Thinkingaboutme.org
9 years of Parasha articles.
ANTICIPATION THERAPY
click ki tisa 2019 for download ANTICIPATION THERAPY Parashat Ki Tisa Happiness is something that will help us in so many life areas. The Arizal was quoted as saying that sadness is what ruins a person’s Parnassah. And when a person brings happiness into his life, he brings Parnassah. This is hinted at in the end letters…
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G-d’s Encrypted Messages
Click Tezaveh 2018 for pdf download G-d’s Encrypted Messages Parashat Tezaveh One of the most interesting items in the garments of the Kohen Gadol was the Urim Vetumim. What exactly was the Urim Vetumim? There was a parchment between the garment that held the Choshen, and the Choshen with the array of twelve stones. This parchment that…
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UNLIMITED POWER
Click YITRO 2019 for download UNLIMITED POWER Parashat Yitro The greatest sin a parent can be guilty of is not making a child aware of the power he possesses. There is no power in the world that can cure like saying the blessing Asher Yatzar after using the WC. The Seder Hayom (time of Arizal) wrote that…
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KEEP CLIMBING
click beshalach 2019 to print KEEP CLIMBING Parashat Beshalach R’ Abraham J Twerski – “People often ask me, ‘Is it true that you’ve written over fifty books? How did you find time, with your busy schedule, to write so many books?’ I tell them that I did not really write fifty books. I wrote one book, in…
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Striving to Serve
click bo 2019 to download Striving to Serve Parashat Bo So many Mitzvot are Zecher Leyitziat Mizrayim. Kiddush, Sukkot, Pesach, Tefillin, Bechor, Petter Chamor, Kriat Shema, etc. The list of reminders doesn’t end. Why do we keep reminding ourselves of the Exodus from Mitzrayim? And why is it so important? The Sifri writes why so many Mitzvot…
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AN INVISIBLE STAR
AN INVISIBLE STAR Parashat Shemot In 1973, in the summer, I was sitting, on my porch, on vacation, in Miami Beach. Looking up, at the beautiful sky, so many beautiful stars, and Hashem gave me an idea for a song. That the reason why we do not see some of the stars, is because we…
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THE ETERNAL INTERNAL CONFLICT
click vayechi 2018- 2019 to download THE ETERNAL INTERNAL CONFLICT Parashat Vayechi When you think of all your inner conflicts and put them out there on paper, you will notice how many there are. Should I stay later at the party, or should I get up early to pray like a mentsch? Should I protect my best…
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NEVER, EVER, ALONE
click vayigash 2018 to download NEVER, EVER, ALONE Parashat Vayigash vayigash 2018Yaakov was afraid of going down to Egypt. וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָנֹכִ֥י הָאֵ֖ל אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִ֑יךָ אַל־תִּירָא֙ מֵרְדָ֣ה מִצְרַ֔יְמָה כִּֽי־לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל אֲשִֽׂימְךָ֥ שָֽׁם: And G-d said, I am the G-d of your father. Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great…
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DOOMED TO ORDINARINESS
Click MIKETZ 2018 to download DOOMED TO ORDINARINESS Parashat Miketz The same changes that even the greatest Tzaddikim cannot achieve during the moments of Neilah on Yom Kippur, any simple Jew can achieve with the power of a prayer and a tear that he sheds next to the candles of the eighth day of Chanukah. (Rebbe from…
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LEADERSHIP WAZE
Click vayeshev 2018 for download LEADERSHIP WAZE Parashat Vayeshev Most people think that the qualities necessary to become a leader are virtues such as honesty, integrity, the ability to be committed and passionate, communication skills, decision-making capabilities, accountability, delegation, creativity, etc. etc. Those are all important, but they are not the key virtue. According to President Eisenhower,…
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UNENTITLEMENT
Click vayishlach 2018 to download UNENTITLEMENT Parashat Vayishlach An interesting question occurred to R Yitzhak Zilberstien. A certain philanthropist made a speech about how he made his money. “All my advisors told me not to lose a certain amount of money because of Shabbat, but I lost the money anyway. In that merit, I am rich today.”…
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Swimming in Silence
Click vayetze 2018 to download Swimming in Silence Parashat Vayetze Rachel acquired the skill of silence, so that even when her father was giving her shower gifts to Leah, she kept quiet. Therefore, her descendants all mastered silence. Binyamin knew that the tribes sold his only brother as a slave. And he kept his mouth shut. This…
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BIG-PICTURE THINKING
Click toldot 2018 to download BIG-PICTURE THINKING Parashat Toldot Life coaching is simply asking a bunch of not simple questions. In life, if you just focus on the smallest details, you never get the big picture right. The job of the life coach is to bring about bigger picture thinking, and to get the big picture right.…
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A LITTLE LOST
click chaye sarah 2018 for download A LITTLE LOST Parashat Chaye Sarah The greatest cause for “midlife crisis” is the belief that you are supposed to be in control. There is no greater haughtiness than the belief that you have your whole life mapped out for you. Life is full of crises, because we are all a…
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THE METHOD TO GREATNESS
Click VAYERA 2018 to download THE METHOD TO GREATNESS Parashat Vayera The most confusing thing about humility is the misconception that humility means to be submissive, passive, shattered emotionally, bashful…But it’s the exact opposite! The Jews who made the most notable changes to our nation were those who were most noted for their humility. Avraham Avinu.…
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THE FIRST TIME
click lech lecha 2018 to download THE FIRST TIME Lech Lecha You know, Avraham Avinu, our holy grandfather Avraham Avinu – he prayed to G-d for the first time. You know, thank G-d, you and I have been praying all of our lives. But, did you ever taste the first time? (Shlomo Carlebach) I remember…
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MR. IFONLY
MR. IFONLY Parashat Noah Mr. Ifonly sat down and he sighed, “I could have done more, if only I had tried. If only I had followed my true intent. If only I had done the things that I meant. If only I had done the things that I could. And not simply done the things…
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A HUMBLE NATION
A HUMBLE NATION Parashat Bereshit If you had one message to pass on to your children, one lesson, one virtue, what would it be? The Ramban, one of our people’s greatest rabbis, left one message to his son, and to all of us, in his Iggeret. Humility. And he promises us that any day that…
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KEEPING TO YOUR SCRIPT
click yom kippur 2018 for download KEEPING TO YOUR SCRIPT Yom Kippur One of the biggest problems facing the Orthodox is not being able to feel closeness with G-d. “Rabbi, I want to feel the Yomim Tovim more, I want my Shabbat table to be more spiritual, I want my prayers to have more fire in…
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THE HUMILITY TACTIC
Parashat nitzavim 2018 download THE HUMILITY TACTIC Parashat Nitzavim The clock is ticking. We are in a total lack of control of the time, the judgment, the verdict. All we have for self-defense is Teshuva, Tefillah and Tzeddaka. (Rosh Hashana 16b). Rosh Hashana is coming soon, G-d is going to judge me soon, and some time on…
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G-D’S PROMISE
Click ki tavo 2018 to download G-D’S PROMISE Parashat Ki Tavo In self-help, we are taught that what makes people move, change, become motivated, is from one of two things: either running away from pain, or running towards pleasure. If we would like to discover how this expresses itself in our observance of Judaism, it can translate…
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TESHUVA FOR THE ORTHODOX JEW
Click ki tetze 2018 to download TESHUVA FOR THE ORTHODOX JEW Parashat Ki Tetze Teshuva for the Orthodox Jew is usually more about quality than about quantity. For the Orthodox, Teshuva is more about improving how you do what you do more than it is changing what you do. But Rabbi, my plate is too full! I…
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TO REACH MY SOUL
Click Shoftim 2018 to download TO REACH MY SOUL Parashat Shoftim When we think about Elul, the first thing that comes to mind is Teshuva. When we think about Teshuva, the first thing that comes to mind is, I have no idea how to do this. Every year, when we try to interpret Teshuva to ourselves, we…
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FOR THE LOVE OF THE LAND
FOR THE LOVE OF THE LAND Parashat Reeh R’ Shlomo Wolbe wrote a fascinating Sefer called המצוות השקולות, The seven Mitzvoth that have Equal Weight. Fulfilling each one of these seven Mitzvoth is equal to fulfilling the entire Torah, all of the 613. 1. Denying Avodah Zarah, 2. Wearing Tzitzit. 3. Shabbat. 4. Torah learning.…
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EGO ON HOLD
Click pinhas 2018 to download EGO ON HOLD Parashat Pinhas Leaders never became leaders by concentrating on their ego. They served the people in some way and became leaders incidentally, somewhere along the process. It is amazing how far we could go in life if we would just put our egos on hold and focus on our…
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IN A DRONE’S EYE VIEW
click balak 2018 to download IN A DRONE’S EYE VIEW Parashat Balak We read in the Haftarah this week. עַמִּ֗י זְכָר־נָא֙ מַה־יָּעַ֗ץ בָּלָק֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מוֹאָ֔ב וּמֶה־עָנָ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ בִּלְעָ֣ם בֶּן־בְּע֑וֹר מִן־הַשִּׁטִּים֙ עַד־הַגִּלְגָּ֔ל לְמַ֕עַן דַּ֖עַת צִדְק֥וֹת יְקֹוָֽק My nation, please remember what Balak, King of Moab advised, and what Bilaam, son of Beor, answered him from the Shittim until…
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CALM, CONFIDENT AND CONTENT
click hukat 2018 for pdf download CALM, CONFIDENT AND CONTENT Parashat Hukat Why did the Jews say Shira in the desert only on the Well of Water, and not on the Mannah? Because about the Mannah, they made tasteless remarks, “And now our souls are dry, there is nothing…”(Bamidbar 11) G-d said, “ I want neither your…
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CHASING SPARKS
Click korah 2018 to download CHASING SPARKS Parashat Korah One of the greatest challenges for the spiritual Jew is that after we get inspired, we try to live according to our inspiration for a day or two, but then nothing changes. When bringing up children, when inspiring our students, we face the same dilemma. We get them…
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THE MITZVAH TO BE YOURSELF
Click shelach 2018 to download THE MITZVAH TO BE YOURSELF Parashat Shelach At least twice a day, we recite the words וְלֹֽא־תָת֜וּרוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם. And you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes, that you are straying after them. The Netziv brings to our attention a deeper meaning of…
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Humble Power
Click Bhaalotcha 2018 to download HUMBLE POWER Parashat Bhaalotcha Here is the sequence of events discussed towards the end of our Parasha: The Jews complain to Moshe about their heaven-sent Mannah. They would rather have the natural produce from Egypt. They want meat. Moshe tells G-d, “Kill me now; just don’t punish Your people!… I can’t carry the…
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OUT OF CONTROL
Click naso 2018 to download OUT OF CONTROL Why does the Torah put the Nazirite laws immediately after the laws of the Sotah? For if one sees a Sotah in her disgraceful state, he should become a Nazir from wine, so that he does not follow in her ways of immorality. (Berachot 63a, Nazir 2a) Wine, the…
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BOOTLEG TORAH
Click Shavuoth 2018 to download BOOTLEG TORAH Shavuoth Enjoying Torah, making it sweet, is not just Torah with extra credit. Sweet Torah, Torah that is enjoyable, is the only Torah. If it is not sweet, if you do not enjoy it, it is not Torah; it is just a bootleg version of it. A bootleg recording is an audio…
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LIFESTYLES
click behukotay 2018 to download LIFESTYLES Parashat Behaalotcha One of the biggest problems facing the Orthodox Jew is the belief that a Jew can keep “the 613” while living the lifestyle of “keeping up with the gentiles”. Who is setting the standard of what we want and what we don’t want in life? The way we live,…
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A GOOD HEART
A GOOD HEART Sefirat Haomer The most important word I learnt since I started coaching is the word resourcefulness. Tony Robbins, the world’s leading coach says, When people fail to achieve, they often say they are missing resources like time, money, people and so on. Yet, the top achievers in the world know that resources…
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Love vs. Respect
Click Emor 2018 for download Love vs. Respect Sefirat Haomer Sefirat Haomer is a time of character refinement. 12,000 pairs, 24,000 students of R Akiva, all died at this time for not honoring each other. (Yevamot 62b) The main Avodah during the Omer is to correct that Middah of respect. There are three questions one can ask.…
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