Teshuva: A Manifestation of One’s Inner Greatness
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier The month of אלול is an acronym for “אני לדודי ודודי לי”, “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for Me.” חז”ל are teaching us that it is a propitious time, that Hashem’s ‘fatherly’ connection to His children, כלל ישראל, can be acutely felt and experienced due […]
Parshas Shoftim
Print PDF By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield א־תִזְבַּח֩ לַיהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ שׁ֣וֹר וָשֶׂ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה בוֹ֙ מ֔וּם כֹּ֖ל דָּבָ֣ר רָ֑ע כִּ֧י תוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ הֽוּא (יז,א)׃ “Do not slaughter to Hashem, your G-d, an ox or sheep that has a blemish, any bad thing.” This week’s פָּרָשָׁה opens with several prohibitions that apply to judges: “Do not […]
Ennobling Each Other
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier In דברים כ:ה-ח , Deuteronomy 20:5-8, the Torah enumerates those that are disqualified from entering into battle. They are 1) one that built a new house and has not inaugurated it, 2) one who planted a vineyard and has not redeemed it. 3) one who has betrothed a woman […]
Parshas Re’eh
Print PDF By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield ( עַשֵּׂ֣ר תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר אֵ֖ת כׇּל־תְּבוּאַ֣ת זַרְעֶ֑ךָ) (פרק י”ד, פסוק כ”ב) “You shall tithe the entire crop of your planting.” When introducing the requirement for one to tithe one’s crops, the Torah uses a “double expression” of עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר” (literally, “Tithe, you shall tithe”). The חֲתַם סוֹפֵר cites two comments […]
Hashem’s Beloved Family
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier In דברים, י“ד:א , Deuteronomy 14:1, it states, “You are children of Hashem, your G-d, you shall not cut yourselves, nor make a bald patch between your eyes for the dead.” The Torah prohibits one to make a permanent scar on oneself due to one’s feeling of loneliness and […]
Parshas Eikev
By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield Print PDF וְהיָהָ עקֵֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאלֵהֶּ וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אתָֹם” (פרק ז’, פסוק י”ב) “It shall be, in exchange for that which you will listen to these laws, and you will guard and keep them…” This week’s פָּרָשָׁה begins with a long list of blessings that Hashem promises us, “In […]
Spirituality Every Moment
By Rabbi Naftoly Bier Print PDF In פ‘ דברים, יז-יח it states, “And you will say in your heart my acumen and the strength of my hand earned me this wealth; and you will remember that I (Hashem) am the One who gave you the talent to earn your wealth…” In the דרשות הר“ן , […]
Parshas Vaeschanan
Print PDF By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield עלה ראש הפסגה ושא עיניך ימה וצפנה ותימנה ומזרחה וראה בעיניך כי לא תעבר את הירדן הזה (פרק ג’, פסוק כ”ז) Ascend to the top of the cliff and raise your eyes… and see with your eyes, for you shall not cross the Yardein. When משה Davened to Hashem […]
The Greatest Praise: Shema Yisrael
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier Mr. Moshe (Morris) Salzberg, who passed away in 2015, was a survivor of the concentration camps. He related that as a “laborer” at the gas chambers, he witnessed that no Jew would enter without articulating “Shema Yisroel”. This despite that moments before, they were atheists, agnostics, Christians, Maskilim, etc. […]
Parshas Devarim
Print PDF By Shloime Lindenbaum אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה..וחצרות ודי זהב (פרק א פסוק א) The Parsha begins with a lengthy description of the context in which Moshe is telling over the Torah to the Jewish People. Rashi tells us that the extensive wording is really filled with hints to all the various places […]