Category Archives: Uncategorized

I often find it ironic that those of us who firmly believe in absolute morality based on the absolute reality of God, as a consequence of that very belief, acknowledges one’s own limitations (Only God is perfect, so everything else … Continue reading →

When my children were much younger, we would spend several days at the end every summer at Canon Beach on the Oregon coast (see harryzeitlin.com for many of the photographs I created there over the years).  Quite often, depending on … Continue reading →

It’s been a rough week for me.  Just before last Shabbat, I learned of the death of one of my very closest childhood friends.  Later in the week I had several shiva (the seven days immediately following a funeral have the … Continue reading →

If you begin, as I do, with the assumption that the Torah is, indeed, divine, that it is a manifestation of the Infinite into our finite world, the questions are no longer “are these words true?” nor “what did they … Continue reading →

From time to time, I’ve helped a friend lead a Mussar worksop.  This week we’re discussing the Middah, personality trait, of Shetika, silence.  The following are some thoughts I gathered for this meeting. Mussar Midot and Mitzvot Shetika (Silence) Don’t … Continue reading →

New technology puts a telephone in your hand no matter where you are.  We developed a culture where many of us are willing to let an intrusive phone ring summon us out of our present context in order to talk … Continue reading →

I was taught a short piece of the Meor Eynayim (Menacham Nachum of Chernobyl) more than thirty years ago this week, Parshat V’Etchanan and it became a major foundation of my understanding of Torah and my purpose in life.  I’ve … Continue reading →

The three weeks immediately preceding Tisha B’Av, the anniversary of the destruction of both Holy Temples, each time leading to painful exile, has a number of prohibitions mandated.  There are restrictions on bathing (for pleasure), buying new things, laundry and … Continue reading →