Intimate Knowledge of G‑d
Compassion Toward People
Splendor in Mind and Heart
Avodah
See pp 10-11 from a booklet put out by R Hadar Yehudah Margolin, available at www.dafyomi.co.il/lectures/reviis/kuntras-kzayis.pdf What we call "Chazon Ish Shiurim" is a mistake. The measures given for the [...]
On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 08:38:03AM -0400, Zvi Lampel via Avodah wrote: > Rabbi Berel Wein z"l with a different nuance: > https://www.rabbiwein.com/blog/post-2225 ... > [On the other hand.] [...]
Tue, 24 Mar 2026 Joel Rich posted: From, The Paths of Providence -Chaim Gross: One of the hallmarks of modernity was the adoption (in the 18th and 19th > centuries) [...]
I suppose it depends what happens with the bones. Do the bones themselves decompose with the soft tissue, or not? If they do, it's just an accelerated version of the [...]
. R' Joel Rich asked: > A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging > practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space > shortages. The process [...]
RJIR in Avodah V44n18: > A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space shortages. The process involves natural organic [...]
A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space shortages. The process involves natural organic reduction transforming bodies into nutrient-rich [...]
From, The Paths of Providence -Chaim Gross This articulates one of my deepest frustrations: One of the hallmarks of modernity was the adoption (in the 18th and 19th centuries) of [...]
Blogs
- YGB - יג"ב
- Aspaqlaria
- Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
- | Modern Uberdox
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A BHP Productions video on the Parasha.Shabbos HaGadol (but primarily about the avodah of Pesach!).https://chat.whatsapp.com/I4CFQwInPXNATfQSMNOeRV [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
https://youtu.be/3XQ1DldJTXI?si=0dAe5GCQH_ucAEo3Forgive the hyperbole, but as noted in the excerpt I often say with only the slightest exaggeration that this essay is the most important piece of Jewish Thought written in [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Please consider donating for Elik's Widow and Childrenhttps://kehilatpardes.app.neoncrm.com/forms/bereavement [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
How to use imagery and imagination to experience Yetzi'as Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt)From Hachasharas Ha'Avreichim by Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, the Piaseczno Rebbe זי"ע הי"ד. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Rav Kook for People who are not Adherents of Rav Kook's Thought: Orot part 64Subsequent episodes in the series will be linked in the comments here.Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook's [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A remote shiur given via WhatsApp to the Buseta Synagogue community in Uganda. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071282243572 [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A recording for the BHP daily Halachic Whatsapp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Rav Dessler on the Uniqueness of Mitzrayim and Ongoing Geulah from Mitzrayim(The first Michtav Me'Eliyahu on Pesach in volume 2.) [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Austritt Then and Now — What Institutional Separation Actually MeansA post from the new TIDE blog. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
What Is Torah Im Derech Eretz? A Reader's GuideA post from the new TIDE blog. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A Report Card from the Torah Im Derech Eretz School in Interwar Riga, LatviaA post from the new TIDE blog. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The Shi'urei Da'as (Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch zt"l)on the Pesach Seder: Why It Is Bereft of Pageantry? [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Play EpisodeDownload EpisodeSupport This EpisodeRischa D'Araisa Season 12 Episode 27:https://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/115498The Iran War:Yetziah Through Mitzrayim with Rabbi Ari KoretzkyShiites, Sunnis and Sufis:Islam's Historical Relation to Judaism [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Insights into the Fast of the Firstborn (Ta'anis Bechoros) and How Much Does a Bechor Have to Eat at the Siyum? A recording for the BHP daily Halachic Whatsapp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
This image is actually toned down from his original thumbnail!Play EpisodeDownload EpisodeSupport This EpisodeRischa D'Araisa Season 12 Episode 26:Hatzolah Call:Rischa's Rapid Response to the Viral Video on Lakewoodhttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/115230You can see the [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
While our picture is of Achashverosh and Haman, we will deal with the proximities of HaMelech stam hu Melech Malchei HaMelachim, HKB”H and Haman. (ג יא) וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהָמָן [...]
- Micha Berger
The first thing you may notice about the middle, Shabbos-related, berakhah of Shabbos Minchah is that the opening parallels the berakhah immediately before it. אַתָּה קָדושׁוְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ!וּקְדושִׁים בְּכָל יום יְהַלְּלוּךָ [...]
- Micha Berger
Current events here in Israel have meant that I haven’t gotten a good night sleep between alarms and sirens, which translated to not writing here as often as I had [...]
- Micha Berger
The gemara on Berakhos 6a states something very intriguing: אָמַר רַבִּי אָבִין בַּר רַב אַדָּא, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַנִּיחַ תְּפִילִּין שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ בִּימִינוֹ וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ״. [...]
- Micha Berger
Esther 8:16: לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אוֹרָ֖ה וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ן וִיקָֽר׃ The Jews enjoyed light and joy, happiness and glory. The gemara (Megillah 16b) explains that each item on the list refers to [...]
- Micha Berger
Shabbos Mussaf The middle berakhah of Shabbos Mussaf begins with a rare acrostic — the Alef-Beis, but in reverse order: starting with ת and ending with א: תִּכַּנְתָּ שַׁבָּת רָצִיתָ [...]
- Micha Berger
Shabbos Morning Last time we looked at the opening of Friday night’s Amidah, today, the next Shacharis. (We will deal with the common portion of the middle berakhah for Shabbos [...]
- Micha Berger
Or: Starting Shabbos Now that I covered “the thoughts I have while davening Shemoneh Esrei the times I think while davening”, let’s move on to the Amidah for Shabbos. The [...]
- Micha Berger
The Torah only uses the phrase “לֹא־טוֹב / it is not good” twice:Once when Hashem created Adam before Chavah — “לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ / It is not good for [...]
- Micha Berger
:רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הַקַּפָּר אוֹמֵר: הַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם Rabbi Elazar haKappar said: envy, desire and [the pursuit of] honor take a person out of the world. [...]
- Micha Berger
Moving on from Shemoneh Esrei proper to Elokai Netzor, the first question is: If it’s not really part of Shemoneh Esrei, just what is Elokai Netzor? I think the prayer [...]
- Micha Berger
In Nusach Ashkenaz, there are two versions of the last berakhah of the Amidah — in the mornings we say “Sim Shalom” and Minchah and Maariv we say “Shalom Rav.”* [...]
- Micha Berger
Or: Modim, part IV Modim ends, “בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ הַטּוֹב שִׁמְךָ וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהוֹדוֹת – … Your name is ‘The Good’, and it is pleasant to praise You.” Yes, I [...]
- Micha Berger
Or: Modim, part III In the last installment, I noted how in Modim we thank Hashem “al …”, for, four things. And how this is an example of something we [...]
- Micha Berger
Or: Modim, part II In part I, we looked specifically at the word “Modim“, and how R Hutner shows it means here both “thanks” and “admission”. That the berakhah isn’t [...]
- Micha Berger
The next berakhah of Shemoneh Esrei, the center of the closing berakhos about gratitude is Modim. In this post we will look at the meaning of the opening word, “Modim“, [...]
- Micha Berger
Now that we completed the 13 berakhos Chazal labeled requests, we get to Retzeih, the first of the three berakhos of thanksgiving. For reasons I don’t know, it reads like [...]
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Nephesh Hachaim 1:13 1. T The things we say can also link celestial worlds, rectify this one, and interconnect with the upper worlds, as we’ll now see. After all, we’re [...]
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Da’at Tevunot 3:7 (¶ 118 [middle]) 1. We’d do well to take something into consideration, Ramchal adds here. It’s that just because something or someone is imperfect doesn’t mean [...]
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The Way of G-d 2:6:4 1. G-d allowed for a prosecutor in His court, famously known as satan 1. His role is to argue against the accused, which them enables [...]
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Nephesh Hachaim 1:12 1. R. Chaim already spoke 1 of the fact that we could only link celestial worlds, rectify this one, and interconnect with those upper worlds after we’d [...]
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Da’at Tevunot 3:6 (¶ 118 [beginning]) 1. Ramchal reiterates here 1 that wrong is a created entity 2 that was only designed to last for as long as G-d wanted [...]
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The Way of G-d 2:6:3 1. Given the above, the fact is that G-d doesn’t judge the world according to His foreknowledge but rather according to the way He wants [...]
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Nephesh Hachaim 1:11 1. Following up on the thought offered in the last chapter that despite our being connected to physicality we’re nevertheless superior to angels, R’ Chaim now [...]
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Da’at Tevunot 3:5 (¶s 116 [end] – 117) 1. Ramchal says that he’s going to expand upon things he’d said above 1 and reveal things that are “deep” about [...]
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The Way of G-d 2:6:2 1. G-d appears in each Sanhedrin and court, influences it, and sees to it that justice is served 1. Now, in some instances [...]
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Nephesh Hachaim 1:10 1. Given all of the above concerning our makeup and capacities, it’s reasonable to wonder whether angels are loftier than we are or we’re loftier than they. [...]
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Da’at Tevunot 3:4 (¶ 116 [beg.]) 1. Ramchal is about to offer something that will serve as a prelude to what’s to follow 1. It’s that even though G-d [...]
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Derech Hashem 2:6:1 In the course of His interactions with the world 1, G-d arranged it so that phenomena that affect both the things that humankind brings about 2 and [...]
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Nephesh Hachaim 1:9 1. Following through on the discussion of the previous chapter, R’ Chaim contrasts the situation of the generation that dwelt in the Sinai Desert 1 with that [...]
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Da’at Tevunot 3:3 (¶’s 103- 115) 1. It seems logical, doesn’t it, that goodness would be a product of something that emanates goodness while wrongfulness would be a product of [...]
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Da’atTevunot 3:2 (# 98 – 102) 1. Ramchal starts to explain the role of wrong and injustice in the world with a proposition derived from Rambam1. It’s that when G-d [...]
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Nephesh Hachaim 1:8 1. R’ Chaim offers a rather complex discussion here about the positioning of the Cherubs in the Tabernacle and Holy Temple in order to illustrate his point [...]
- Neil Harris
The website 18FORTY has a fantastic and thoughtful multimedia post on OTD that is worth watching, reading, and listening to. If you are reading this then you know I don’t [...]
- Neil Harris
Spoiler, there isn’t much substance to I what have to say. Also, I am spoiling the end of the Skywalker saga. After reading an excellent essay by Rabbi Harry Maryles [...]
- Neil Harris
I checked my recent writing history today and the last legit post of mine was really 3.5 years ago. For some that’s a long chunk of time. In that time [...]
- Neil Harris
My wife’s comment on Simchas Torah pretty much summed it up, “I feel like this is the biggest tease for you.” You see, my mom a”h was niftar right before [...]
- Neil Harris
When today comes around I usually think about things my father missed since he has been gone. I decided that this year I’ll attempt to list a number of things [...]
- Neil Harris
Walking out of shul, the morning after Yom Kippur, a follow early Sunday morning riser casually said to me, “Back to normal, right?” I was taken off guard (and also [...]
- Neil Harris
I have started this post about 2 dozen times over the past 3 years and I never seem to get more than about 300 words written about why I stopped [...]
- Neil Harris
I want to share something that Rav Efraim Twerski said at his Shabbos HaGadol drasha. After starting off with 10 questions Rav Twerski said over an amazing Torah from Rav [...]
- Neil Harris
So, tonight’s the 6th yahrtzeit for my dad, Avraham ben Zorach a”h (Al, of blessed memory). Like everyone else that has lost a parent I lit my 24 hour yahrzeit [...]
- Neil Harris
“WARMED BY THE FIRE OF THE AISH KODESH– Torah from the Hilulas of Reb Kalonymus Kalman Shapira of Piaseczna” by Rav Moshe Weinberger and adapted by Binyomin Wolf is more [...]