Rabbi Mendel's Blog.

I have heard many people say that if G-d would only do a miracle they would believe. After all, in the Torah we read of many miracles that G-d did on a regular basis. Why don’t we see these miracles these days? The Lubavitcher Rebbe once addressed a similar question …

In the Jerusalem Talmud when the word mitzvah is mentioned it refers to tzedakah. The Talmud in Bava Basra page 9a teaches that tzedakah is equal to all the other mitzvot combined. The power of tzedakah is self transcendence. To give away that which can be used for your own …

We all know people who as kids misbehaved terribly, but turned out to be wonderful adults. It could be that they ended up that way not in spite of their childhood cheekiness, but because of it. You see, rambunctious kids get reminded of what they should and should not be …

The days pass rather quickly and when you look back a week and then a month has flown by in the blink of an eye. In fact, as you get older time seems to pass by more quickly. One theory offered for why it seems so is because a smaller …

Are there parts of your life that make absolutely no sense? Do you see certain chapters of your story as essential because they express who you are and others as just a distraction? On Purim this story only begins a few chapters into the Megillah and yet the Mishna asks …

We are taught to be the masters of acceptance. All that G-d does is for the best, Judaism teaches us repeatedly. Yet we do not become comfortable with death, internally we do not accept it. When Jacob was faced with the tragic death of his precious son Joseph, the Torah …

It is so hard to see a loved one fade after living a vibrant and active life. How we approach this painful stage will depend on our perspective. And the Jewish perspective on the end of life differs greatly to much of mainstream thinking today. To approach life and death …

The Mishna (Brachot 54a) teaches: Just as we bless G-d for good things, so should we bless Him for bad things. This seems to say that we should make no differentiation between good news and bad. Whether we just won the lottery or a major catastrophe just befell us, we should bless …

Every other creation was created ready to go. When G-d created camels and hippopotamuses and horses He created them, body and soul, united ready to do what they need to. Only human beings were created as a lifeless body and then as the Torah shares in Genesis 2:7: “G-d formed …

Each Fall we get this surreal opportunity of reliving an hour that has already passed. It makes me think about the year that has gone by. If we were given the chance to live over an hour, a week or a year that we had already lived, would we make …

Can you guess what is the most often repeated two word phrase in the entire Torah/ Tanach/ Bible? “Al Tira” do not fear is mentioned 44 times! Add to that another 26 times in which it is said in the plural (al tirau), or as many as 110 times when …

There are multiple biblical obligations to actively save the life of another and not stand by your brother’s blood (Vayikra 19:16). The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin (73,a) teaches that one is obligated to be willing to endanger himself to some extent in order to save another’s life, by doing such …

G-d turns to Abraham and says, “I would like to make you into a great Nation but first go to the Land that I will show you, Israel. Only there will I make you a great nation.” If G-d ultimately wanted to give him a set of laws and rules …

Imagine if the entire world was destroyed and only you and your family was saved by being on a specially designed ark. The water has subsided and all of mankind has been wiped out and now you open the hatch to finally leave the Ark. Before you do that you …

The utopian Garden of Eden came crashing down because Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. What was it about this fruit that they could not withstand? This is how the Torah describes it in chapter 4 of Genesis: “The tree was good for food and it was a …

The keys to being a Jew are in your hand, when you hold your Lulav. The Lulav (palm branch) reminds us to stand proudly as a lulav does. Do not cower. Keeping our Judaism quiet has never healed anti-Semitism and never built our next generation. Stand proud of your rich heritage and people. …

What is the essence and theme of the day of Yom Kippur? If it is a day to say I’m sorry and repent just say you’re sorry and let’s move on! What is Yom Kippur? It is a day to focus on the needs and voice of the soul. Our …