Kindling the menorah was one of the many daily activities performed in the Beis Hamikdash. In the Chanukah story, however, it was specifically this avodah, service – and not a more central avodah, such as the daily offering of sacrifices upon the Altar – that was “singled out” for miraculous intervention to ensure that it could be done properly. This […]

  The Talmud outlines three tracks that one may follow in the observance of kindling the Chanukah lights, the choice depending on your eagerness to observe the mitzvos.  The base requirement is to kindle only one light per family on all eight nights, but the mehadrin, those who eagerly pursuemitzvos, kindle additional lights based on the size of their family. […]

The discovery of the one and only undefiled cruse of oil allowed for more than just a resumption of operations in the Beis Hamikdash on a bare minimum level. For by the simple standards of Jewish law, the Menorah may even be lit using oil that is ritually impure if no pure oil can be obtained (see Rambam, Temidin U’musafin […]

“….I have one easy Mitzvah, called Sukkah. Go and do it…” – Immediately, each gentle will build a Sukkah on his roof. G-od will make the sun blaze, and they will kick the Sukkah and leave. This test is justified as sometimes Jews must sit in the Sukkah while still in the summer season as well. But if it is […]

“…G-d came from sinai, he shone forth to them from seir, he appeared from mount paran; he came with some of the holy myriads; from his right hand was a fiery law for them…” – devarim 33:2 ה’ מִסִּינַי בָּא וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ הוֹפִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן וְאָתָה מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ מִימִינוֹ אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ – דברים לג, ב The Talmud (Avodah Zarah […]

“…On Rosh Hashana they will be inscribed…” – Rosh Hashana Liturgy בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן – תפילת מוסף דר”ה Rosh Hashana marks the start of the new Jewish year. Yet, the name of this holiday in Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashana, does not mean “the start of the year,” but “the head of the year.” As explained in Chassidus, this name demonstrates that […]

The name Rosh Hashana, meaning “head of the year”, tells us that this holiday is not only the day on which a new year on the Jewish calendar begins, and when our deeds of the last year are judged. If it were, names like “Start of the Year” or “The New Year” would be more appropriate than “Head of the […]

A great long class about the mystical depth of the month of Elul. Information you want to know to really take advantage of the special month getting ready the right way for the coming new year     Part 1   Part 2        

The custom in the Rebbe’s home is to sound the shofar for training over the course of this day (the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul, the 30th of Av), and to begin sounding the shofar after davening (Praying) on the second day of Rosh Chodesh. Why do we have a fixed day of Shofar practice before beginning the official […]

“…It is customary to sound the Shofar after Shacharis throughout the month of Elul, beginning on Rosh Chodesh…” –  Rema, Orach Chaim 581:1 מראש חודש ואילך מתחילין לתקוע אחר התפילה שחרית – רמ”א או”ח תקפ”א, א The Rambam writes that the sounding of the Shofar conveys this message: “Sleepers, be roused, from your sleep! Slumberers, wake from your slumber! Search […]

“…And he went down to Egypt” (Devarim 26:5)—forced by Divine decree…” –  (The Haggadah) וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה אָנוּס עַל פִּי הַדִּבּוּר – הגדה של פסח The Haggadah asserts that Yaakov descended to Egypt against his will, compelled by Divine decree. This statement seems self-contradictory. Yaakov, as we know, was devoted to G-d with all his being. If he knew that G-d […]

The Shabbos before Pesach is called Shabbos Hagadol, the great Shabbos, because a great miracle happened on this day. (Tur, Orach Chaim 530) שבת שלפני הפסח קורין אותו שבת הגדול והטעם לפי שנעשה בו נס גדול – טור או”ח סתק”ל One of the miracles attributed to Shabbos Hagadol is recorded in the Midrash (cited in Machzor Vitri 259 and elsewhere): […]

The Kavanah Show – Rabbi Alon Anava Once a year a very special G-odly light comes done to the world a we have the opportunity to tap into it and have a grasp of this one of a kind light. Such a unique light, that only when Mashiach will be here, this light will be revealed. On the Day of […]

All Jewish people today customarily fast on the 13th of Adar, in remembrance of the fast that they fasted in the days of Haman, as is written (Esther 9:31), “the matter of the fasts and the outcries.” (Rambam, Hilchos Taaniyos 5:5) ונהגו כל ישראל בזמנים אלו להתענות בי”ג באדר זכר לתענית שהתענו בימי המן שנאמר דברי הצומות וזעקתם – רמב”ם […]

“……..To make them forget your torah and violate the decrees of your will…” (v’al hanissim) ״…להשכיחם תורתך ולהעבירם מחוקי רצונך..״ – נוסח ועל הנסים The goal of the Greek oppression of the Jewish people was, in the words of the V’al Hanissim prayer, “to make them forget Your Torah and violate the decrees of Your will.” The Greeks were not opposed to Torah scholarship, […]

“….For sin we committed before you with the Yetzer Hara….” (Yom Kippuer Prayers) ״…..על חטא שחטאנו לפניך ביצר הרע….״ – נוסח תפילת יום כיפור This phrase in the Al Chet, the itemized confession list read in the prayers of Yom Kippur, seems out of place and misleading. Aren’t all sins committed with the Yetzer Hara, our evil inclination and impulse? […]

“…R’ Yirmiyah said in the name of R’ Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak: We find that G-d excused the Jewish people for idol-worship, adultery, and murder, but their contempt of the Torah He did not excuse. What is the proof? It is not written here, “And G-d said, ‘Because they committed idol-worship, adultery, and murder,’” but “And G-d said, ‘Because they […]

“…And they stood at the bottom of the mountain…” – Shemos 19:17 וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר – שמות יט, יז The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, of righteous memory, would bless people before the holiday of Shavuos, “to receive the Torah b’simchauv’pnimiyus, joyfully and internally.” At the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, both of these qualities were […]

“…If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children, and our children’s children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt…” – The Haggadah וְאִלּוּ לֹא הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, הֲרֵי אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם – הגדה של פסח We acknowledge in the […]

“…And Mordechai told him all that had befallen him…” Esther 4:7 וַיַּגֶּד לוֹ מָרְדֳּכַי אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר קָרָהוּ – אסתר ד, ז Mordechai occupied an important position in Achashveirosh’s government (see Esther 2:19, “and Mordechai sat at the king’s gate.”) In addition, his cousin (or niece, see Targum,) was Achashveirosh’s queen. Presumably, even if Haman’s decree did come to pass […]