Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
One of the strangest dialogues in the entire Torah occurs in this week...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
It is more than twenty years now, and yet it seems like yesterday. There are moments you can taste, even smell, forever.
Forty yards, or perhaps it was only thirty? Time has a way of coloring the details. We had come under heavy fire, and we were doing everything right; by the book. The force was split up and the cover position was already in place laying down heavy suppressing fire, while we moved into place to charge their position. Six of us, trained and experienced, we were running in a straight line up the hill.
In such moments, you discover whether all the training had really been worth it. In the movies, they always make it seem like the officer is a hero, cool under fire, and wise enough to know exactly what to do. But in reality, the training just takes over. It isn...
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)
There is an oft repeated quote, attributed to Albert Einstein:
...
Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)
Why is life so difficult?
Making Peace with Our Battle
In this week's portion, Jacob asks for peace and relaxation but G-d had another plan.
"Jacob settled (down) in the land of his father's dwellings, in the Land of Caanan"
~~Genesis (37:1)
The commentary Rashi explains:
"Jacob wanted to settle down in tranquility but then the ordeal of his son Joseph (sale into slavery) fell upon him. The righteous seek to dwell in tranquility but G-d says 'Is it not enough for the righteous what has been prepared for them (reward) in the World to Come that they need to seek tranquillity also in this world!'"
Why is life so difficult?
Some people turn to G-d and religion, hoping to find refuge from all the turbulence of life, from doubt, from inner conflicts and mental turmoil. They want instant inner peace, spiritual contentment, and tranquillity for their troubled souls.
According to Kabbalah, that is not the purpose of life on earth. In fact, it is just the...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
Many years ago, I recall sitting with a newly married couple in their late thirties, who were struggling with making their marriage work after many years on the NY singles scene. Sitting with them, before I could start the conversation on a more positive note, the husband began to describe why he was upset with his wife and what she was doing wrong in his eyes. Every minute his wife would interrupt him to express what she felt her husband was doing wrong from her perspective. After a few minutes I tried to get them to speak with one another with an eye towards eventually getting them to share what each felt they themselves needed to work on, instead of directing their comments to me. But try as I might ,they would not speak with each other nor even look at each other which was obviously (though I am by no means a professionally trained therapist...
Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)...
Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny Freedman
(print version)
Koach hataya; literally: ...
Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron
(print version)
Do Good. Feel Good.
Do Bad. Feel Bad.
When we do something wrong, we not only violate our relationship with G-d and break a particular law but we also wrong ourselves and damage our self-esteem. Sin is an act of self-betrayal. The Talmud teaches that we cannot do wrong unless a spirit of insanity enters us. Indeed, we have to be out of our minds to transgress G-d's will; who only wants the best for us. Therefore, when we do wrong we have lost ourselves, at least temporarily. We become estranged from our Godly essence, and we are no longer at home with our true selves. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, G-d asked them, "Where are you?" Likewise, when we do wrong we lose ourselves in our self-imposed spiritual exile; we become strangers to ourselves.
When we transgress G-d's will, we violate our G-d-given potential. We experience a schism between who we are and who we ought to be;...