Monthly Archives: January 2012

Instructions

“They translate it as ‘The Bible’, or ‘The Law’, but that’s not what the word means. Torah means ‘instructions’. Whatever piece of Torah you learn, you must find the instructions it is giving you.” – Bringing Heaven Down to Earth … Continue reading

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Reb Zusha

Reb Zusha used to say:  “When I die and come before the heavenly court, if they ask me, ‘Zusha, why were you not Abraham?’  I’ll say that I didn’t have Abraham’s intellectual abilities.  If they say, ‘Why were you not … Continue reading

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Judging Ourselves

“Chazal tell us that we must always judge others favorably.  We must also judge ourselves favorably.”  ~ R’ Nachman of Breslov  (Torah Tavlin)

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Ancestors

In response to an antisemitic political taunt made by Daniel O’Connell in the British parliament, Benjamin Disraeli replied with this statement: “Yes, I am a Jew, and when the ancestors of the Right Honourable Gentleman were brutal savages in an unknown … Continue reading

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A Jewish Proverb

“What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your mouth.”

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The Next Level

“Once emuna precedes intellect, then we’re ready to utilize our brainpower in order to understand what Hashem wants from us.” ~ The Garden of Emuna

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Where is God?

“Where is God to be found? In the place where He is given entry” ~ Kotzker Rebbe

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Two Messengers

“Just as in Egypt, where Hashem appointed two messengers to lead the Jews out of slavery, Moshe and Aharon, so too, will we have two emissaries by the final redemption, Mashiach Ben Yosef and Mashiach Ben Dovid.  Why?  One to … Continue reading

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First, look in the mirror

Our Sages tell us (Kiddushin 70a) that one who degrades another person often does so regarding the very fault which he himself possesses. Sometimes, we notice faults in others because we have them within ourselves. The Torah, in the laws … Continue reading

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Knocked Down

“The Great Rabbis tell us that ‘Sheva Yipol Tzaddik Vakam‘ – A Righteous Man is Knocked Down Seven Times, and stands up again. Some people explain this to mean that it’s ‘through’ that cleansing process that he becomes great. It’s … Continue reading

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