Thinkingaboutme.org
9 years of Parasha articles.
THE CHAFETZ CHAIM’S FEAR
ki tavo 2017 pdf download THE CHAFETZ CHAIM’S FEAR Parashat Ki Tavo I wanted to test-drive this article with a mother of children; at first, she said she didn’t want to hear anything about it. But, in the end, she was happy she listened… I started with the Rambam. השמחה שישמח אדם בעשיית המצוה ובאהבת…
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OLAM HABA EYEBALLS
ki tetze 2017 pdf download OLAM HABA EYEBALLS Parashat Ki Tetze I recently realized what my biggest life problem is. Why I can’t focus in davening and learning. Why I can’t forgive and forget. Why I can’t make those important decisions in life when faced with crisis, or deal with conflict and chaos. It is…
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Oh My G-d!
Oh My G-d! Parashat Shoftim One of the most powerful parts of Selichot is, שומר ישראל שמור שארית ישראל ואל יאבד ישראל האומרים בכל יום שמע ישראל. Oh! Watcher of Israel, Watch over the remainder of Israel, and do not allow Israel to be lost, those who say each day, Shema Yisrael. The power we…
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JUDAISM 50% OFF
JUDAISM 50% OFF Three Weeks In this week’s Parasha, the Midrash says אֶ֚לֶף לַמַּטֶּ֔ה אֶ֖לֶף לַמַּטֶּ֑ה לְכֹל֙ מַטּ֣וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל תִּשְׁלְח֖וּ לַצָּבָֽא: When Moshe sent men from the Tribes to fight against Moab, G-d told him to send out a thousand from each Tribe, a thousand from each Tribe, for all the Tribes of Israel, you…
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RELIGION OR RELATIONSHIP?
RELIGION OR RELATIONSHIP? Parashat Pinhas Many rabbis are of the opinion that Eliyahu Hanavi was originally Pinchas. The Baal Haturim points to the words in the beginning of this week’s Parasha, לָכֵ֖ן אֱמֹ֑ר הִנְנִ֨י נֹתֵ֥ן ל֛וֹ אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֖י שָׁלֽוֹם and makes note of the small letter Vav in the word שלום . The Vav is mentioned…
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THE WAY HEAVEN WORKS
THE WAY HEAVEN WORKS Parashat Balak There is a power that is the greatest power in the Universe. It is a power that we all have at our disposal, 24/7. With this power, we are able to change our destiny. We are able to accomplish the unconceivable. We are able to change the world. The…
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ALLOWING G-D TO DO HIS THING
ALLOWING G-D TO DO HIS THING Parashat Hukat לעושה נפלאות גדולות לבדו כי לעולם חסדו To the One Who does great wonders alone, for His kindness is everlasting. (Tehillim 136) The Zohar asks, Why does it say that G-d does His miracles alone? Of course He does everything alone! The answer is that G-d does…
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YOU CAN’T HAVE THE JOB
YOU CAN’T HAVE THE JOB Parashat Korach וקרח שפיקח היה מה ראה לשטות הזה? אלא, עינו הטעתו – ראה שלשלת גדולה עומדת הימנו, שמואל ששקול כמשה ואהרן שנאמר(תהלים צט): ‘משה ואהרן בכהניו ושמואל בקוראי שמו’ … עשרים וארבעה משמרות עומדות מבני בניו שכולם מתנבאים ברוה”ק… אמר אפשר כל הגדולה הזאת עתידה לעמוד ממני ואני אדום? Korah…
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WITH R’ ARUSH IN THE FOREST
WITH R’ ARUSH IN THE FOREST Parashat Shlach Not listening to music in Sefirah is something I have difficulty with. I need music to relax while driving, to block out noise when writing in my house, and so I asked a friend what he listens to in Sefirah. He pulled a disc out of his…
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DO LESS. BE MORE.
DO LESS. BE MORE. Parashat B’haalotcha The other day, I was speaking to the head of a yeshiva of about 150 boys. He sounded so calm and collected on the phone. So, I asked him how he stays so relaxed. How does he manage his stress? I wished I could be less stressful, myself! What…
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WISHING TO BE A JANITOR
WISHING TO BE A JANITOR Shavuoth Shavuoth is more than a holiday. It is a day of judgement. The Talmud tells us that on Shavuoth the world is judged, regarding the trees (Rosh Hashana 16a). And we know,כי האדם עץ השדה For Man is the tree of the field (Shoftim 20;19). According to the Zohar,…
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GET OFF MY TRICYCLE!!
GET OFF MY TRICYCLE!! Parashat Behar Behukotay I remember the first time I decided to help out teenage kids at risk. A certain teenage boy from a religious family, who was “on his way out” of religion, came into my life. I wanted to know whether or not I was wasting my time trying to…
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A Lag B’Omer Lesson
A Lag B’Omer Lesson Parashat Emor I got a call the other day from New York. It was from a girl who was dating, who was confused. “I want to marry a boy that is learning. The boy I am dating wants to learn in Kollel for a few years. But I do not want…
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THE MITZVAH OF TACT
THE MITZVAH OF TACT Parashat Kedoshim Subtle or seemingly minor grammatical changes can give a completely new meaning to words. The laws of dikduk of the Hebrew language are extremely important, and unfortunately, most people who know Hebrew neither learn them nor know them. A common mistake people make about Lashon Hakodesh is believing that…
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YOUR BIGGEST LIE
YOUR BIGGEST LIE Purim There is a mysterious personality in the Purim Story. Hatach. A.k.a. Daniel, the Prophet. He was sent back and forth from Esther to Mordechai, to relay messages. Suddenly, Hatach disappears. Where did he go? According to the Midrash, Haman saw Hatach going back and forth, and he suspected that something fishy…
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LAUGHOTHERAPY
LAUGHOTHERAPY Hodesh Adar Humor is such a powerful tool. It can be used to do the worst things possible, like making a good, kosher, modest woman into a Sotah. (Sotah 7a) And it can do the best possible thing, like getting people interested in learning Torah. (Shabbat 30b) The Baal HaTanya (Chapter 7) writes how…
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WHEN MINORITY WINS
WHEN MINORITY WINS Parashat Mishpatim The Grammar laws of the Hebrew Language are so important. אחרי רבים להטות (23:2) Does not mean Follow the majority. Rather it means “Incline toward the majority.” What is the difference? Why does the Torah use the word incline and not הרוב קובע, the majority wins? Because the majority does not always…
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WHY NOT LIE? Parashat Yitro In his book The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, scientifically tested in great detail how and why humans lie, and what makes it easier or harder for them to keep to the truth. His research was done on college students.…
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ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM
ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM Parashat Beshalach Rabbi Meir the Great, of Premishlan (1703–1773), disciple of the Baal Shem Tov has a great Hassidic twist on the words we say every day in אז ישיר. זה א-לי ואנוהו אלקי אבי וארממנהו. This is my G-d and I will glorify Him, the G-d of my father and I will…
Read MoreTHE THREE DRIVES OF MAN
THE THREE DRIVES OF MAN Parashat Bo Over the last few years, psychology has discovered and revealed what the Torah has been teaching about human behavior for thousands of years. First, psychology taught that material desires were the main motivation for a person’s actions. Later, an equally powerful drive, that of the ego, was recognized. …
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BEHIND THE BLUEPRINTS Parashat Vaera The wisest of men said, in Kohelet, (קהלת ב) ופניתי אני לראות חכמה והוללות וסכלות כי מה האדם שיבא אחרי המלך את אשר כבר עשוהו. And I turned to see wisdom, folly and foolishness, for what is left for a man to do, a man who comes after the…
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BEING G-D’S FIRSTBORN Parashat Shemot The hardest question to answer as a religious Jew is, if G-d is everything, and G-d is good, then why is the world so messed up? Why is there so much bad in the world? Couldn’t G-d create a world in which things would just make more sense? The answer…
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SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS Parashat Vayechi Someone asked me a few days after Hanukah how my vacation was. I answered that I am still בחפש. (I am still on vacation.) He asked me why I am still on vacation a week after Hanukah. I told him בחפש is also the acronym for the four things…
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A JEW COVERED IN FISH GOOK
A JEW COVERED IN FISH GOOK Parashat Vayigash One of the greatest psychological challenges we all deal with throughout life is defining who we are and discovering our value. G-d made Man with a need to feel he has value. This is why when Man cannot find an intrinsic value within himself, he searches for…
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PREPARED FOR THE WORST
PREPARED FOR THE WORST Parashat Miketz The most powerful way to teach someone a lesson, to change his story, his perspective, is through the power of a parable, a mashal, a story of some imaginary, made-up man. Because when someone tries to change how we think, we are too close to our own perspective,…
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GALUT AMERICA
GALUT AMERICA Hanukah In the days of the wicked Greek rule over Israel, it was decreed that every Jew whose house had a beam (to lock the door, as was the custom in those days) had to inscribe on it that he has no portion in the G-d of Israel. Immediately, the Jews got rid…
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I DON’T CARE ANYMORE
I DON’T CARE ANYMORE Parashat Vayishlach I coached someone who once had a lot of money. We had a heart to heart discussion about those years when EVERYONE was his best friend. He would take guys out to restaurants, on trips, and pay for all of his “friends’” expenses. He told me, “Yosef, none of…
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GLOOM
GLOOM Parashat Vayetze I’ve been trying to keep to the Segula of R Chaim Palachi for the month of Kislev. If you don’t complain from Rosh Chodesh Kislev until the 8th day of Chanukah, you are promised to have a miracle happen to you that year. I believe that the reason why the month of…
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G-D, WHY THE DELAY?
G-D, WHY THE DELAY? Parashat Toldot People don’t have as hard a time believing in G-d as they do accepting G-d. So many times, people pray and G-d makes the person wait, and then, sometimes, only after a while, G-d gets things moving. Many times, many people have a hard time understanding G-d, and accepting…
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PREPARED FOR LIFE
PREPARED FOR LIFE Parashat Vayera Rav Abahu said, why do we blow a Shofar made of a ram’s horn (on Rosh Hashana)? G-d said, blow Shofar of a ram before Me on Rosh Hashana, so that I will remember the Akeidah of Yitzhak, son of Abraham for you, and I will consider it as if…
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ALL YOU REALLY ARE
ALL YOU REALLY ARE Parashat Lech Lecha The Serenity Prayer is a prayer that is used by Alcoholics Anonymous. This is a prayer that has helped many people get out of various addictions. The prayer has a lot of wisdom to it. “G-d, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage…
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THE SILENT WITNESS
THE SILENT WITNESS Parashat Nitzavim Your best chance at judgment on Rosh Hashanah is to take it seriously. Rosh Hashanah is the time that G-d judges how much you value life as an opportunity to serve Him better. And the “impression” you make on Rosh Hashanah will be the New You for the New Year.…
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GO BIG OR GO HOME
GO BIG OR GO HOME Parashat Ki Tavo We have a mitzvah to be happy with all the good that G-d gives us. ושמחת בכל הטוב אשר נתן לך ה’ אלקיך. I always wondered why people who have more don’t seem to be happier people. My Rebbi taught me the following lesson. The world is split…
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YOUR OWN NEW TESTAMENT Parashat Ki Tetzeh The Ben Sorer Umoreh is the child we know who went astray from his parents, and went astray from the ways of the Torah. We all know that the word sorer means to go astray. But what does the word moreh mean? Rashi and the Targum explain this…
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NACHUM’S PRAYER
NACHUM’S PRAYER Parashat Shoftim Nachum Kligman, the Frum Entrepreneur, just put out an amazing book. One of my favorite parts of his book was something he mentioned, by chance, in a story. That before Nachum gets on a plane, he is accustomed to make a prayer. He prays to Hashem that his seat will be…
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