Beyond Good and Evil Why is there death in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people? How can G-d allow evil to exist? These are probably the most powerful and most difficult questions that challenge faith. No one wise would claim to know the answer and no one who has experienced pain and rose above it can answer. Few have the knowledge, sensitivity, and courage to tackle such questions. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, in his ma’amer delivered in…
Pinchas: A Sicha Part 2 Read Part 1 here. But How is He Going to Make a living? It’s a fair question. Your shvigger asked the question about you and your wife will ask it about your future son-in-law. The simple answer is: G-d wants us to have a relationship with materialism and yet remain above it all. Now we can understand why the issue with Pe’or happened before entering the land of Israel after the first generation of Jews in the…
There is a general principle regarding roots, sources and their place in existence. The lower something finds itself on the Hishtalshelus hierarchy, the higher its source before Hishtalshelus, that is, in Tohu and the like. For example: someone maybe the the student and another the teacher and although in our experience of things, the teacher is higher ranking, the student’s source is higher which is why the teacher gains more than the student. Another example is when Chassidus peaks about…
These are a few things that cross my mind every time I see these guys. 1) they work efficiently and quickly. 2) they walk with purpose and work with determination. 3) they don’t let foolishness (or fools) get in their way 4) they are strong of body, spirit and will 5) they aren’t concerned with self-actualization, rather, they realize that their lack of formal education means that this is their lot and if they work hard perhaps their children will…
There are three kinds of atonement and they each involve t’shuva (return). We return to Hashem and we fix our mistakes. Call it accountability, responsibility, love, duty, etc. Here we will be discussing atonement and forgiveness. There are two types of mitzvos (proactive and refraining), but when it comes to t’shuva, there are three ways to go wrong (which require fixing): 1. Refraining mitzvos (mitzvos lo sa’asei) which one has transgressed. We crossed the line. a. Krisus u’misos beis din…
Inspiration that comes from on High is energy. That energy trickles down and is filtered through Hishtalshelus until it “thickens” and becomes the inspiration in your surrounings. (Hakdama, Siddur Torah Ohr. V’Hinei Porach, [Parshas Korach] Likkutei Torah). An is’arusa d’l’eyla (literally, an awekening from Above) is an abstract term referring to this type of experience. It manifests itself in the form of, say, waking up in the morning feeling good, feeling energized during davening or doing a mitzvah, etc. The downside is: as…
Y’hi Hashem Elokeinu Imonu; Parshas Korach, Gimmel Tammuz, 5724 (1964) Historical Background to the Ma’amer: This ma’amer is based on the Frierdiker Rebbe’s sicha of 5687 (1927). The Frierdiker Rebbe delivered this sicha after being incarcerated for nineteen days at the Spalerno fortress, before being sent to exile in Kostroma. At the station, before boarding the train car, the Frierdiker Rebbe turned to the chassidim who had come to bid him farewell and delivered the sicha. (Days In Chabad, Kaminetzky & Cohen,…