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Prayer Skills-For Everything-Shelah
The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yeshayah Horowitz, author of Shnei Luchos Habris: S...
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Morning Blessings-Pesach-Not A Slave
A pious Jew in the Kovno ghetto, compelled to do forced labor by the Nazis, asked Rabbi Oshry...
Morning Blessings-Elokai, Neshama-Pesach
We read in Pirkei Avot, "Know from where you came (3:1)." These words are addressed to the so...
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Peuskei d’Zimrah-Nisan-Ata Hu-Part Three
Likewise, in my humble opinion, all of the selections that Jews are unable to complete, durin...
Peuskei d’Zimrah-Nisan-Ata Hu-Part Two
But what of the foods prohibited to us by the Torah, such as the forbidden species of cattle,...
Pesukei d’Zimrah-Nisan-Ata Hu-B'nei Yisaschar
When the Messiah comes, the Holy One will accept gifts from all the kingdoms except Edom, bec...
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Shema-Pesach-True Service
Rabbi Safra was reciting the Shema when a man offered him a sum of money for something he wis...
Shema-Pesach-With Love
The Tzanzer Rebbe once broke down in tears. “It is known that a man may study the Torah,” he ...
Shema-Ahavah Rabbah-Ahavat Olam-Bet Yosef
The 13th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Yosef Karo, Beis Yosef, Shulchan Aruch, Kesef Mishn...
Shema-Blessings-The Order of Nature-Ramban
The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe ben Nachman, the Ramban, (1194-1270). Born in...
Shema-Blessings Evening-Changes Times-Ramban
The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe ben Nachman, the Ramban: After the Jubilee, t...
Shema-Only Truth Will Be Heard
The 8th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Mordechai of Neshchiz: Two men came with a financial...
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Amidah-Redemption-Pesach
A prince became incensed at his son's conduct and exiled him to an unfriendly country. There ...
Amidah-Redemption of Torah-Pesach
When redemption comes at last, the Torah will appear to us as if it were entirely new, unlike...
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Hallel as Shirah: Paragraph Six
“God is a Master of war (Exodus 15:3).” God is not like a King of flesh and blood, for the f...
Hallel as Shirah: Paragraph Five: Before the World
“This is my Lord and I will glorify Him.” Rabbi Yossi says, this means that, “I will speak of...
Hallel as Shirah: Paragraph Four: A Promise To Accompany
The Sages say, “This is my Lord and I will glorify Him,” “v-anveihu,” should be read, “alvenh...
Hallel as Shirah: Paragraph Three: The Blessing of Being Abl
Rabbi Berachiah said: Come and see how privileged were those who went down into the Sea; How ...
Hallel as Shirah: Paragraph Two: Infinite Song
The Congregation of Israel said before the Holy One, Blessed is He, “Master of the Universe! ...
Hallel as Shirah: Paragraph One “This”
“Rav Yehudah said in the name of Shmuel: Regarding the Song that is written in the Torah, it ...
Hallel: Chol haMoed Pesach: Journey to the Mountain VI
Their gratitude did not lessen as the days increased:“Give thanks to God Who is good, for His...
Hallel: Chol haMoed Pesach: Journey to the Mountain V
Imagine a nation marching through the desert, convinced that their journey was a lesson to th...
Hallel: Chol haMoed Pesach: Journey to the Mountain IV
If the people on the second, third, ...sixth day of their journey, could still sense the bles...
Hallel: Chol haMoed Pesach: Journey to the Mountain III
Even as their journey extended from one day to the next, they were convinced that each step w...
Hallel: Chol haMoed Pesach: Journey to the Mountain II
As their journey entered its second day they had to look into themselves to find the inspirat...
Hallel: Chol haMoed Pesach: Journey to the Mountain I
“The Song will be yours like the night of the festival’s consecration, and heartfelt gladness...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute VIII
We sing this final paragraph of the Hallel as if we too are marching out of Egypt into a futu...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration VIII
We sing this final paragraph of Hallel as the Children of Israel sang as they offered the ori...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute VII
We sing this Hallel just as the Children of Israel sang their Hallel on the first morning of ...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration VII
We sing this paragraph as part of the Hallel that the Children of Israel sang as they were of...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute VI
We sing this Hallel just as the Children of Israel sang their Hallel on the first morning of ...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration VI
We sing the sixth paragraph as part of the song that will make us free, as if we were singing...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute V
We can easily imagine that the joy of the song as the people gathered to begin their journey ...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration V
We sing the fifth paragraph as part of the song that will make us free, as if we were singing...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute IV
We can easily imagine that the joy of the song as the people gathered to begin their journey ...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration IV
We sing the fourth paragraph as part of the song that will make us free, as if we were singin...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute III
We can easily imagine that the joy of the song as the people gathered to begin their journey ...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration III
We sing the third paragraph as part of the song that will make us free, as if we were singing...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute II
We can easily imagine that the joy of the song as the people gathered to begin their journey ...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration II
We sing the second paragraph as part of the song that will make us free, as if we were singin...
Hallel: First Day(s) Pesach: Walking with a Flute I
“The Song will be yours like the night of the festival’s consecration, and heartfelt gladness...
Hallel: Ma’ariv Pesach: Consecration I
“The Song will be yours like the night of the festival’s consecration, and heartfelt gladness...
Seder Hallel: Rav Kook: Paragraph Eight
“From the straits did I call upon God; God answered me with expansiveness.” There are many th...
Seder Hallel: Sha’ar HaRachamim: Paragraph Eight Part Two
“It is better to take refuge in God than to rely on man.” I heard from my Rebbi, the Gra, an ...
Seder Hallel: Sha’ar HaRachamim: Paragraph Eight Part One
“Give thanks to God for He is good; His kindness endures forever!” “From the straits did I ca...
Seder Hallel: Sha’ar HaRachamim: Paragraph Five
“Return, my soul, to your rest; for God has been kind to you.” We are making a promise to our...
Seder Hallel: Sha’ar HaRachamim: Paragraph Three
“Not for us,” although we have described our ability to sing a Hallel that will connect all t...
Seder Hallel: Sha’ar HaRachamim: Paragraph Two
“When Israel went out of Egypt,” referring to those who refused to change their names (Vayi...
Seder Hallel: Sha’ar HaRachamim: Paragraph One
We find four forms of Hallel in the first paragraph: "Hallelukah! Give Hallel, you servants o...
| Haftarah: Eikev: Confrontation |
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 Isaiah 49:14 – 51:3: This Haftarah affords us an opportunity to listen to a conversation between Israel and God: “And Zion said: God has forsaken me. My Master has forgotten me.” (49:14)
God responds: “Can a woman forget her nursling, withdraw from feeling compassion for the child of her womb? Even were these to forget, I will not forget you.” There is nothing you can do to erase the connection, the umbilical cord. You are attached whether you like it or not. So do not worry. I am going to lift you up. I am going to bring you back to me. You are going to be dressed in the most beautiful clothes. (49:18) I am going to take care of all of those people who bothered you. “So says the L-rd, ‘I will lift up my hand to the nations, and I am going to take care of everything that happens.” “I am going to save you. You say this, I am in chains in a dungeon, and G-d says, “I am going to save you, everything is going to be great.” Israel speaks again: “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty? Or the captives of the victorious be delivered?” How are You going to get us out the hands of the Babylonians? Excuse me, but if You had all this power, we would not be here in the first place. How are You going to get us out? G-d says, “Thus says the Lord, even the captains of the mighty shall be taken away and the terrible shall be delivered and I will contend with him that contends with you and I will save my children.” The Talmud (Sanhedrin, 105) tells the following story based on the next steps of the conversation: Ten men came and sat in front of Isaiah. The prophet said to them, “Repent!” They said to Isaiah, “If you have a woman, who was driven from her home by her husband yelling, “Get out! Get out!” How would she respond if, all of the sudden, he says, “Listen, can you do my laundry for me?” So you are telling me to do Teshuva? You just chased me out of the house like a man chases his wife out of the house. And now you are telling me of please, do the laundry? Do Teshuva? The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to the prophet, “Go and say to them. I never divorced you. Where is the divorce document? Where is it? Why did you let it happen in the first place? Why did you chase me out?” “Excuse me. I did not chase you out. Where is the divorce document?” You are sold with your own sins. It was for your transgressions that your mother was sent away. It is your fault. I did not send you away, you sent yourselves away. We are reading the Haftarot of Consolation and yet we find confrontation. Part of the true reconciliation demands that there be confrontation. Part of Nechama is to have confrontation over the things that went wrong. It is confrontation for the sake of reconciliation. Consolation is not possible without this stage of confrontation. Teshuva – Repairing our relationship with God – is a process of Consolation. This means that as we prepare to do Teshuva, we must be prepared for a certain degree of confrontation. One of the reasons that we are doing Teshuva is because there is a confrontation in which God says to us, “Many of the things that happened to you, and things that you would like to have that you do not, are results of your own actions.” We must be prepared for that confrontation. We have to be willing to say to G-d, “I do not understand. You want me to accomplish x, y, and z, so why do you not give me what I need to accomplish x, y, and z?” This Haftarah of Confrontation for the sake of Consolation teaches us that it is possible to say to God, “I understand there is a system and I understand that I cannot comprehend all the details of the system and it is beyond my comprehension I understand, but You also said that You relate to me on my level. I am doing this, I have worked on this, I am learning, I am trying to be a better person, and more sensitive. I am davening, I am doing what You want me to do, and this is what I need to do in order to fulfill my mission in life.”  |
Latest News
- Hallel: Chol HaMoed Pesach: The Hallel of The Journey
- Hallel-First Day(s) Pesach-Walking With A Flute
- Pesach Mitzvot Links
- Hallel As Shirah – Last Day(s) Pesach-Links
- Hallel-Ma’ariv-Consecration-Links
- Seder Hallel Links
- Orach L'Chaim: Vaeira
- Morning Blessings: Adon Olam: Beginnings
- Blessing of the Children: Introduction
- Blessing of the Children I
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