ב"ה

Shoftim 5764 - August 20, 2004

Cowards of the World, Unite!

The fearless few who throw caution to the wind and heedlessly plunge into every offered challenge are indeed strange exceptions to our race. So where do all our heroes come from?
Parshah
Shoftim in a Nutshell
“Justice”—the very concept is said to be a Jewish contribution to the world. A glance at this week’s Parshah (equality before the law, due process, protection of criminals from vigilante vengeance, curbs on the behavior of kings, rules and ethics in warfare . . . ) shows why.
What Is Ego?

My guru says I must first surrender my ego in order to proceed with his five-day, ten-step path to total enlightenment. Personally, I find my ego quite useful, even neccessary. What do you think? Are egos really as bad as they are made out to be?
I'm in Hawaii, He's in Iraq: Why Are We Doing This?

I guess when something is truly right for you, no matter how impractical or out of the ordinary it may seem, you find yourself doing what you are meant to do...
Story
The Climb

The children had leaned a tall pole against a building and were competing with each other as to who could climb the highest...
Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: an Elul Anthology

A History of Elul... A Haven in Time... Month of the Bride... I and My Beloved... How to grant a blessing... The King in the Field... all about Elul -- the month that G-d feels closer to us and we feel closer to Him
Though summer still lingered and the day was bright and sunny, there was a change in the air. One smelled already the Elul-scent; a teshuvah-wind was blowing. Everyone grew more serious, more thoughtful... All awaited the call of the shofar, the first blast that would announce the opening of the gates of the month of mercy
— Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, describing the Shabbat before Elul in the town of Lubavitch
Print Magazine

There are sparks of light hidden in this world. Some you can find and liberate: When you “know G‑d in all your ways,” finding Him in whatever you do, those sparks jump out at you and their light is released.

But then there are sparks of such intensity that they had to be buried in the deepest bowels of the material re...