Gd's embrace of Teshuvah [Repentance]

Hi,

"When does Gd make Himself available for individuals to seek Him out (as opposed to communities, for whom Gd always makes Himself available)?

"During the ten days between Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur."

(Talmud, Yevamot 49b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Transcending one's legal obligations

Hi,

"A man sold land to Rav Pappa, in order to get money with which to purchase oxen. In the end he didn’t need the money, and Rav Pappa returned his land; Rav Pappa acted beyond the line of the law."

(Talmud, Ketuvot 97a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Drawing near to HaShem through Torah

Hi,

"When a person is distant from Torah, he is distant from Gd. When a person brings himself close to Torah, Gd brings that person close to Him."

(Zohar Vayyikra 21:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Marrying into scholarship

Hi,

"A man should sell everything he owns, if need be, in order to be able to marry the daughter of a Torah scholar."

(Talmud, Pesachim 49a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A sign of Gd's love

Hi,

"How did the Shulchan [a table in the Beit haMikdash, on which loaves of showbread where placed] display Gd's love for the Jewish people?

"It is as R' Yehoshua ben Levi taught: A great miracle was performed for the weekly showbread in the Temple, in that it was fresh and warm when removed from its table, just as it had been when it was placed there one week earlier."

(Talmud, Menachot 29a)

Food for thought: How does this particular miracle indicate Gd's love for the Jewish people?

Have a good day,
Mordechai

In-depth study vs. Broad expertise

Hello,

"One should develop two opposite extremes in his studies, using the bulk of his time for learning the breadth of the words of our ancestors and reviewing his own learning, as well as setting aside a fixed time for in-depth analysis of Jewish law, with all of his strength."

(Haflaah, introduction to Tractate Ketubot)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Human will and Divine Will

Hi,

"When Moses broke the Luchot (Tablets), he did so on his own - but his decision matched Gd's decision."

(Talmud, Yevamot 62a)

This opens up a fascinating possibility - that a human being's 'initiative' to do something which is entirely counterintuitive can match what Gd wants...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Praying for a specific spouse

Hi,

"Rava heard a man praying, 'May so-and-so become my wife.'

"Rava said to him: You should not pray thus; if she is right for you, she will not go to another, but if not, then you will end up denying Gd (for she will not marry you, and you will say that prayer is ineffective)!"

(Talmud, Moed Katan 18b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reading omens

Hi,

"Our sages taught: When the Torah prohibits interpreting omens, that refers to saying:

'My bread fell from my mouth,'

'My walking staff fell from my hand,'

'My son called me from behind me,'

'A deer crossed my path,'

'A snake was on my right and a fox was on my left'

[and therefore I should not proceed]."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 65b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Peace in the home

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who creates peace in his own home is considered as though he had created peace between every Jew."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 28:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The consequences of one's actions

Hi,

"When King Solomon [builder of the first Beit haMikdash] married the daughter of the Pharaoh, the angel Gavriel stabbed a reed into the sea, and raised silt around it; the great city of Rome [destroyer of the second Beit haMikdash] was built upon that spot."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 21b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzedakah vs. Korbanot [Temple Offerings]

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar said: It is greater to give tzedakah than to bring every korban [Temple offering], as it is written [Proverbs 21], 'One who performs tzedakah and justice is more choice, for Gd, than an offering.'"

(Talmud, Succah 49b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Israel's botanical variety

Hi,

"The Torah says (Leviticus 19), 'When you enter the land, you will plant trees producing every kind of food.'

"What does this teach?...That Israel does not lack anything, as it is also written (Deuteronomy 8), 'The land in which you will not lack anything.'"

(Talmud, Succah 35a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Menial Labor

Hi,

Although many Jewish sources praise menial labor, some sources indicate otherwise:

"Rav Huna bar Idi said, citing Shemuel: Once a person is appointed leader of a Jewish community, he may not engage in manual labor before three people."

(Talmud, Kiddushin 70a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Controlling desires

Hi,

"A person's physicality will never cease to rule him and to incline him toward its purposes, but if a person develops his wisdom and learning and strengthens this aspect of his persona, then he will become strong enough to conquer his nature and not release the reins of his desires from his hand, and he will empower himself to walk in the paths set by his mind."

(Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, Path of Gd, I 4:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Authority?

Hi,

Preface: Rabban Gamliel decided to give Rabbi Elazar Chisma and Rabbi Yochanan ben Gudgida positions of political authority [so that they could be supported by their salaries].

"He sent for them, but they didn't come. He sent again, and they finally came.

"He said to them, 'Do you think I am offering you authority [and so you demurred in order to avoid honor]? I am offering you slavery!"

Rashi explains: Authority is actually slavery, because a person becomes responsible for others.

(Talmud, Horiyyot 10a-b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The practical definition of repentance

Hi,

"A dice-player is not valid as a witness or judge, if dice-playing is his only trade [as he fails to contribute to civilization]...

"When is he considered to have changed his ways? When he breaks his dice and completely rejects dice-playing, such that he won't even play dice for free."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 25a-b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Stress and Calm

Hi,

"Better to have a handful of calm than an armful of struggle and ill feeling."

(Kohelet [Ecclesiastes] 4:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Hope for the future

Hello,

"And I will bring them to My holy mountain, and I will make them glad in the house of My prayer. Their offerings will be desirable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. This is the word of Gd, Elokim, who gathers in the scattered of Israel: I will yet gather them in!"

(Isaiah 56:7-8, the last verses of the Haftorah for the afternoon of Tisha b'Av)

Hope you had an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

A promise of Divine protection

Hi,

"A song of steps, by David. I raise my eyes to the mountains; from whence will my aid come? My aid is from Gd, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He will not allow your foot to falter, your Guardian will not sleep. Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps."

(Tehillim 121:1-4)

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

Tisha b'Av and Yom Kippur

Hi,

In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Saturday night-Sunday:

"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.

"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.

"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'

"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."

(Talmud, Taanit 30b)

Be well,
Mordechai

A goal of fast days

Hi,

For Tisha b'Av, which is observed Saturday night and Sunday:

"There are days when all Jews fast because of the troubles that have beset them on those days. The goal is to awaken the hearts, to open the paths of repentance... as we remember these things, we will return to do what is right, as it is written, 'And they shall admit their sins and the sins of their ancestors...'"

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Fasts 5:1)

Be well,
Mordechai

Mourning and Joy

Hi,

"All who mourn for Jerusalem will also merit to see its joy."

(Talmud, Taanit 30b)

Be well,
Mordechai

A prophecy of redemption

Hi,

"I will return your judges as they had been at first, and your counselors as they had been initially. Then you will be caled the "City of Justice," the faithful city.

"Zion will be redeemed with justice, and its exiles will return home with righteousness!"

(Isaiah 1:26-27)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Churban [destruction] old and new

Hi,

On why we continue to mourn for the Beit haMikdash, even though it was destroyed so long ago:

"If the Beit haMikdash is not re-built in any given generation, it is considered as though they had destroyed it anew."

(Talmud Yerushalmi Yoma 1:1)

Be well,
Mordechai