JEWISH PEPPERSPRAY Parashat Yitro We are never defeated unless we give up on G-d. We cannot allow ourselves to get used to the current situation: Israel news does not go a day without an attack. I attended a Bar Mitzvah in the Aish Hatorah building in Jerusalem this last week. I parked in the Har…

THE P3 TREE MODEL OF THE SUCCESSFUL Tu Bishvat   On Tu B’shvat, we don’t say Tachanun; we do not confess our sins, for it is a day of celebration. We celebrate the trees, חג לאילנות.  It is considered a new year in regard to tithing. Why does the birthday of the tree fall at…

AN ONION FROM BRESLEV Parashat Bo   In Kiddush Levana, we mention something odd. We praise G-d for making a world that runs like clockwork, and for the fact that all of nature serves G-d happily. And then, this is what we say, וללבנה אמר שתתחדש עטרת תפארת לעמוסי בטן שגם הם עתידים להתחדש כמותה…

PLAN FOR A CHANGE Parashat Vaera A few weeks ago, I coached a yeshiva student who was in somewhat of an identity crisis. He decided that he wanted to be what he called “a Halacha Jew”. He wanted to keep halacha down to the smallest detail. The problem was that this boy was very far…

   YOUER THAN YOU Parashat Shemot   One of the secrets of motivation is hidden in this week’s Midrash. וירא בסבלותם And Moshe saw their burden. What did he see? R’ Elazar the son of R’ Yossi said, He saw a small load on the big Jew, and he saw a big load on the…