When Action Isn’t Enough: Korach’s Revolt & the Rebbe’s Dawn Challenge
How a Levite family feud uncovers the secret of mitzvah‑light Opening Vignette Picture a torchlit desert encampment at midnight.Korach ben Itzhar, fists clenched, paces outside Moshe’s tent.Moments ago he learned that leadership passed him by in favor of his younger cousin, Elitzafan ben Uziel. The hurt feels personal—yet beneath the bruised ego pulses a larger question:Does spiritual action […]
I Once Watched a Soul Leave a Body
It wasn’t in a hospital. It wasn’t at a funeral. It was in the eyes of a man sitting across from me—eyes that once danced with life, now staring past me into nothingness. He had tasted something so high, so intoxicatingly Divine, that he forgot how to come back. That’s the danger of spiritual fire. […]
The Fire That Flew Too High
They were the sons of Aharon. Raised in the inner chambers of holiness. Trained to serve in the Mishkan. Witnesses to the glory of Sinai. And yet, the Torah tells us twice in one verse that “they died.” “After the death of Aharon’s two sons, when they drew close before G-d, and they died.” (Vayikra […]
Your Name Is Not Your Essence
“And these are the names of the Children of Israel who came to Egypt…” (Shemos 1:1) Why begin a new book—Shemos, the Book of Exile and Redemption—by repeating something we already know? We met these names back in Parshas Vayigash. We know who came to Egypt. So what’s going on? Chazal answer: In a place […]
Don’t Forget Your Name
“And these are the names of the Children of Israel who came to Egypt…” (Shemos 1:1) It was just a list.A dry list of names. Or so it seemed. “These are the names of the Children of Israel who came to Egypt…” — the Torah opens its new book with this roll call of Yaakov’s […]
When It Feels Like You’re Falling Apart… But You’re Really Being Planted
Let’s be real.You’re trying to live a good life.You want to grow, to connect, to become who you’re meant to be. But then — bam — life hits. And then you open the parsha this week… and it’s the same story. Parshas Tazria: a Torah portion about growth and birth — literally “to seed”……yet it […]
Stop Coasting and Start Living
If you’re a Torah observant man over 40, there’s a good chance you’ve built a solid life. You’ve raised a family, supported your community, stayed committed to your values, and tried to do everything “right.” But here’s a question for you: Are you surviving life… or stepping into it? You’ve built the Mishkan — but […]
Living Beyond the Moment
In the Torah, every word, every title, is carefully chosen — even the names of the parshas reflect their essence. But here’s a question that strikes at the heart of the matter:Why is this parsha called Vayechi — “And He Lived” — when it begins by describing the passing of Yaakov Avinu? The Depth of […]
When It Hurts, You Speak From the Soul
When It Hurts, You Speak From the Soul The parsha opens with a moment of intense drama: “Let your servant speak a word in my master’s ears…”Yidaber-na avdecha davar b’oznei adoni (Bereishis 44:18) Yehuda steps forward.He’s not whispering. He’s not flattering.He’s speaking with courage, urgency — and pain. But the phrase is strange:“In my master’s […]
When It Feels Like the End — It’s Really the Beginning
When It Feels Like the End — It’s Really the Beginning The parsha begins with a quiet but fateful phrase: “And it came to pass at the end of two full years…”Vayehi miketz shnasayim yamim (Bereishis 41:1) Two years have passed since Yosef asked the royal wine steward to remember him.Two years of silence. Of […]