Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)
Where is G-d, the Miracle Maker?
People often say, ...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
Are we here because we have made the right choices, or have all the right choices really been made for us?
It was meant to be a routine patrol which, but for this incident, would long have been forgotten. We were on reserve duty during the Intifada (the original Intifada, back in 89...
Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)
Identity Crisis is a Gift:
Awakening to the Role and Goal of Your Soul
Kirk Douglas, the actor, once told me that when people compliment him on a performance, they often tell him how great he was at losing himself in the part. "You just became Vincent Van Gogh! You were so wonderful." And he answers, "No, you lost yourself in the part. I can't afford to lose myself in the part. I have to pay attention to the director, to the cues. I have to hit the mark just right so the action is in the camera frame. I must stay aware that I am an actor playing a role."
A good actor plays his part, but he doesn't get lost in his part. He can't even begin to think he is the character he is playing. On the other hand, he still embraces that role with a tremendous amount of love and gives everything he's got to play...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
Only a few short months had passed since his untimely death, but already, Imanuel Moreno had become a legend.
A Lieutenant-Colonel and a commander in the elite Sayeret Matkal Commando unit, Imanuel was killed on a Friday night in August 2006 in heavy fighting near the Baalbeck area in Lebanon.
That Saturday night, at two o clock in the morning, thousands of people came to Mount Herzl, Israel...
Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)
To Pray the Jewish Way
At first glance prayer seems to be about whining and begging G-d, "Please heal this person ... please bring me my soul-mate ... please help my business, etc." One could mistakenly think that G-d is holding out on us and gets pleasure watching us grovel.
When we are faced with some very serious problems, it is customary to ask others to join together in our prayers. What is that all about? It seems as if we hope to move G-d through force: "G-d, if you don't respond to my prayers, then I will recruit through the e-mail thousands of others to pray."
Do we think these strategies really work? What are we actually doing here? If G-d is all knowing then why am I telling Him my problems? He already knows them. If G-d is good then why am I asking for Him to change my situation? Obviously whatever happens to me is for my best and...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
Some time ago I had the privilege of meeting a World War II veteran with a fascinating story to share:
Born in Germany, he was lucky enough to be born to parents who saw the writing on the wall, and sent him away for High School to boarding school in England. Visits home, while full of the wonderful memories of family and home cooking, were also filled with tension, as he watched Adolph Hitler...
Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)
What You See Is What You Get
"Daddy, where is G-d?"
"Son, wherever you let Him in."
...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
A few years ago, when the new wave of violence broke out in Israel, our unit was drafted for nearly forty days as part of an emergency draft order attempting to stem the tide of the violence.
It is difficult to describe how challenging it is to be completely uprooted from your life, literally overnight, with no idea of how long you will be needed, or when you will be able to get back to the routine of job and family. It was more than a challenge; it was often overwhelming. One day I was struggling to keep up with e-mail, and preparing classes for upcoming programs, and the next I was struggling to keep up with the pace of shootings, daily intelligence briefings and preparing briefings for men going out on patrols.
But what we had to deal with was nothing compared to what some of the regular army soldiers and officers , trying to respond to the...
Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)
Chanukah: The Light of Love
Most people who have read a little about Kabbalah probably know that this mystical tradition of Judaism talks a great deal about light ...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
It was late, and normally he would have been on his way home but he had some unfinished business at work, bringing him back up the hill late that night.
Very few people would even have noticed what he saw, much less done anything about it, but to Aryeh, who was both an expert in archeology, as well as very familiar with the normal comings and goings in East Jerusalem, something was clearly going on.
As he headed up the hill from his home in Ir David (a Jewish neighborhood in the valley below today...