The Baal Shem Tov was a gifted singer. He considered singing as worship of God, for music touches the soul. He often led his disciples in song, especially at the Shabbat table. Sometimes he asked them to close their eyes and put their hands on each other’s shoulders as they sang, so that they were […]
Grow Or Decline
More than 20 centuries ago, the great Jewish sage Hillel stated that “Those who do not add; subtract” (Avot 1:13) Our rabbis traditionally applied this wise saying to the subject of study and learning; which they saw as an ongoing process. Hillel’s admonition is the intellectual equivalent of today’s medical advice about our physical health, […]
A Help Mate By Your Side
Adam was all alone. He was lonely. He did not have a brother or a sister to talk to. He didn’t have a friend to play games with. Adam was lonely, and he was unhappy. God said to Adam, “It is not good for you to be alone. But now you are free to do […]
Fasting On Yom Kippur
About one third of the of the 562,000 Americans who will die this year from various types of cancer, will die due to their own behavior. Smoking, over eating and drinking, and physical inactivity will do them in. The same set of self indulgences will also afflict those who die from heart disease this year. […]