Torah Paths

“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob…” (Exodus 6:3). This seems to be a very straightforward and unambiguous statement by God to Moses. There would seem to be no need for any clarification. Yet Rashi (R’ Shlomon ben Yitzchak, 11th century France) does comment here. His two words seem utterly mystifying: “El ha’avot” (to the patriarchs). Do we really need Rashi to inform us in the 6th…

“You don’t learn by having faith. You learn by questioning, by challenging, by re-examining everything you’ve ever believed. And yet, all this is a matter of faith – the faith that there is a truth to be found. It is another paradox: To truly question, you must truly have faith.” (Rabbi Tzvi Freeman)

“You have enough. Circle the mountain and turn to the north” (Deuteronomy 2:3). Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz, in his commentary Kli Yakar, spins this verse in a creative way. The Hebrew word for north is ‘tzafon’, which also has the meaning of to conceal. He was concerned with conspicuous and ostentatious displays of wealth, so he taught: You have enough – conceal it! Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler,…

Said Reish Lakish: Converts are more beloved to G‑d than the Jews who stood at Mt Sinai. The reason is that those who stood at Mt. Sinai may not have accepted the Torah if it hadn’t been for the awesome spectacle of the thunder, lightning, the great wind and the sound of shofars. In contrast, the converts saw none of this and still came to cling to G‑d and accepted the Torah. Could any be dearer…

“…Whatever will be too difficult for you, bring it before me and I will hear it” (Deut. 1:17) Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, a renowned psychiatrist, offers a penetrating insight into this verse. He cites the observation of R’ Yitzchak Meir of Gur that Moses doesn’t say to bring difficult issues to him and he will solve them. Rather, he says to bring the difficulties to him and he will listen.…

“The tribes of Reuven and Gad approached Moses and said: We will build enclosures for our flocks here and cities for our children. We will arm ourselves quickly and go ahead of the Children of Israel until we will have brought them to their place. Our children will dwell in fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land” (Numbers 32:16-17). It is important to pay careful attention to…

“….the whole world is filled with His Glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) The Hebrew here, m’lo kol ha’aretz k’vodo, can also be understood in the following way: The fullness of the world is His Glory! When we marvel at the vastness of the universe and its incredible beauties — we are overwhelmed by feelings of awe.

What if he’s a fake?

The merit of Tzedaka is so great that I am happy to give to 100 beggars even if only one might actually be needy. Some people, however, act as if they are exempt from giving charity to 100 beggars if one of them might be a fraud.(The Sanzer Rebbe) 74Daniel Ventresca, Karin Kerchhoff and 72 others22 Comments17 SharesShare

The importance of studying the Torah in its original language

There seems to be a contradiction between Numbers 22:12 where God tells Balaam not to go with the emissaries of Balak and verse 20 where God says to get up and go with them. There is another problem. If God told Balaam to go in verse 20, why does He get angry in verse 22 when he went with (v.21) these men? The Gaon of Vilna beautifully explained that these issues hinge on two different Hebrew…

The question is not whether God heard our prayer but whether we’ve heard it. Did it impact and change us? Do we feel closer to God? Are we more aware of the blessings He showers on us?

“Hashem said to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the presence of the Children of Israel; therefore, you will not bring this congregation into the land that I have given them” (Numbers 20:12) The story of Moses striking the rock to produce water for the thirsty nation and being severely punished by God is one of the most perplexing in the Torah. Commentaries…

“When sugar dissolves completely into water, it sweetens it. So too, a person who lives humbly and inconspicuously can sweeten the lives of others.” (Rebbe Yitzchak of Vorke)

The art of seeing

As Moses was about to lead the Jewish people into the Promised Land, they requested to first send an advance party of spies. G-d consented, and Moses directed the 12 chosen spies to determine the strength of Canaan’s inhabitants and the quality of the land. After 40 days, the spies returned, and ten of them reported, “It is a land of milk and honey…however the people are very fierce, and the…

How to truly see

Sometimes, you have to lie down in the lowest ditch to be able to see the brightest stars. (Chassidic saying)

New class: The Binding of Isaac

We have just completed our study of the Iggeret HaRamban – the Letter of Nachmanides to his son dealing with character perfection. Videos of entire series of 26 sessions are available to all TorahPaths subscribers. Beginning on Wednesday evening, June 2, we will begin an in-depth study of Genesis 22 – the story of the Binding of Isaac. We will survey a wide variety of ancient and modern…

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov used to say, “The Yetzer Hara (inner adversay/evil inclination) is like a person circulating among a crowd with his fist clenched and asking each person what they think is inside his clenched fist. Each one believes that what’s inside is exactly what he wants and craves in life. Finally, the Yetzer Hara opens his hand to show that there is absolutely nothing inside.”

R’ Nachum of Chernobyl would say, “I’m more disturbed by my good deeds that please me than by my bad deeds that repel me,”