Room for Improvement
Room for Improvement I was once asked to affix mezuzot upon the rooms of the home of a wealthy Brazilian. When I arrived there, I was dumbstruck to find a house of over seventy rooms. This was not a house; this was a mansion. The rooms were spacious, containing every conceivable modern contraption. Only the […]
Extricating Oneself from the Web
Extricating Oneself from the Web A man asked me for my advice. The computers in his workplace were connected to the Internet. He wanted to know how to overcome the spiritual threat posed by its powerful pull. I told him that the best thing he could do for himself would be to lift his legs […]
Torah Towers Above All Else
Torah Towers Above All Else The famous Eiffel Tower, standing tall in Paris, draws thousands of tourists daily. They are intrigued by its unique architecture and find pleasure in climbing to its top and surveying the city. I once asked someone who lives directly opposite this tower, “How do you feel upon awakening each morning […]
The Natural Order
The Natural Order On a trip to Los Angeles, I visited an enormous bakery which produces cakes, breads, and a host of other baked goods. Upon entering the kitchen, I found a machine, some hundreds of meters long. Flour is poured into one end, and fragrant, freshly-baked bread comes out of the other end. I […]
Modern Technology
“He Who said that oil should burn, will tell vinegar to burn, as well” (Ta’anit 25a) The Abarbanel (Bereishit 1) expounds: It is the natural order that everything operates according to Hashem’s will. The Zohar states (Yitro 277) that if people would understand the wisdom which Hashem invested in this world and the power inherent […]
The Most Effective Remedy
The Most Effective Remedy A woman approached me and stated that her doctors had diagnosed her with a terminal illness. She had only a number of months left to live. She asked that I advise her how to prepare for death. This was the first time I was ever asked such a question, and I […]
Completely Immersed in a Mitzvah
Completely Immersed in a Mitzvah After the first Yom Kippur which we spent in the Lyon yeshiva, the congregants dispersed to their homes to break the fast. I had to stay a few minutes longer in order to take care of some urgent matters. Suddenly, a woman appeared at the yeshiva with her mother. She […]
Forewarned Is Forearmed
Forewarned Is Forearmed An elderly Jew once came to me with his married daughter. He asked for a blessing in a specific area. During the course of the conversation, I asked the woman if she observed the laws of taharat hamishpachah. In response to her negative reply, I rebuked her, “A woman who keeps the […]
On the Wings of Repentance
On the Wings of Repentance A man told me that a very strange thing happened every morning, as he left his house for the synagogue. A bird would fly in front of him, flailing its wings violently. Then it would smack into the window and fall to the ground, bleeding profusely. Eventually, it died. This […]
Disgraceful Dancing
Disgraceful Dancing Sounds of joy and gaiety reached my ears from the simchah hall where I went to participate at the wedding of a friend. As the band played, men and women danced together with wild abandon. As soon as I entered, an air of decorum filled the place. The mixed dancing immediately ceased, and […]
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure A fellow Jew wept bitterly that his life was one bundle of difficulties. Within one year, his wife and all of his children died, leaving him alone in the world. I keenly felt that this man had received the punishment of karet, which is given to one who eats chametz on Pesach, […]
A Precious Mitzvah for a Cheap Price
A Precious Mitzvah for a Cheap Price In Elul 2005, we made our yearly trip to the gravesites of the tzaddikim buried throughout Europe. When we had finished praying in the Ukraine, we hailed a taxi to rush us to the airport for a flight to Kiev. One of the passengers who had accompanied us […]
