good and the evil inside your own heart?
She used to be a sweet girl, but for the past year or two, things have been getting more and more out of hand.
G‑d doesn’t need you to report on the dirt in His world.
He sent you here to search out the jewels hidden in the mud, clean them and polish them until they shine.
And when you bring them to Him, the angels make a crown of them for Him, saying, “Look what Your children have made for You out of the mud!”
