Author Archives: Harry Zeitlin

Last Motzash (Motzei Shabbat, a time for a traditional Malave Malka–accompanying the Queen as She returns to Her heavenly realm after joining us as we weekly celebrate Shabbat. A Melava Malka usually involves music, dessert-type food, sharing Torah insights, usually … Continue reading →

VaYerah Aylov Hashem, And God appeared to him. VaYerah means much more than merely appearing, God filled Avraham with His Holy Light, Ohr, אור, His very Presence, what we often refer to as Shechinah. Everyone who has ever studied and … Continue reading →

A year or so ago I spent a couple years focusing on the Sefer Aish Kodesh by Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, The Piacezna Rebbe, rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto. Beyond the profundity of his Torah, and it’s some of the most … Continue reading →

There’s a Bracha, blessing, we say on new fruits, on inaugurating a new holiday, when we buy new clothes. It’s called Shehechiyanu and the body of it goes, Shehechiyanu v’Kimanu v’Higiyanu La’Zman Hazeh, That we have lived and been sustained … Continue reading →

Over the millennia it has been taught that the gematria, numerical of V’Etchanan is 515. We also learn that after pleading with God exactly  five hundred and fifteen times to complete his mission by leading he people into the land, … Continue reading →

The Meor Eynayim of the Chernobyler was the first hasidic text I was ever exposed to, having grown up in Denver, close to the Twerski community. I’ll never forget the first time the Rabbi taught from last week’s parsha, Matot. … Continue reading →

Perhaps counterintuitively, it’s much harder to conceive of something infinitely large than it is to think of nothingness at all. Many people confuse the terms Ohr Ein Sof with Ein, the Infinite Light, light/energy without end, with complete absence, and … Continue reading →

Once we experience, even just a hint, that God exists at all in any situation we find ourselves in,  it’s a short step to understand that He is everywhere. From the most exalted heights we might imagine a proper abode … Continue reading →

Once we experience, even just a hint, that God exists at all in any situation we find ourselves in,  it’s a short step to understand that He is everywhere. From the most exalted heights we might imagine a proper abode … Continue reading →

Rashi famously scans the first two words (after the initial “And God said to Moses, saying”) of Parshat Shelach, Shelach Lecha, Send yourself, l’da’atcha, to your own wisdom. Traditionally, we always explain this to mean that God leaves it up … Continue reading →