Thinkingaboutme.org
9 years of Parasha articles.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
WHAT PEOPLE SAY Parashat Ki Tisa The Avtinas family had a family secret. They were the only ones who knew how to make the Ketoret, the Temple Incense, in such a way that when it was brought on the Altar, the smoke would rise straight as a beam, and when it hit the ceiling, it…
Read MoreTHE PARACHUTE JUMP Parashat Tezaveh One of my students doesn’t like attending class. So the other day, when he attended, I asked him why he bothered. Especially, because for that class, he was the first one there. “Rabbi, today, I went up to the North of Israel, and I jumped off a plane. I went…
Read MoreWISDOM FROM THE MENORAH Parashat Terumah Someone once asked one of the heads of Rolex, “So, how is the watch business going?” He answered, “I have no idea. I am not in the watch business! I am in the luxury business!” No one who needs a watch for telling time buys a Rolex. They buy…
Read MoreTHE AVERAGE AMERICAN
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN Parashat Mishpatim ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר, And they stood at the foot of the mountain. (Shemot 19 ;17) Avdimi Bar Chasa said that this passuk teaches you that G-d turned the whole mountain over their heads. He said, if you accept the Torah, good. But if not, שם תהא קבורתכם, over there…
Read MoreJEWISH PEPPERSPRAY
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…
Read MoreTHE P3 TREE MODEL OF THE SUCCESSFUL
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…
Read MoreAN ONION FROM BRESLEV
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…
Read MorePLAN FOR A CHANGE
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…
Read MoreYOUER 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…
Read MoreILLEGAL, IMMORAL AND FATTENING
ILLEGAL, IMMORAL AND FATTENING Parashat Vayechi Life really stinks. There are so many things in life we can’t have. Luxury is out of our budget. As one gentile put it, all the good stuff in life is illegal, immoral or fattening. Life is so complicated and frustrating , full of expectations that we have that…
Read MoreTHE MAGICAL DREIDEL
THE MAGICAL DREIDEL An incredibly interesting question was asked by R’ Zacharia Wallerstien. The letters on the Dreidel, on the סביבון, are the letters נ’ ג’ ה’ ש’ , that are an acronym of נס גדול היה שם, a great miracle happened there. Now, the legend goes, that at the time of the Greek…
Read MoreTHE SECRET OF SELF-DISCIPLINE
THE SECRET OF SELF-DISCIPLINE Parashat Vayeshev Yosef, one of the most handsome men ever, was tested by Potifar’s wife in a way that we cannot begin to fathom. The seduction was obsessive. This wicked woman threatened to kill Yosef, to defame him and otherwise cause him harm. It would have been so much easier…
Read MoreMARRIED TO A MATERIALISTIC MAN
MARRIED TO A MATERIALISTIC MAN Parashat Vayishlach We are judged for everything we do. But, that judging is so complex, because it means taking into consideration each individual person in his own, particular life, factoring in where they came from and in what given circumstances they find themselves. The same action can be a…
Read MoreHOW TO ATTRACT YOUR SOULMATE
HOW TO ATTRACT YOUR SOULMATE Parashat Vayetze Prayer. It can be the most emotionally intense part of your day, or just something that you need to get over in order to get on to the next thing. It all depends on your approach to prayer, how much you believe in it, and your state of…
Read MoreTHE HOLY THIEF
THE HOLY THIEF Parashat Toldot Next to the grave of the Sabba of Shpoli is the famous tombstone that says, “Here lies Yossele, the Holy Thief”. The Hassidic masters tell that the Saba from Shpoli would spend a lot of his time with the Jewish thieves in town. “I can rely on my bandits. I…
Read MoreTHE BREAKDANCING PRESIDENT
THE BREAKDANCING PRESIDENT Parashat Chaye Sarah There are three peculiar Berachot, that we make each day. שלא עשני גוי, שלא עשני עבד, שלא עשני אשה. Blessed are You… for You did not make me a gentile, … for not making me a slave, … for not making me a woman. What is so bad about…
Read MoreTHE SECRET MOTIVE TO PASS LIFE’S TESTS
THE SECRET MOTIVE TO PASS LIFE’S TESTS Parashat Lech Lecha We are all on this 120 year voyage through a world of tests and trials. One of Judaism’s core beliefs is that we get rewarded for passing tests. Not always do we have access to that inner power to overcome the challenges and temptations…
Read MoreSUKKAH CONTRADICTION
SUKKAH CONTRADICTION Sukkot has some sort of paradox in it. On the one hand, we are to go out to the hut and live a temporary lifestyle for a week, to internalize the lesson of temporariness in this world. On the other hand, there is a concept of תשבו כעין תדורו – the sukkah needs…
Read MoreTHINGS vs. RELATIONSHIPS
THINGS vs. RELATIONSHIPS Sukkot There is a secret in happiness that is hidden in Sukkot. On Sukkot, we are commanded to be happy. But what if I am not? There is a mitzvah in Sukkot to make our families happy. There is a mitzvah on Sukkot to be happy with G-d. But what if I…
Read MoreTORAH LISHMAH – OUT OF THIS WORLD
TORAH LISHMAH – OUT OF THIS WORLD Parashat Behukotay The first Mishna in the sixth perek of Avot reads. כל העוסק בתורה לשמה זוכה לדברים הרבה ולא עוד אלא שכל העולם כלו כדי הוא לו . נקרא רע, אהוב וכו’ Anyone who learns Torah Lishmah, will merit many things. Not only that, but the entire…
Read MoreTHE REAL ANSWER TO LIFE'S PROBLEMS
THE REAL ANSWER TO LIFE’S PROBLEMS Parashat Emor Ben Zoma said, “Who is wise? One who learns from all people. Who is mighty? One who overcomes his own Inclination. Who is rich? One who is happy with what he has. Who is honorable? One who honors others.” The commentators explain that Ben Zoma was asking…
Read MoreTHE SIGN OF BELIEF
THE SIGN OF BELIEF Parashat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim In order for a coach to be a good coach, a Rebbi to be a good Rebbi, a parent to be a good parent, and a boss be a good boss, he needs to look at his client, student, child, employee, as if they are wearing…
Read MoreHOW TO BECOME RICH AND FAMOUS – GUARANTEED!
HOW TO BECOME RICH AND FAMOUS – GUARANTEED! Purim The Megillah ends with a lesson to take with us throughout the year. But first, a bit of coaching. Here is a “gentile” definition of success, from one of the best master- coaches in the world. “Success is the ability to live your life the way…
Read MoreA LESSON FOR ALL LESSONS
A LESSON FOR ALL LESSONS Purim /Tezaveh And the king removed the ring from his hand, and he gave it to Haman, the enemy of the Jews. (Esther 3 10) Our Rabbis teach that this act, the removing of Ahashverosh’s ring, was the catalyst that made the Jews repent. Despite the fact that the threat…
Read MoreA LESSON FROM A MEKUBAL
A LESSON FROM A MEKUBAL Parashat Terumah I like this story, and not only because I am Sefardi. A certain X-Kollel guy went to a Mekubal. He was down about his spirituality, for although he was still learning Daf Hayomi and reviewing what he had learnt from his Yeshiva and Kollel years in his spare…
Read MoreTHE CHICKEN NUGGET PIRATE
THE CHICKEN NUGGET PIRATE Parashat Mishpatim מדבר שקר תרחק Distance yourself from deceitful words. The Torah does not warn us to distance ourselves from any sin except this one: lying. What does this mean, to distance yourself from deceit? The Peleh Yoetz, on the word Sheker, gives us a gem for developing social skills. We…
Read MoreHE’S ON FIRE!!!
HE’S ON FIRE!!! Parashat Yitro A retired elderly couple sits on a bench at the Oceanside, watching the sunset. They say to each other, “If only this moment would never end!!” The couple feels that way, for they have finally reached the Golden Age. They have married off their kids, paid their mortgage and are…
Read MoreWHAT'S THE PROBLEM
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM Parashat Beshalach Allow me to ask you a question. Is “life” difficult? I pondered this a lot lately, and I realized that the answer to that question is – Yes, and No. Life is a series of problems. That is a great truth that we need to accept, in order for us to…
Read MorePRAYING FROM YOUR BUMPER CAR
PRAYING FROM YOUR BUMPER CAR Parashat Bo We are all moving around in this world, as if we were bumper cars. In the amusement park, riding around on the bumper cars, it feels like you are driving. It feels like other people are driving, and they bump into you, and you need to dodge them.…
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