Monthly Archives: March 2015

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov’s famous saying, מצווה גדולה להיות בשמחה (Mitzva gedola l’hyot b’simcha), “It’s a big mitzva to be happy”, is not necessarily an halachic opinion, but good life advice.  However, (ושמחת בחגך (דברים ט״ז י״ד (V’Samachta b’Chagecha, Devarim 16:14), … Continue reading →

When we observe the moon, we know its light is reflected of, and thus less bright than, the sun.  Every month we watch it fade each night for more than two weeks before it begins to return to its former not-so-bright brightness. … Continue reading →

This morning I said my yearly goodbye to תחנון, Tachanun, literally asking for חן (Chen), “grace”, a psalm I recite most weekdays immediately after the Amida, the standing thrice-daily prayer that is the central feature of תפילה (Tefilla), prayer. Along with … Continue reading →

This world is not an easy place. I suspect that thinking, spiritually oriented people have always searched for ways to transcend everyday reality, but I also am pretty sure that certain periods in history have been more challenging to people … Continue reading →

There are no reruns or do-overs in life, and it’s always exponentially harder to repair the damage than it was to cause it. Time, for us, moves only in a forward direction and it’s next to impossible to put the … Continue reading →

The famous dictum in the Talmud (Megilla 7b), מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי (M’Chayiv inish l’besumi b’Puriah ad d’lo yada beyn Arur Haman l’Baruch Mordechai), a person is obligated to sweeten himself (often interpreted … Continue reading →