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Emuna From the Cradle
The main mitzvah upon which all the other mitzvot are structured is emuna, certainty of G-d. The Gemara tells us (Makkot 24) that the Prophet Habakuk "summed up" all the mitzvot into one, saying, "The righteous will live by his faith." Therefore, since we are obligated to teach our children to fulfill the Torah's commandments, it is clear that we must teach them emuna from a very young age – for that is the mitzvah on which everything else stands.
Rabbi Shalom Arush | Shvat 19 5782
45. The “Hassid” (Saintly Person)
The saintly person is a leader. All of his senses and attributes - both spiritual and physical - submit themselves to his command. This is what King Solomon says, “One who rules his spirit is greater than one who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
47. The “Hassid” - The Ideal Jew
A 'Hassid' is the quintessential Jew. His heart is filled with faith in God. He constantly senses God's closeness, as if God were standing before him. He believes that God knows all, hidden thoughts, feelings of the heart - all is revealed to God.
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
48. More about the Ideal Jew
A Hassid senses that God accompanies him, protects him, and sustains him at all times. It is as if angels of God were accompanying and protecting him. True, he cannot actually see them, but he senses their presence. He feels protected and cared for.
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
49. True Faith Brings Trust in God
True and complete faith in God causes one to believe that whatever He does is for the best. This provides a most sturdy defense against hardships and suffering. One who has faith in God is not broken by hardships, but actually receives them lovingly.
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
50. One Hundred Blessings
The Sages ruled that a Jew must pronounce at least one hundred blessings each day. Ostensibly, this obligation is a burden and a nuisance. However, a more penetrating view teaches us that such blessings actually give a person pleasure and enjoyment.
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
51. Beginning the Day
Upon waking, one's heart becomes filled with rapture due to the renewed encounter with God's great and bountiful creation. This leads to a desire to give thanks to the Almighty for everything. The first word to come out of one's mouth is “Thanks.”
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
44. The Servant of God
Asceticism is not a virtue but a vice. The servant of God loves this world and long life, because through them he acquires the World to Come. With every good deed that a person does in this world he will acquire a higher level in the World to Come.
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
43. Hebrew's Preeminence - Continued
The Holy People has a Holy Tongue which possesses intrinsic value. It is a lofty language which God Himself employed when creating the world and giving His Law to Israel. It is a clean and pure language that befits the spiritual content it expresses.
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762
42. The Preeminence of the Holy Tongue
The Hebrew language. It is only natural that the nation of Israel, which harbors such great, lofty, and divine ideas, should have a special language, a profound, pure, and rich tongue that allows for complete and accurate expression of its views.
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

51 Lessons on Foundations of Faith

Lessons

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Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
Rabbi Uri Sharki
Rabbi Shabbtai Sabbato
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Rabbi Shimon Klein
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Shilt"a
Rabbi Sha'ar Yashuv Hacohen
Rabbi Shlomo Fischer zt"l

Lech Lecha
What Ungratefulness Leads To
12 Cheshvan 5787
Lech Lecha
What Ungratefulness Leads To
12 Cheshvan 5787
28 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 33
R' Eli Stefansky | 10 Cheshvan 5786
33 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 32
R' Eli Stefansky | 9 Cheshvan 5786
28 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 31
R' Eli Stefansky | 8 Cheshvan 5786
34 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 30
R' Eli Stefansky | 7 Cheshvan 5786
Various Events
FOR WHOM NOT TO VOTE
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook stressed that Israeli politics is G-dly, so I have no problem answering this common question on a Torani blog. Also, Free-Will is a G-d-given right and obligation, to "destine one's fate" (R. Soloveichik, Kol Dodi Dofek, 67), so I obviously don't tell others how to vote. But once not a few (especially young) have already asked, a couple of personal words from experience and thoughts from chazal & Rav Kook which may be of help to others, mainly for whom NOT to vote.
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Cheshvan 17, 5787
26 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 29
R' Eli Stefansky | 6 Cheshvan 5786
Noach
Preventing Another Flood
Rabbi Moshe Leib Halberstadt | 5 Cheshvan 5785
31 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 28
R' Eli Stefansky | 5 Cheshvan 5786
Noach
THE SEDRA'S TOWERING MESSAGE
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
P'ninat Mishpat
Fallout from Failure to Install Elevator – part II
based on ruling 85007 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit
Moreshet Shaul
Connection and Essence
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 799
Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli zt"l
Bemare Habazak - Rabbis Questions
Who Deserves the Change?
Rabbi Daniel Mann
Parashat Hashavua
David’s Falling Sukka and its Connection to Noach’s Ark – part I
Rabbi Yossef Carmel
29 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 27
R' Eli Stefansky | 4 Cheshvan 5786
26 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 26
R' Eli Stefansky | 3 Cheshvan 5786
32 min
Bechorot
Daf Yomi Bechoros Daf 25
R' Eli Stefansky | 2 Cheshvan 5786