Rayanot

To thoroughly describe the impact the Rebbe had on the world and my life in particular, would be all but impossible, nevertheless as we honor the Rebbe today on his birthday, we should at least attempt to pay tribute. One of the greatest contributions the Rebbe gave us, I believe, was the way in which he taught us to think and approach life. It is with this in mind that I present the following tribute to the Rebbe; highlighting ten of the key attitudes and perspectives he taught me to live by: You are capable of infinitely more than you think. Attempt the impossible and it will become possible. The Rebbe. #happybirthdayrebbe — Sholom Kesselman (@sholomkesselman) April 19, 2016 There is nothing you can ever do to make G-d stop loving you. He's not letting go; why should you. The Rebbe. #happybirthdayrebbe — Sholom Kesselman (@sholomkesselman) April 19, 2016 Touch one person and see the chain reaction as they touch the next. Affect one individual-change the world. ...

I must admit that there is great irony in using the internet as a platform to debate the “dangers” of the internet, nevertheless here I go. Four years ago, in 2012, there was the famous "internet Asifa" or “ internet convention ”, where esteemed Rabbis of ultra orthodox communities publicly raised the alarm on the dangers of the internet and fell just short of banning it outright. They strongly condemned it and characterized it as the biggest threat to Orthodox Judaism in our time. Some even went as far as classifying it as the biggest danger to ever face our religion in the entirety history. It doesn’t take a genius to see the “dangers” of internet. Whether it be the addictiveness of social media, the immorality and immodest content so easily accessible or the forums and blogs where heretical material is discussed, it’s easy to see why this is alarming to so many people. This sentiment is shared by many of my co-religionists and seems to be the mainstream attitude in ...

Our Parsha begins: “And G-d spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai saying.” The Torah then goes on to enumerate in great detail all of the laws of shemittah and Yovel. The sages comment on this juxtaposition of Mount Sinai to shemiitah, that just as shemittah was taught to Moses on Mount Sinai with all of its details, so too all the other Mitzvot were taught to Moses on Mount Sinai with all their details. The name of the parsha therefore is Behar (Sinai) for 2 reasons: A. It is the first word of the parsha (after “and G-d spoke”) B. All the Mitzvot (in the parsha) were taught on Mount Sinai. There is a well known Midrash regarding why G-d chose Mount Sinai over all the many other mountains, upon which to give us the Torah. Mount Sinai was the lowest of all the mountains and so G-d chose it to teach us a lesson in humility. If you want to be a vessel for the Torah you must feel yourself to be lowly and humble. This however begs the question: If G-d wants to teach us a lesson in humili...

Parshat Teztaveh begins with a discussion about the preparing and kindling of the Menorah. It then moves on to describing the different priestly garments worn by the Kohanim while serving in the temple and concludes with the construction of the incense altar and the laws of the daily incense offerings. What is the connection between these three ideas? What is the common thread that ties them together into one Parsha? Find out at: http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2866811/jewish/Light-Clothing-and-Incense.htm