The mishna in Pirkeh Avot says, in the name of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, that if three people sit down and eat at a table and nobody says a word of Torah, it's considered as if they ate from food that was used in the service of an idol. This is an astonishing statement. This means even if the people ate without speaking one word of lashon hara and n…

There are times when a person wants something very much. He prays all the time for Hashem to help him and he makes the necessary hishtadlut to get it done. Yet, day after day goes by with no sight of salvation ahead. The person wonders why he's not being answered. He's willing to do anything to get what he wants, but he doesn't know what else he co…

A woman told me that a couple of weeks ago, her child turned on the shower and a few minutes later, water was pouring through the ceiling of their basement. They called the plumber the next day, but he couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from. They called a second plumber, who opened up some walls, and even with that, was not able to find…

In the beginning of this week's Parasha, Emor, the Torah speaks about some of the laws that have to do with mourning the loss of a relative. It says, " לא יקרחו קרחה בראשם... ובבשרם לא ישרטו שרטת – The mourner should not make a bald spot on his head or cut into his flesh." These were practices that people who were in extreme anguish would do and Ha…

Overcoming very difficult tests are great ways of accessing extra beracha . When our natural inclinations are pushing us very hard to react in an animalistic way, we must pause for a moment and remember, it's Hashem testing us with a big test because He wants to bless us. The tests are hard, but that just makes the rewards even greater. The sefer O…

Although we have been learning about how valuable it is to accept and thank Hashem for the way He deals with us when things don't necessarily go the way we want, we cannot forget about thanking Him when things do go the way we want. We are not only supposed to thank Hashem when a problem arises. We should thank Hashem and praise Him constantly for …

Even when Hashem makes open miracles, He keeps nature intact for everybody who is not affected by the miracle. The Maharal writes regarding Kriyat Yam Suf that besides for the moments that Hashem split the waters across the entire world; during the Kriyat Yam Suf , only the people involved in the miracle were able to witness it. If there would have…

The Gemara says that if a person takes the wrong change out of his pocket, it's from Hashem. If a person stubs his toe, it's from Hashem. All the more so if something more severe happens. The Shomer Emunim writes in his Ma'mar Hashkacha Pratit perek 21 that a person must know, in Shamayim , Hashem is waiting to hear every word that comes out of his…

The pasuk tells us in this week's parasha, קדושים תהיו . And Rashi writes, this is a command to distance ourselves from forbidden relationships. And the more fences we put up to protect ourselves from them, the more kedusha we bring into our lives. A few pesukim later, the Torah speaks about what's called pigul . If during one of the four main serv…

One of our primary obligations in this world is to learn to fully trust in Hashem. It is an avodah that is so dear to Him. When the Jewish people followed Hashem into the desert after Yetziyat Mitzrayim , trusting that He would provide for all of their needs, it made them so beloved to Him. When Hashem wanted to redeem the Jews from slavery and the…

Hashem gives everyone the chizuk they need to pass the test they are given or to accomplish the mitzvot that He presents them with. If a test or mitzvah opportunity would be too difficult for a person to handle, Hashem will give that person the strength or words of encouragement that they need in advance to enable them to handle the test, or to giv…

Hashem has many ways of helping a person. Sometimes the person has a middat hadin upon him, and because of it, he is unworthy of being helped. In those instances, Hashem will first give the person an opportunity to gain the zechuyot that he needs to overcome that middat hadin , and thereby be able to access the help that Hashem wants to give him. S…

Rav Shlomo Kluger pointed out something amazing which took place during Yetziat Mitzrayim . When Moshe Rabbeinu came to warn Phar aoh about Makat Arbeh , Pharaoh was willing to let the adult Jews go. He only refused to let their children go. After Makat Choshech , Phar aoh called to Moshe and said he would let the adults and children go. He only re…

The Midrash P’sikta Rabati in this week's parasha, Achareh Mot ( 3) says, fortunate is the person who, when going through a difficulty, does not complain about what's happening to him. The Midrash goes on to describe the great levels people could reach by accepting their yisurin without complaint. The Shomer Emunim writes in his ma'amar on hashgach…

Rabbi Menashe Reisman asked, "How could it be that the Jewish people sang the אז ישיר after Kiryat Yam Suf with so much joy, being that the Chazal told us that 80% of the Jews died out during מכת חושך ?" That means so many of their relatives and loved ones had just passed away. There were so many orphans and widows, and so many of them lost childre…

Every little inconvenience that a person experiences, even something as small as putting on his shirt the wrong way, is considered yisurin and does wonders for a person's future life. The Shomer Emunim writes in perek 9 in his maamar on Hashgacha Pratit that any pain endured because of another person is worth infinitely more and this includes one's…

When Yosef told his brothers that their descendants would one day be redeemed from Mitzrayim , he added that they should make sure that they take his bones with them when they leave. The sefer Tiferet L'Moshe writes, it seems from the way the pasuk is written that there is a connection between the redemption and Yosef's bones. He brings from the se…

We said in the Hagaddah ״ UB’Moftim Zeh HaDam/ And with wonders,” this refers to Blood When the Torah describes one of the ways Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim with moftim , it’s referring to Dam/Blood . The Rishonim ask why Dam would be singled out here if there were another nine Makot . What was so special about Dam that it's called Moftim ? The …

The Mishnah Berura writes at the end of siman 218 in Ohr HaChaim , in the name of the Acharonim , that if a person had some type of miracle performed for him, he should set aside money according to his means and give it to Torah scholars and say, “May it be the will of Hashem that this takes the place of the Korban Toda that I owe.” It is also prop…

People have spent hours upon hours cleaning their homes and making sure to get rid of every last bit of chametz. The nashim tzidkaniyot have had sleepless nights doing very difficult tasks to ensure that not even a crumb of chametz will remain in their homes. And although it is good to feel satisfaction over our accomplishments in avodat Hashem, we…

A few days ago, I was leaving a shul that I usually don't pray at, and a young man stopped me, telling me he wanted to relate a story that happened to him. He then told the most amazing story of hashgacha peratit . I thought to myself, if I wasn't there at that time, I most probably would have never heard that story. And just like this man had a st…

On the night of the Seder we are commanded to relate the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim and thereby imbue into our families the emunah that Hashem runs the world. The Haggadah tells us we have to relate the story even if everyone at the table are חכמים . Which means, even if everyone has a wellspring of emunah that they have already learned from their …

A lot of money needs to be spent to prepare for a holiday, especially a holiday like Pesach. Whether it's food, clothing, or matzot, the money adds up. Shulchan Aruch writes in siman 529 that we are supposed to honor the holiday, and when it comes to something that will bring more honor to the holiday, we should not be cheap about it. The Mishnah B…

With the resha'im in Iran, firing over 300 missiles capable of causing complete annihilation, we are reminded of the words in the Haggadah, בכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותינו - in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us. And how fortunate we are to see the conclusion of that statement with our own eyes. והקב"ה מצילנו מידם - and Hashe…

This week's parasha, Tazriya, speaks about tzaraat , which Chazal tell us primarily came as a result of the sin of lashon hara . The Zohar HaKadosh, in parashat Tazria writes, the same way a person is held accountable for the negative speech that he says, so too he is held accountable for the positive speech that he could have said but refrained fr…