Good Deeds and Sins – One at the Expense of the Other
Good Deeds and Sins – One at the Expense of the Other A man I knew once came to ask for my blessing. I knew that he had stolen a huge sum of money and had not yet paid it back. But this man did not see any contradiction between stealing and asking for a […]
Sucking Others into the Sands of Sin
Sucking Others into the Sands of Sin Two women stood before me, their children scheduled to marry each other in two months’ time. The mother of the groom spoke first. “My husband and I raised our son in the path of Torah and mitzvot. We imbued him with Torah and yirat Shamayim. It is our […]
Covered in Shame
Covered in Shame On a visit to Mexico, many Jews came to see me, sporting kippot in the traditional Jewish custom. But as they approached the Beit Hakeneset on Shabbat, I noticed that they were bare-headed. They looked no different from the gentiles who lived in their vicinity. As they saw my surprise at their […]
Quality Labor Produces Quality Fruit
Quality Labor Produces Quality Fruit While in Paris a few days before the Sukkot festival, I noticed a Jew who looked quite satisfied with his beautiful etrog. I heard him telling himself, “This etrog is special.” Great joy filled my heart as I thought, “Who is like Your nation, Israel, who beautify the mitzvot, investing […]
Meriting Mitzvot
Meriting Mitzvot >I once had occasion to do a certain mitzvah, but until I got around to doing it, it slipped away from me. I felt very bad that I had lost out on this mitzvah, which I felt I should have hurried to do. Hashem must have seen my sorrow, for only a few […]
The Courage to Question
The Courage to Question A yeshiva student came to ask me a question regarding a nuance of a mitzvah. As we were talking, he discovered that without realizing, he had been transgressing a serious prohibition. Of course, I explained the matter to him. I taught him how to correct his misdeeds, and told him how […]
Short on Cash, Rich in Lessons
Short on Cash, Rich in Lessons I once asked a disciple to procure ten travel tickets, totaling close to five thousand dollars. I handed him the money, and he went to the travel agency to do my bidding. When he finished the deal, he put his hand into his pocket to pay for the tickets. […]
Mitzvot
“The orders of Hashem are upright, bringing joy to the heart; the command of Hashem is clear, enlightening the eyes” (Tehillim 19:9) The Maharal (Tiferet Yisrael, Introduction) explains that the Torah guides a person along the proper path. With Torah, one walks securely, and does not grope in the dark. The pasuk (ibid. 11) states, […]
Justifying Judgment
Justifying Judgment I once got a shocking call from Marseille, France. I was notified that a young woman of twenty-nine had succumbed to the ravages of cancer. The first thought that entered my mind was, “Why do youngsters who are free of sin, have to die?” This girl had been making progress. Her hair grew […]
A Refined Routine for Retiring
A Refined Routine for Retiring People often ask me why improper thoughts suddenly pop into their heads in the midst of the Morning Prayers. This question is exacerbated by the fact that these people often wake up very early to pray with a minyan. They pray slowly and thoughtfully and often remain to hear a […]
Ruling out Reflections of Revenge
Ruling out Reflections of Revenge One Elul, during the week of parashat Shoftim, I was in Montreal, receiving people before delivering a speech. A man came in with his wife and children. As we spoke, I learned that the man intended to leave immediately after our meeting. I importuned him to stay for my speech. […]
Escaping the Effects of Evil
Escaping the Effects of Evil Once, on an overseas flight, I was beset by foreign thoughts. No matter how hard I tried, I could not rid my mind of them. I began wondering how this trip was different from countless others that I should be plagued by such negative thoughts. Suddenly, I remembered Chazal’s advice […]
