Intimate Knowledge of G‑d
Compassion Toward People
Splendor in Mind and Heart
Avodah
. Sometimes, I hear people say "Baruch Dayan Emes", and sometimes I hear "Baruch Dayan HAemes" (with the Heh prefix). A quick look in any siddur shows that the Heh [...]
At the very end of sefer breishit it states that Yoseph was buried in a ?aron? in Egypt. It doesn?t mention anything about an aron by any of the avot. [...]
Charlie Kirk?s widow on faith ? does our community talk like this? Should we? https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1290467793118078 KT Joel Rich [...]
On Sun, Feb 01, 2026 at 12:25:43PM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote: >> Back a step, why not take it at face value, that these are the things >> [...]
On Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 05:45:55AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote: > Rashi uses the phrase kach shamati 94 times in shas. Many times he seems to > [...]
On Sun, Feb 1, 2026 at 12:05PM Micha Berger wrote: > On Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 05:45:55AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote: >> Rashi uses the phrase kach [...]
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:26:27 -0500 From: Sholom Simon > I have a near 70-yr old friend at shul -- he's a senior (he's "on the path" > and [...]
On Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 10:26:27AM -0500, Sholom Simon via Avodah wrote: > I have a near 70-yr old friend at shul -- he's a senior (he's "on the [...]
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- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The music video that is the topic of this podcast episode.Play EpisodeDownload EpisodeSupport This EpisodeRischa D'Araisa Season 12 Episode 22:It's Not What Our Zaides Did:The Thank You Hashem Phenomenon and Its [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
You can find all the presentations from the 2025 and past years at: https://www.ou.org/city-eruv-conference/media/ [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A recording for the BHP daily Halachic Whatsapp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
מאמר על הדרשות ועל האגדות לרבנו אברהם בן הרמב"םRabbi Avraham ben HaRambam's classic fundamental work on the Aggadah and Midrashim of Chazal. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Orot HaTechiyah 17:Emunah, Ahavah, Hiskashrus, Yud Shvat (Chabad) and Eretz Yisroelsubsequent episodes will be listed in the comments here. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
An AI generated transcript of the episode follows at the bottom of the post.Rischa D'Araisa Season 12 Episode 21:שְׂאוּ־מָר֨וֹם עֵינֵיכֶ֤ם:Klal Yisroel as Guardians of the Environmenthttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/113797Play EpisodeDownload EpisodeSupport This EpisodeSummary and text [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The Parameters of Dan L'Kaf Zechus(Judging People Favorably)An optional snow day shiur given to the talmidos of the 8th grade at YBH. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Is There Value in Learning Secular Studies? An optional snow day shiur given to the talmidim of the 8th grade at YBH. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Play EpisodeDownload EpisodeSupport This EpisodeRischa D'Araisa Season 12 Episode 20:138th Yartzheit Special:Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch1. RSRH on Medinas Yisroel2. RSRH as a Halachisthttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/113611 [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A recording for the BHP daily Halachic Whatsapp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
I think this was a particularly good one! [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The complete recording of the webinar is at Chumashshiur.com/RSRHWebinarThis was my contribution. Yasher koach to Rabbi Avrohom Aaron Elias of chumashshiur.com,the driving force behind this endeavor. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
There were two different episodes of Rischa this past week, an American and an Israeli version.The American version is Rabbi Schiller and myself on the current events of Protests and [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
I was asked two question about the Tehillim: 1. Is the Yehi Ratzon an impediment and if you get to 150 you must say the YhR before beginning again? 2. If you [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
RSRH zt"l zy"a Yahrzeit Webinar [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A recording for the BHP daily Halachic Whatsapp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS [...]
- 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 [...]
- Micha Berger
Shema Qoleinu usually ends either“כִּי אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵֽעַ תְּפִלַּת עַמְּ֒ךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרַחֲמִים – because You Listen to the prayers of Your nation Israel with Compassion” (Ashkenaz),“כִּי אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלַּת כָּל־פֶּה – [...]
- Micha Berger
Before that Chanukah detour, I promised to discuss the berakhah of ShehaKol further. To review what we said so far: In this berakhah we conclude “nihyeh bidevaro – is existing through His [...]
- Micha Berger
This week’s parshah, VaYeishev, this second Tefillah Meanings post for the week as well. Today’s topic: The closing pasuq of Mizmor shir leYom haShabbos. Many pesuqim in Tehillim say nearly [...]
- Micha Berger
We say in Ashrei (Tehillim 145:13): ,מַֽלְכוּתְךָ֗ מַלְכ֥וּת כׇּל־עֹלָמִ֑יםוּ֝מֶֽמְשַׁלְתְּךָ֗ בְּכׇל־דּ֥וֹר וָדֹֽר׃ Your kingdom is a kingdom over all the worlds,and Your rule is throughout each and every generation. Tefillah Meaning [...]
- Micha Berger
ShehaKol is said so often, we kind of take it for granted. But for a number of years now, ShehaKol on my morning cup of coffee has been one of [...]
- Micha Berger
We request three steps to the dawn of the Messianic Age in Shemoneh Esrei: תְּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל לְחֵרוּתֵֽנוּ – “Sound the great shofar for our freedom” about our return from [...]
- Micha Berger
The next berakhah I found a relationship to requires skipping ahead to “VelaMalshinim… — And for the informers, let there be no hope”. I think we need a little historical [...]
- Micha Berger
Tzitzum (literally: contraction) is a fundamental idea in the Ari’s Qabbalah. It describes the Act of Creation as Hashem making “room” for us and everything created “constricting” Himself from conceptual [...]
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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 [...]
- bf61cd94975385fed8cbdd16766a3ee4
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 [...]
- bf61cd94975385fed8cbdd16766a3ee4
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 [...]
- bf61cd94975385fed8cbdd16766a3ee4
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 [...]
- bf61cd94975385fed8cbdd16766a3ee4
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 [...]
- bf61cd94975385fed8cbdd16766a3ee4
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 [...]