Chayei Sarah: Living Every Day
It is getting decidedly chilly here in the US. Winter coats, hats and scarves have become part of life again, and there is snow in the forecast. There is something magical about the first snowfall. The grungy streets and tired postwar buildings turn beautiful under its sparkling blanket. After a few hours, traffic will reduce it to muddy slush, and the magic will be marred. But for the first few moments, in the early morning hush, I will walk with fresh snow crunching under my feet, crisp and pristine. Even the drab concrete and brick urban sprawl turns beautiful then.
We all have parts of our life that are not pretty. Real issues that need to be dealt with. At the same time, we can never forget that everything has beauty when viewed positively. Every home is a castle under the forgiving shower of sparkling snow.
For now, draw back the shades, take a look at the falling snow (or the palm trees, if that what you are blessed with), print up an article or two from the fantastic offerings below, and savor the moment.
Little did I know that a crazy rabbi dressed in a penguin suit, along with his wife, was about to turn my life completely upside down . . .
The spiritual nature of the holy day of Shabbat is one that has a transcendental quality.
Once he was in the middle of a chat with G‑d Himself when some travelers appeared in the distance. He excused himself and ran off to invite in the guests!
“I realized that the moment I put the question out, there I was—provoking someone to not tell me the truth . . .”
What a shame and waste that a twenty-four-hour period can pass, and we might feel that during our day we did “nothing”!
Maybe the whole problem with capitalism is the script we're writing for it. Maybe if we rewrote that script, the same forces that are messing up the world would be fixing it instead...
A bit about death, a lot about marriage and the art of storytelling. Also: four hundred shekels, ten camels, two bracelets and a ring. A third wife and six more sons.
The reason behind the Jewish custom of burying a person almost immediately after his or her passing.
You don’t have to have a degree in psychology or grief therapy to be able to assist those in crisis. Just be there for them.
Yesterday, shiva over, the rabbi had said, “It’s time for you to go out.” Time was so unforgiving; Becky was not ready.
One way or another, neither Abraham nor Sarah had an easy life. Theirs were lives of trial, in which their faith was tested at many points.
What did Abraham know about that cave that he was willing to pay 400 shekels for it?
“Why not send down a Jew? If he dies, none of us would care, and if not, you will have your precious saber back.”
If you ended up on the upper story, consider yourself lucky. If you find yourself on the lower level, consider yourself luckier.
The mission of the G‑dly soul is to channel and focus the animal soul’s emotions toward its—the G‑dly soul’s— interest, the service of G‑d.
Surrounded by a group of able-bodied men, Eliezer did not appear as a helpless, weary chap begging for a drink.
He asked, “Rebbe, what is a chassid?” Replied the rebbe: “A Chassid is a lamplighter.”
Stories and teachings of the Rebbe Rashab, the “Maimonides of Chassidism” (1860–1920).
Rabbi Mendel and Nechama Hendel got a new experience this past August when they became restaurateurs, opening up Gostijo, Greece’s only kosher restaurant.
A new synagogue that just opened in the Primorskiy District of S. Petersburg, Russia, has opened a world of possibilities for many in the local Jewish community who previously could not walk to Sabbath services.
Some people think there is no conflict between their work and their time for study, meditation and prayer.
But, on the contrary, they complement one another:
Start your day by connecting it to Torah—the day shines and all its parts work in synchronicity.
Work honestly, carrying the morning’s inspiration in your heart—a...
