Lessons on Serving Hashem
A Tale of Two Mothers
When Dalya and Shiri 'randomly' bump into each other at a concert they could never imagine how deeply connected they really are.
Rabbi Yoel Gold | Cheshvan 26 5782
In a Heartbeat
Mordechai Sultan woke up with chest pains. Hatzolah was at his door in less than 30 seconds. How did they get there so fast at 3:30 in the morning? And why were they carrying the specialized equipment that saved his life?
Rabbi Yoel Gold | Cheshvan 26 5782
Tragedies
We all know that tragedy eventually awaits us in one form or another, but we do not and cannot live our lives based on the fear of impending tragedies or inevitable troubles. Built into the human personality and character is the ability to withstand tragedy, and even, to a certain extent, overcome it.
Rabbi Berel Wein | Iyar 22 5781

Kiddush Hashem
Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying God’s name, specifically before a gentile all too often is not even about the gentile at all.
Rabbi Michael Linetsky | Shvat 7 5781

Stress is Good For You!
Inclined to Recline- "And Yaakov dwelled…."
Researchers believe that some stress can help to fortify the immune system. For instance, stress can improve how your heart works and protect your body from infection. But on a deeper level, rising to challenges and overcoming them is the essence of life.
Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair | Kislev 23 5781

Sickness as a "Wake-Up Call"
Ein Aya Shabbat 2, 242
As a continuation of the class on "The Different Levels On Which G-d Runs the World", this class is on the different levels of sickness, whether ours or those around us. Just as fast-days are a self-induced weakness, which brings us to analyze our lives, priorities & actions, when God sends a sickness, it's not necessarily a punishment but rather a "wake-up call" to induce soul-searching. Life is comprised of such small incidents, some pleasant & others not, some direct & others less so, to keep us awake that we shouldn't live like robots, but rather utilize our Godly free-will to its utmost extent, keeping our lives meaningful & idealistic. Accordingly, even the "bad" messages are seen by Rav Kook as: The process of gradual good.
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Cheshvan 21 5781

Rav Kook on: "It's Best to be Normal People"
Ein Aya, Shabbat 2, 239
We find various rabbis in rabbinic literature who built their spirituality through fasting and depriving themselves of physical pleasure. Rav Kook explains that this is like "shock treatment" or bitter medicine, which healthy people don't need. In Torat Eretz Yisrael, the Living Torah most applicable to the modern world, the approach of unity is to reveal the harmony between the physical and spiritual worlds. In Israel, where even the physical is spiritual and the atmosphere is Jewish, it's much more conducive to living a life of modern orthodoxy without the dangers of losing our proportions, priorities or getting influenced by western society. Accordingly Rav Kook explains the machloket between Rava & Abaye in Masechet Shabbat.
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Cheshvan 2 5781
