Who is Running the Hotel in Warsaw?
Isn't it odd that we celebrate Succot now, after Yom Kippur? Chronologically, Succot should come after Pesach when the Succot were created in the desert.
Sukkot, Hoshana Raba, Simchat Torah
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Is Jewish Identity Enough?
Is it enough to be a Jew in your heart, without keeping Torah and mitzvot in practice? The blessing on the 4 species teaches us a powerful answer…
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The Most Beautiful Etrog
Walking home with Agnon, the rabbi emphasized to him how important it was to have a beautiful, flawless etrog on Sukkot, and how the beauty of the etrog...
A Year of Happiness – Part 2
The sukkah is a segula to merit the Torah. This is why after Sukkot, all the people of Israel merit Simchat Torah - to rejoice, sing, and dance with the Torah.
An Injection of Motivation
While it is true that self-criticism has an important place, it is a big mistake to think that spiritual progress is going to happen from criticism.
Uncomfortable Comfort
Sukkot can be my practice of happily doing Hashem's Will even when I'm uncomfortable!
Restart
From Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur we all become so forgiving to everyone. But what happens the day after? That’s when we have to restart, once again…
Sweet Erosion
The soul is always gravitating toward the Almighty. It desires holiness at all times. We are created to be happy, holy, and close to our Creator…
Miracle in the Desert
We eat, sleep, and sit in tents. We are helpless to the elements, slaves to the whims of nature. We are babies in our Father's arms, completely dependent on His mercy…
Palace of the King
The Succah is the King's Palace. Go inside, and with each slow breath appreciate how there is no negativity of any kind in the King's House...
The Happy Pill
In the time of the Holy Temple, our people had everything. Yet, rather than appreciating what they had, they complained and looked for joy elsewhere…
Right Here With Us
The great thing about sitting in the Succa is the ability to break away from the fantasy world and to feel Hashem's Presence right here with us…
Willow in the Wind
Kalman looked up from his butcher block and he saw some menacing Cossacks in the doorway. "Jhid," they sneered in Russian, "the day of your funeral has arrived"...
Rebbe Nachman on Succot
Rebbe Nachman has some very special things to say about Succoth and its related mitzvoth, for on Succoth, a person merits Divine abundance of all kinds...
Fun or Joy?
Having a couple of beers with the boys? You could have fun but don’t count on a deep sense of simcha. Fun is surface and short term, simcha runs deep...
The Tomato Vendor of Baghdad
A story for Succoth: Iraq was suffering from a terrible drought. The Sultan told the Jews that if they didn't bring rain in three days, it would mean exile or death…
A House of Prayer
Since the "Clouds of Glory", the Divine Presence envelops a person's Succa, sitting in the Succa is most conducive for prayer, especially personal prayer...
A Dry Succah
Sometimes, in their quest to be "frum", people forget that their tongues must be holy; especially on Succoth, one should never discredit another person…