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Posts on related blogs:- The Social Media Challenge May 17, 2012T-shirts imprinted with eye-catching sayings are commonplace, each competing with the other in cuteness and cleverness. Your choice of t-shirt is a personal marketing decision. You send the world a message of who you are and how you want to be perceived. Imagine wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with your most personal information. Everyone who sees you knows abo […]Hirhurim
- Parashah Roundup: Behar-Bechukosai 5772 May 17, 2012by Steve Brizel R Ahron Soloveitchik ZL discusses how to understand reward and punishment for Mitzvos: link (audio) R Ephraim Buchwald examines the Mitzvah to live in the Land of Israel, and the unique responsibilities of Jews who live in the Diaspora: link R Berel Wein and R Sir Jonathan Sacks underscore the fact that Shemittah and Yovel should remind us th […]Hirhurim
- Rav Woble zt’l on the husband/wife relationship (link) May 17, 2012Shmuel has the text of a speech he gave at his sister-in-law's wedding, based on a teaching from Rav Woble zt'l...Tikkun!: Sheva Brachot speech […]Neil Harris
- The Coolest Thing in Town May 16, 2012[…]LazerBeams
- Mevakesh Lev 2012-05-16 16:29:00 May 16, 2012Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson […]Mevakesh Lev
- Quantity Vs. Quality May 16, 2012The order of hafrashas trumos and maasros is truma gedola, maaser rishon and then maaser sheni. If one doesn't go in order he trangresses the איסור of מלאתך ודמעך לא תאחר. Rebbe Akiva Eiger and the Minchas Chinuch both say that if ... […]Mevakesh Lev
- Rav Moshe Weinberger – Parshas Emor 5772 – Shabbos Morning Drasha – Who do you Serve? May 16, 2012Below, please find a write-up of Rav Weinberger's morning drasha from parshas Emor. Baruch Hashem, this version reflects his review of the write-up. See here for past write-ups. Also, thousands of Rav Weinberger's shiurim are available online... […]DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي)
- Shadal’s series #11 – coping with the loss of a daughter. May 16, 2012Certainly not to minimize the many tragic losses people suffer every day, yet there can be little doubt that in earlier times untimely death was lurking ever closer, with minor illnesses posing greater threats. Hardly a family was untouched by the Grim... […]Mississippi Fred MacDowell
- Can We Mitigate Some of the Moral Costs of Expensive Jewish Education? May 16, 2012What do you think of these objectives from the article “The Moral Costs of Jewish Day School” from Jewish Ideas Daily? This model corrects many of the current system’s moral deficiencies: It makes the tuition-setting process transparent and predictable. It moves many middle-class families off the rolls of those receiving financial aid. It defines day […]Beyond BT - The Baal Teshuva / Baal Teshuvah site for Baalei Teshuva / Baalei Teshuvah and Other Growth Oriented Jews
- Petach 46 May 16, 2012כשהוצרך לתת שליטה ללבושים בפני עצמם לתקן את עצמם, נתעלם החלק העליון שהיה בנקודים, והוא ענין האצילות שלהם, ואז היו שולטים הלבושים בפני עצמם. וזה נקרא להם נפילה, כי היו נופלים ממה שהיו נכללים באצילות בסוד לבושיו, ושולטים בפני עצמם, ולא בסידור ותיקון, אלא בקלקול, ריקים מן האורות שנתרחקו מהם. ואז היו פונים תמיד לתת […]Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
- Keeping Ethical May 16, 2012Pirkei Avot is commonly translated as Ethics of Our Fathers because many of its statements focus on ethical behavior. For those striving to be ethical, “Nittai the Arbelite says: Keep far from an evil neighbor, do not associate with a wicked man, and... […]Jewish Treats
- Good Neighbors May 16, 2012While Nittai the Arbelite warns to keep far from an evil neighbor, it is good to enhance peace in the world by being friendly with your neighbors. […]Jewish Treats
- The Purpose Of Krias HaTorah May 16, 2012אם כן ניחא מה שהקשינו לעיל מהי התועלת בקריאה נטולת הבנה, התשובה פשוטה, גם...."בקריאה כזו הנפש מתרוממת קידוש הגברא על ידי טיהור האישיות והתעלו... […]Mevakesh Lev
- Happiness Under All Circumstances – The Sequel May 16, 2012The great gaon, HaRav Shimon Moshe Diskin was lying in Hadassa Ein Kerem hospital. Two weeks before he died I went to visit him and invite him to my wedding. HaGaon Rav Shimon Moshe, a person for whom the Yeshiva world rejoiced at every "vort" of his. ... […]Mevakesh Lev
- Happiness Under All Circumstances May 16, 2012A young Breslover Chossid, not the superficial-external-funny-dressing-type but a deep, sincere, intense servant of Hashem, was lying on his death bed. He was surrounded by his friends and the atmosphere wasn't, may we say, at the peak of Mitzvah Gedol... […]Mevakesh Lev
- Know Thyself May 16, 2012עקב הלב מכל אנוש מי ידענוירמיהו יז"A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an o... […]Mevakesh Lev
- Mevakesh Lev 2012-05-16 00:55:00 May 16, 2012"Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it." […]Mevakesh Lev
- Even Eliyahu… May 16, 2012The Satmar Rav, zt”l, teaches a powerful lesson from a surprising statement of our sages. “In Menachos 32 we find that if Eliyahu were to come and say that we may not use a soft shoe to do chalitzah we would not heed him since the custom is to use ... […]micha
- On Jacob’s Blessing to Joseph May 16, 2012Prof Shlomo Karni / In Genesis 49:22 we find the expression בָּנוֹת צָעֲדָה which is problematic in that the subject is feminine plural, while the verb is feminine singular. A majority of the English versions read, with small variations, “[Joseph is a fruitful bough,] his branches run [over the wall.]” We are interested here in the פשט meaning, not its דרש s […]Hirhurim
- Announcement: Rav Schachter Shabbos in Flatbush May 16, 2012Cong. Nachlas Yehoshua-Montastrich is pleased to host Rav Hershel Schachter this Shabbos, Parashiyos Behar-Bechukosai Shabbos night: 9:30 pm – Oneg Shabbos Hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Yechiel Zagelbaum, 1082 E. 26th St. (bet. J & K) Shabbos day: ... […]Hirhurim
- The Social Media Challenge May 17, 2012
Yearly Archives: 5764 / 5765 - 2004
Theodicy
Here is a domain in which the split between philosophy and relationship that we’ve been exploring for the past few posts comes to the fore.I developed a philosophy about theodicy, tzadiq vera lo, why tragedy visits people who live far … Continue reading
Posted in Theodicy
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Argument by Design ver. 4.0
Ver 1.0:Medrash Temurah: “G-d created” (Gen. 1:1): A hereic came to Rabbi Aqiva and asked, “Who made the universe?”. Rabbi Aqiva answered, “Haqadosh barukh Hu“. The heretic said, “Prove it to me.” Rabbi Aqiva said, “Come to me tomorrow”. When … Continue reading
Posted in Creation, Faith and Proof
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The Kuzari Proof, part II
All proofs require first principles. A proof starts with givens, postulates, and derives a conclusion from them. Regardless of how sound the proof, the conclusion could never be more solid than those givens. In other words, if I want someone … Continue reading
Posted in Faith and Proof
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The Kuzari Proof, part I
[I later found I had a more formal presentation of this idea in Mesukim MiDevash for Yisro. This post was updated Apr 18, 2007, with a quote of Luis Ginsberg taken from Hirhurim.] Rav Yehudah Halevi makes a statement in … Continue reading
Posted in Faith and Proof
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Psychology and Mussar
The story so far from the previous two entries: Contemporary western society puts its trust in science to the extent that things outside its domain are assumed to have a lesser reality. The current stance toward morality is therefore one … Continue reading
Posted in Absolutism, Dei`os
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The Troubles of Relativism
Science has proven a fundamental boon in comtemporary culture. To the extent that the word “fact” has taken on two meanings: a single true idea, and something which can be verified experimentally. Thus blurring the reality, the truth, of the … Continue reading
Posted in Absolutism
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Love, part II
If we look at the portrayal of the avos, both in their relationships with Hashem and with their families, I believe you find three distinct models for loving relationships. Avraham is noted by Chazal for being a baal chessed, for … Continue reading
Posted in Ahavah
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Love, part I
Rav SR Hirsch relates the word ahavah (love) /ahb/ to the roots /hbh/ meaning “offer” and /hbb/, “bring forth”. To love is to give.In his Kunterus haChesed, Rav Dessler writes a truth fundamental to Mussar. We think of giving as … Continue reading
Emunah Peshutah vs Machashavah
A basic problem when approaching Jewish philosophy is the appropriateness of studying it altogether. As Prof. Sholom Carmy wrote on Avodah: The people who keep insisting that it’s necessary to prove things about G-d, including His existence, seem to take … Continue reading
Posted in Faith and Proof
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Other Tines on the Fork
The hashkafic fork in the road that I’ve been referring to repeatedly has two approaches: sheleimus / temimus, the perfection of the self, and deveikus, cleaving to G-d. If you’d like, derekh Hashem as following the path G-d takes, and … Continue reading
