King David Strong In The Ways Of Judah’s Repentance
Judah, King David, and Repentance The Talmudic dictum that “the actions of the fathers are a sign to the children” (Sotah 34a) plays a central role in the Torah and in our own lives. In Vayeishev, Judah’s words and actions pave the way for his descendants to engage in teshuvah, sincere repentance, one of Judaism’s […]
Beautiful And Meaningful Facets Of The Name Yisrael
The Name Yisrael The first time a word is introduced in the Torah, it becomes the headquarters, or fundamental context, to understand that word and all its ramifications. The name Israel, or Yisrael in Hebrew, given to Jacob when he defeated the man/angel, is based on the verb to contend, to struggle in the most […]
Find out Secrets of Reincarnation Regarding Jacob and Esau
Reincarnations of Jacob and Esau Jacob and Esau were not only twin brothers, they were archetypal rivals, as was revealed to Rebecca when they were still in her womb: “The children agitated within her, and she said, “If so, why am I thus?” And she went to inquire of God. And God said to her: […]
Abraham: Universally Had The Most Awesome and Powerful Influence
The Influence of Abraham The Torah tells us that after Sarah died, Abraham remarried and had six more children and many grandchildren. The Torah then states that Abraham gave all he had to Isaac and sent the other children and grandchildren to the land of the East with gifts (Genesis 25: 1-7). Drawing upon these […]
Know God as Redeemer – Immediately Pray With Hope
Connecting Redemption to Prayer The cardinal prayer in Judaism is called the Amidah, literally, the standing prayer. When Abraham takes it upon himself to plead for God to not destroy the evil people of Sodom, it says that he was standing before God and then he approached Him in prayer. Abraham standing before God is […]
The Deeds of the Fathers
Parshat Lech Lecha The Sages teach a very important concept: “The actions of the fathers are a sign to the children” (Sotah 34a). This idea is manifest on many different levels – historically, psychologically, practically and spiritually. The Patriarchs and Matriarchs were all-inclusive souls and their every thought, speech and action left an indelible mark […]
Leaving the Ark Amazing Article
Parshat Noach In his book, Awakening the Spark Within, (which this author assisted in writing) Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh analyzes God’s command to Noah to leave the ark after the waters of the flood subsided. Rabbi Ginsburgh proposes that God’s command was not just on the physical level, but also entailed leaving behind his pre-Flood consciousness […]
Amazing Article Creation for the Glory of God
Parshat Bereishit The Torah begins with an account of the seven days of creation. Sefer Yetzirah, one of the oldest Kabbalistic texts, begins by explaining that God created the world through thirty-two wondrous pathways of wisdom. According to the Kabbalah, these thirty-two pathways are the ten sefirot, the Divine channels through which an infinite God […]
Chevron: A Place of Connection
Parshat Chayei Sarah The Torah portion of Chayei Sarah begins with a detailed explanation of how Abraham purchases the cave of Machpelah as the burial site of his beloved wife Sarah. The purchase of the cave was in fact the initial purchase of the land of Israel by Abraham. The Torah records that the place […]
An Open Tent
Parshat Vayeira When the three angels visited Avraham and Sarah they said to him “where is Sarah your wife?” (Bereishit 18:9). On the word “to him,” eylav, there are three dots over the letters alef, yud and vav (אֵׄלָיׄוׄ). These three letters together mean “where is he.” This alludes to a second question that was […]