ב"ה

Kedoshim 5765 - May 6, 2005

The Heresy of Kindness

They asked the Baal Shem Tov: "The Talmud tells us that for every thing G-d forbade, He provided us something permissible. What did He permit that corresponds to the sin of heresy?" Replied the Besht : "Acts of kindness"
Parshah
Kedoshim in a Nutshell
Mitzvahs about Shabbat, charity, honesty in business, sexual morality, respect and honor of parents, idolatry, equality before the law and the sacredness of life.
The Ability to Question

When the world made no sense, these Jews still cared to know what they should do or not do. When the world ignored G-d and His commandments, they determined that they would not...
Current
Jay Litvin (1944-2004)
You turn on the computer and this man appears, sits across the table from you for several hours, and shares something of his innermost self with you...
Story
Nine Hundred Rubles

Suddenly the Rebbe turned to the melamed: "If you wish, I will tell you three words of advice. But for each you must pay me in full. For the first, you must give me three hundred rubles..."
What Does “Mazel Tov” Mean?

Mazal tov literally means “good luck,” but Jews use it pretty much the same way that English-speakers use the word “congratulations.”
Where Is Man?

Remembering the Holocaust, we're faced with the eternal question: Where was G-d? But I believe that 60 years ago G-d was watching and waiting for an answer to an even more important question: Where is man?
Love your fellow as yourself.
— Leviticus 19:18
Print Magazine

The Baal Shem Tov described life as a spiral staircase, constantly deflecting away from your target in order to attain it.

In Yiddish it’s called a “swindling staircase.” Some wise chassidim have pointed out a connection: Life swindles you into believing you are going in circles when really you are traveling higher e...