Inertia

Hi,

"Nothing is as dangerous for man as routine."

(R' Menachem Mendel of Kotzk)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Building synagogues vs. Saving lives

Hi,

"Rabbi Chama bar Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Hoshia were walking among the synagogues of Lod. Rabbi Chama bar Rabbi Chanina commented to Rabbi Hoshia in admiration, 'How much money my ancestors sunk in here!'

"To which Rabbi Hoshia replied, 'How many lives your ancestors sunk in here! Weren't there people to support in the study of Torah?'"

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Peah 8:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yerushalayim: The place of Gd's rest

Hi,

"For Gd has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His dwelling. 'This is My resting place eternally; here I dwell, for I have desired her.'"

(Tehillim 132:13-14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A bow to the importance of superficiality?

Hi,

"'And the kohen who is greater than his brethren [Vayyikra 21:10]' - This means that the Kohen Gadol must be greater than his brethren in strength, beauty, wisdom and wealth."

(Talmud, Yoma 18a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teaching our children moral sensitivity

Hi,

"The task before us is multifaceted. As those who educate towards yirat Shamayim, we must communicate the message of the akeida—boldly, loudly and clearly. On the other hand, as those who do seek to ingrain moral sensitivity in ourselves and in our children, we need not dismiss the ambivalences, the difficulties and contradictions (at the initial level, surely). We need not wish away Avraham’s three days of spiritual groping. We need not dismiss the wrestling and grappling as being a reflection of poor yirat Shamayim, of spiritual shallowness, or of a lack of frumkeit. Inasmuch as goodness itself is an inherent component of frumkeit, the goodness which is at the root of the problems, struggles and tensions is itself part of yirat Shamayim—and a legitimate part. If the sense of moral goodness is legitimate, then the questing and the grappling are also legitimate."

(Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, Being Frum and Being Good: On the Relationship Between Religion and Morality, http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/develop/06develop.htm)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True spiritual liberation

Hi,

"On the first night of Pesach we tell the story of a long search by man for Gd, of Gd responding to the inquisitive search, of Gd taking man, who longs for Him, into His embrace. At the Seder, we try to stimulate the naive curiosity of the children and thereby make them Gd-searchers. The quest for Gd, along with the acceptance of the commandments, is the true spiritual liberation."

(Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik, "Exalted Evening," pg. 28-29)

Good moed,
Mordechai

Earning a Living, Splitting the Sea

Hi,

"Rav Shizbi said, citing Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah: Arranging a person's livelihood is as challenging as splitting the Sea [was], for it is written (Tehillim 136), "He provides bread for all flesh... He split the Sea into pieces."

(Talmud, Pesachim 118a)

Good moed,
Mordechai