Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny Freedman Portion of Tetzaveh

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny Freedman Portion of Tetzaveh

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Sometimes, the experiences that impact us the most are the ones we almost miss. After finishing my regular army service, I was back in Yeshiva (An institute of higher learning), having recently begun my studies for the Israeli Rabbinate. I was on my way up the stairs to the Beit Midrash (study hall) when I noticed a student whose face I did not recognize coming out of one of the telephone booths in the hall. He appeared to be upset, and looked as though he had been crying. I asked him if he was OK, and he nodded in the affirmative, and as I didn...
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Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny Freedman – Yito

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny Freedman – Yito

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Friday night. The sun has long since set, dark clouds hide the stars, and the wind is howling off the Shouf mountain range in central Lebanon. I had managed to quietly sing the Kabbalat Shabbat service, while en-route to the ambush site, and even pray the evening service while in the staging ground, before giving my men a final inspection, but I had no idea what to do about Kiddush. In such situations we usually ate from our packs, one or two at a time, and we had a system to ensure that we didn...
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Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny (Beshalach)

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny (Beshalach)

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It is hard to imagine, looking down at the dry, windswept desert floor far below, what it must have been like two thousand years ago, to be a Jewish rebel soldier atop the isolated fortress of Masada. What kept you going, as you gazed down at the might of three full Roman Legions, all bent on your destruction? In the year 70 CE, with the Temple (the Beit HaMikdash) in flames, Jerusalem breached and destroyed, hundreds of thousands of Jews dead, and hundreds of thousands more sold into slavery, the Romans announced that the great revolt had finally been put down. They even minted a coin to communicate their victory to the entire Roman Empire. The coin, known as ...
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Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny Freedman – Parshat Bo

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality From Rav Binny Freedman – Parshat Bo

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Wake up an Israeli tank commander in the middle of the night and flash a picture of a BMP-1 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) at a distance of 5 kilometers, when it appears to be little more than a speck in the distance, and he will instantly recognize it as a Soviet- made troop carrier that fires armor-piercing Sagger anti-tank missiles. He will also be able to rattle off to you their effective range, and threat capacity (the amount of time it takes to aim and fire, as well as which Israeli tanks will effectively pierce). He will also know instantly that this carrier is most likely to be seen in the Syrian theater of war. The Israeli army takes the topic of enemy weaponry very seriously, and has a variety of often-sadistic methods for ensuring that its commanders become extremely proficient in this particular expertise....
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Sparks – Rabbi David Aaron – Identity Crisis is a Gift: Awakening to the Role and Goal of Your Soul

Sparks – Rabbi David Aaron – Identity Crisis is a Gift: Awakening to the Role and Goal of Your Soul

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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...
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