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#18 The Difference Between Emunah and Bitachon – Four Levels To Emunah |  |
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Did you ever notice that no one does anything wrong? It seems that no matter how clear it is to you and me that this person is engaged in self destructive behavior, he doesn't admit that he is doing something wrong or harmful; rather he comes up with an entire rationale why it is good and in fact proper. To allow for Free Will, we humans had to be given this ability to rationalize away our... |
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#50 Bitachon – Learning to Trust HASHEM | |
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Part one of a three-part series on Bitachon, this Shmuz focuses us on the first stage of Bitachon: learning to trust HASHEM. Amazingly the Chovos Halevovos explains to us that by nature we trust. In fact, without trust we couldn’t function. If we didn’t trust, then every time we left our home we would fear death by a car crash, an earthquake, or a tornado. Every time we entered into a business... | |
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#51 Bitachon part II- Bitachon and Hishtadlus – Finding the balance | |
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If you want to know if your bitachon is where it should be, there’s a very simple test. Do you go into a panic when you don’t know how you’re going to pay your next bill? Do you often think that you could have been more successful if only you’d done things differently? If your answer was “yes,” then you, like most of us, need to work on bitachon. | |
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#52 Bitachon Part III- The Maaser Shmuz |  |
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The Torah tells us that when Yosef Ha Tzaddik was in prison and asked Pharaoh’s wine steward to put in a good word for him, HASHEM punished him for his lack of bitachon. Doesn’t that seem a bit extreme? He was in a terrible dungeon, far worse than the prisons of today. What was wrong about making an effort to free himself? The problem lies not... |
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#122 - Parenting 102 | |
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For thousands of years, parenting was a pretty straightforward responsibility. Society offered highly structured guidelines for behavior. Adult's roles were well-defined, as were children's roles, and throughout the strata of the community, everyone knew his place. New parents had their own parents as role models, and the techniques to use were time-tested and proven -- to fit that world.
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#8 Power of Prayer | |
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We all daven, and on some level we know that Davening works. But do we really understand it? Do we really understand that our prayers have an effect on our lives? Do we really understand that my davening can change the circumstances of my life? This Shmuz helps us understand the profound effect that tefilah can have on situations and settings that directly affect our lives.... |
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#20 Davening - Making it Real | |
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Of course we daven.
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#31 The Voice Inside | |
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Have you ever heard of something called a guilty conscience? What about a Jewish guilty conscience? While we all recognize that “Voice Inside”, that seems to moralize and lecture to us when we have stepped over the line, we assume that this is just one of those things that we have to sort of ignore. In this Shmuz we are brought to understand that “Voice” that HASHEM put inside every human... |
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#63 Davening – Close Encounters with our Creator | |
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Plan your life; live your plan. Set goals for yourself; follow through with them. Davening by rote is nothing less than selling yourself short. HASHEM and only HASHEM has the power to provide you with whatever you want or need. So why rush through davening in one big mumble? The trick to planning your life effectively is in when you plan it.... |
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#64 Davening Part II- The Love of a Father To A Son | |
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Davening is an amazingly powerful tool, and any of us can use it. Hashem loves us so much, it’s as though He can’t resist our prayers. Yet somehow, most of us don’t believe it. We think we’re too small to be noticed or that if we ask for too much, it’s kvetching. Nothing could be further from the truth. This Shmuz gives us a taste of just how much HASHEM... |
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#2 Yomim Noraim – Issues of the Day | |
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%OUI%
So many issues are decided on this day: who will live, who will die; who will be healthy, who will be sick; who will be successful, who won’t…. Since we accept and understand this, one would assume that we would be deeply moved by the davening on Rosh Hashanah. One would assume that we would spend the day in reverence and awe. Yet that seems to be very far from the... |
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#7 Noach: Understanding Belief | |
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By all accounts Noach was a Tzadik. Yet he didn’t go into the teivah until the water forced him in. Rashi tells us the reason was that Noach “Believed and he didn’t believe”. Whilst he knew that Hashem was going to bring a mabul, he still doubted it. What seems perplexing is that Hashem spoke to Noach telling him there would be a flood. Not only that, but Noach had spent the last 120 years... | |
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#9 Akaidas Yitzchak | |
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After all is said and done, what was so great about the Akeidah? Throughout history many people have been called upon and have made great sacrifices. Yet this single act echoes through the millennia. What was so unique about what Avrahom did? What was so special about the way he did it? And more pointedly, what relevance does it have for us some 3,700 years later?... | |
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#15 Chanukah G-d fights Our Wars | |
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What actually happened in the war to recapture the Bais Hamikdash? How many battles were fought? How long did they last? What was it like living in Yerushlayim at the time? Detailing the story of Chanukah as brought in Megillas Chashmonaim, this Shmuz brings us closer to understanding the events of the time, and appreciating the miracle that unfolded. It then takes us forward in time to... |
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#18 The Difference Between Emunah and Bitachon – Four Levels To Emunah | |
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Did you ever notice that no one does anything wrong? It seems that no matter how clear it is to you and me that this person is engaged in self destructive behavior, he doesn't admit that he is doing something wrong or harmful; rather he comes up with an entire rationale why it is good and in fact proper. To allow for Free Will, we humans had to be given this ability to rationalize away our... |
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#4 Appreciating Olam Hazeh | |
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If a person looks at the features of this world they will quickly see that Hashem invested great wisdom and care in making man’s stay on the planet enjoyable. From the different foods, each one with its unique flavor, aroma and textures; to the colors of flowers and magnificent seascapes -- so much of the beauty of this world was not necessary. It is clear that Hashem put much thought into... | |
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#5 Appreciating our Wealth | |
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Never in the history of man have so many people enjoyed so much material wealth and possessions. The average tax paying citizen of today enjoys riches and comforts that kings of yesteryear couldn’t envision or imagine -- and yet it seems that we don’t appreciate what we have. We become so accustomed to the extraordinary wealth we possess that we no longer think of it as riches; we even start... | |
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#6 Its not Geneivah, it’s Shtick | |
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It is very difficult for us human beings to accept that we do things that are wrong, and so we rationalize. We create illusions and fanciful stories that we ourselves don’t believe. And so, you will find intelligent, otherwise rational people saying things like, “Of course I wouldn’t steal, stealing is dishonest, but this isn’t stealing .It’s “shtick”. We “mach shtick”. We “mach Shtick” with the... | |
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#10 Questioning G-d: Finding and keeping your Bashert | |
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The Shadchan says, "So tell me, what are you looking for?" And, out comes the laundry list. "I need someone who is extroverted, funny, and outgoing." "I need a woman who is very frum, good, kind, tolerant, and funny." "I need a guy who is tall, a take-charge type, strong but not headstrong." And unwittingly, many people make the first... |
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#11 Kibud Av of Eisav – Appreciating Parents | |
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Of course we appreciate our parents. Of course we respect them. Isn’t that only natural? Doesn’t everyone? And yet we don’t. We live in a society that doesn’t seem to know the meaning of the word respect. There is no respect for authority, no respect for institutions, no respect for elders, and even no respect for ourselves. Unfortunately, we are affected by this, and this lack of respect goes... | |
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#69 Yitzias Mitzraim – A War of Ideology | |
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When we look at Pharaoh and his pagan beliefs, we usually write him off as primitive. The same goes for all idol worshippers. But surprisingly, they were tuned into spiritual secrets we modern folks tend to ignore. They just made one fatal error. Modern science isn’t all that different. Scientists have uncovered some astounding facts of nature. But for all... |
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#74 Divaykus in Our Times | |
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Falling in love is the most pleasurable and powerful experience most of us will have in our lifetimes. And it comes so naturally, too. Just look at any chosson and kallah. Loving Hashem takes more effort, but the reward can be even greater. After all, His love is all-powerful. Lofty as it sounds, we can all achieve d’vaykus with... |
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#88 Chanukah - The Effect of Outside Influences | |
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The nisayon in the times of Chanukah was clear: fight for Torah or succumb to Greek culture. During the Spanish Expulsion, the nisayon was also clear: leave Spain as a Jew or convert and remain comfortable. What is the nisayon in our times? Our lives are no longer threatened. We enjoy tremendous wealth and freedom. What could be wrong? Make no mistake.... |
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#96 Purim III-Sieze the Moment | |
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Shmuz Information Coming Soon... | |
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#113 - Tshuvah - Two Elements to a Sin | |
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As we come close to Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur, we focus on teshuva. Most of us understand that there are areas we must improve, but only in a theoretical sense. It is rare to find a person who walks into shul on Yom Kippur with a fierce determination to get rid of his sins. Most of us just daven and try to focus on improving ourselves. The idea of heartfelt remorse and repentance just doesn't... | |
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