Do not feel bad in your heart when you give to him [the poor] (Deuteronomy 15:10) When people come to collect charity, we may sometimes feel annoyed with them, especially if they come frequently. The Torah here is cautioning us not to bear any resentment when we give to them. […]
You shall love your neighbor as you do yourself (Leviticus 19:18). The usual translation is printed above and indeed is the way the verse is generally interpreted. As a result, the question is often raised, “How can people have the same love for others as they have for themselves? Isn’t […]
The Midrash comments: “Had I not fallen, I would not have arisen,” and so indicates that some heights are not attainable without an antecedent fall. Obviously, no one designs a fall in the hope that it may lead to a greater elevation. Michah’s message, however, is that if a person […]
America was always there, long before Columbus discovered it. Penicillin killed bacteria long before Fleming discovered it. We could go on to list numerous discoveries which could have benefited mankind long before they came to our attention. It has been said that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. […]
#FORGIVENESS #FORGIVEOTHERS #ELUL I hereby forgive everyone who offended or angered me, or sinned against me (Prayer on Retiring). Since we pray to Gd to forgive our mistakes, certainly we should be willing to forgive others who have offended us. Forgiveness must be more than perfunctory. A man once heard his Rabbi […]
