-
Does Torah Observance Mean a Life Full of Blessings and Revealed Good?
For some, it would be a fair assumption to say that if we are living a Torah life, a life in accordance with halacha and the correct Torah hashkafot, then Hashem should bestow goodness upon us. We are, after all, living how He wants us to live. We are doing our part, and therefore, it…
-
Losing Myself in the Crowd: My Arduous Journey Towards Orthodox Judaism
Who am I? Why am I here? These were the questions I kept asking myself throughout my religious journey, and I am still attempting to answer them to this day. For a Baal Teshuva, the journey towards Judaism can be long and hazardous. I would like to share my journey of coming closer to Judaism,…
-
The Folded Garment: Unveiling G-d’s Kindness
On the morning scheduled for my third IVF treatment, I was awakened early by my phone. A call from the IVF unit just before an embryo transfer is not a good sign and the nurse on the line did not have good news. Unfortunately, none of my embryos were viable and the procedure would have…
-
The ABCs of Prayer
Where Does the Concept of Prayer Come From? In the Shema, we are given the commandment to ‘serve Him (Hashem) with all your heart’1. The Gemara2 explains that we achieve this through prayer. For this reason, prayer is referred to as the ‘work of the heart’3. Prayer is also a replacement for the sacrifices of…
-
Serving Hashem With What We Have
Toward the end of the chagim, we read Kohelet, written by Shlomo HaMelech. While reading it, I thought about Shlomo’s father, King David, and I discovered something fascinating that never struck me before. From his beginnings as a shepherd to the times he was homeless, running and hiding from his enemies, King David in his…
-
Why Does a Man Need to Give His Wife a Get?
Marriage is one of the most sacred unions, and in Judaism marriage plays a central and holy role. In fact, in Jewish texts, we often see Israel compared to a bride and Hashem to a groom, as in Shir HaShirim and many places in the prophets. One may assume that, given the importance and sacredness…
