Monthly Archives: February 2022

When I was in prison in Russia, I was surrounded by men who’d given up hope, who were despondent and broken. I always tried to be upbeat, and one of them asked me how I could be happy in such … Continue reading →

There is nothing that awakens the heart as much as songs do. ~ The Chinuch – mitzvah 384

People can easily deceive themselves into thinking that they are doing an act of kindness for the sake of kindness, when in fact this is not the case. The way to test your motivation is to see if you are … Continue reading →

“Young man,” the rebbe of Peshischa demanded, “Where can one find G‑d?” “Everywhere,” answered his disciple, who was to become the rebbe of Kotzk. “His glory fills the universe.” “Young man,” the Peshischer repeated, “I asked you: where could one find G-d? The … Continue reading →

Instilling the ga’avah d’kedushah, pride in our holiness, in our children is hard, but so was it hard to hide in a basement and not make a sound when running from the Nazis. We fought Eisav as “Eisav” and can … Continue reading →

No one likes to say, “I don’t want to do it.” Instead, the yetzer hara makes us say, “I have no time.” When we say, “I’d like to do it and one day I will.” The yetzer hara gives a … Continue reading →

If you are reading this, you obviously want to serve Hashem.  The question is, are you doing it properly?  We can’t serve Hashem properly without knowing how. The best way to do so is by learning halacha. Today marks the … Continue reading →

HaShem makes no mistakes, and deliberately places every precious neshama with the parents who are perfectly suited to nurture that neshama to its potential. ~ R’ Adam Englander based on a shiur from R’ Moshe Weinberger

It is there inside. Everything is there inside. But the ‘I’ stands firmly at the gate. ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

Put yourself in the frame of mind of someone who has received a gift from an authority figure he greatly respects and is now thanking him for that gift.  ~ R’ Simcha Zissel Ziv zt”l