Kedoshim
My Israel-Inspired Thought
Dear Friend,
Having torn myself away from a beautiful Passover in Israel, I want to share a thought I brought back with me:
Israel is a microcosm of each of our lives and of our planet. Why? Because it’s not just a chunk of land. It’s the promised land. It’s unique, sacred earth.
This body that you’re in, this life you’ve been given—it’s your promised land. And this planet we dwell upon, these people we need to learn to live with—they are humanity’s promised land. The story of the Land of Israel and the Jewish people is meant as a model, a highlighted fractal of the whole.
Look at things this way, and everything changes. You stop kvetching and start finding solutions. And you value every moment. Because every moment is another footstep across sacred earth.
In my mind, this is the key to all solutions—this awareness that life has meaning, where you are is with purpose, and every moment is eternity.
Just my Israel-inspired thought. You’re the reader. Tell me yours.
Tzvi Freeman,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
It is the height of human audacity to assume that we are fantastic instances of consciousness that have somehow emerged out of a dumb universe—much like the teenager who can’t understand how such a bright guy like me came from parents who have no brains.
Mazal tov literally means “good luck,” but Jews use it pretty much the same way that English-speakers use the word “congratulations.”
My wife and I have two children, an eight-year-old and a ten-year-old. My wife wants to have another child but I think we already have enough work and children - we do not have much time left to our day!
I recently started attending synagogue services on a regular basis. After we pray the Amidah silently, the chazzan (cantor) repeats it word for word. Why?
What is the Jewish stance on cursing and curse words? I’ve heard the line that our bodies are a temple, and that defaming G‑d’s name is very bad, but what about a little curse here or there when you are really mad?
What are the implications of the Torah’s cautionary remark about sensitivity towards a blind man? Personal liability is a topic that’s already been laid out in the Torah in graphic detail, so what’s the new mitzvah that G‑d is teaching us here?
A condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship.
How Israelis love kids, anyone’s kids. The country is a free-for-all for the youngest set, something I truly appreciated only once I started bringing my own children there.
I had to hold back my tears. But I honored the space he would need to accept and love this beautiful addition to our family.
One day, the neighborhood butcher came to the study of Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (1730-1805), the famed rabbi of Frankfurt, with an halachic query...
As devastating Alberta wildfires continue to spread, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries have been assisting families in shelters, keeping in contact with Jewish residents and pledging their help in what is sure to be a long road to recovery.
The Jewish community in Ilford and beyond is in mourning after learning of the untimely passing of a beloved emissary, Rabbi Moshe Muller, who served as assistant director at the Chabad Lubavitch Centre and assistant rabbi in the Chabad synagogue.
In Nebraska, the celebration of Shabbat adds to the business palate.
The youngest son of Chabad emissaries in Connecticut needs constant care and special medical equipment.
There is only one thing that can put you further ahead than success, and that is surviving failure.
When you are successful, you are whole and complete. That is wonderful, but you cannot break out beyond your own universe.
When you fail, you are broken. You look at the pieces of yourself lying on the ground and say,...
