Atzmut

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Yitzchak was blind in his old age, but he couldn’t have been completely oblivious to Eisav’s unrefined character and conduct. His intentions to bless Eisav, nonetheless, must have been based not only on what he didn’t see or know about Eisav, but on what he did see in him. The Torah relates that Yitzchak devoted a lot of energy to […]

Our patriarchs and matriarchs were perfectly righteous people. In the words of the Tanya (Chapter 23), “throughout their lives they sanctified their every limb to serve exclusively as a ‘chariot’ for the implementation of G-d’s will.” From where then could Eisav, the child of the saintly Yitzchak and pure Rivka, have developed an attraction to idol-worship when he was but a […]

  Yaakov was a devoted son, and his mother’s welfare was surely a concern for him. Yet, Rivka’s promise, “Let your curse be upon me,” persuaded Yaakov to go ahead with her plan to trick Yitzchak into blessing him, and not Eisav, with the greatest blessings that Yitzchak had to offer. If Yaakov himself was afraid of Yitzchak’s curse, (should […]

  Avraham could not possibly have observed all the mitzvos in their physical form. In order to physically observe the mitzvah of wearing Tefilin, for example, the Tefilin must contain certain parshiyos, portions of the Torah, some of which speak about the Exodus from Egypt. As the Exodus took place more than three centuries after Avraham’s passing, Avraham’s fulfillment of this […]

A cloud began hovering over the tent immediately upon Rivka’s arrival. When she settled in and began going about her daily activities, Yitzchak noticed a special blessing in the food she prepared. When the candles that Rivka lit before Shabbos were still burning a full week later, Yitzchak became fully confident that Rivka was an heir to his mother’s saintliness, […]

Sarah’s life was far from uneventful or without suffering. Her years were colored by the painful longing for a child and then the joy of Yitzchak’s miraculous birth. The first half of her life she lived outside the Land of Israel; she moved there at the age of 65. She was twice taken captive by powerful kings who desired to marry […]

It was not only because Avraham humbly described himself using the metaphor of “dust and ashes” that his descendants merited mitzvos that involve dust and ashes. Rather, these two mitzvos in particular, the red heifer and the Sotah water, reflect the heritage of Avraham as expressed in his words, “I am but dust and ashes”. With these words, Avraham effectively […]

In the midst of conversing with G-d, Avraham sees three men approaching and runs to welcome them to his home. The Gemara (Shabbos 127a) learns from Avraham’s behavior that hospitality to guests is greater than receiving the Shechina, the Divine Presence. The question is, however, having no example or precedent from which to learn, how did Avraham know that it […]

Avraham hosted three angels in the midst of being visited by G-d, from which we learn that hospitality surpasses receiving the Divine Presence. Yet, considering that Avraham’s guests were angels, who had no need for the food and drink he offered, did Avraham in fact fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim with this act of hospitality? In hindsight, the cause for which […]

According to Rashi’s explanation, G-d caused that day to be unnaturally hot in order to spare Avraham the burden of entertaining visitors, but the absence of guests was ultimately a source of anguish for Avraham. Does that mean that G-d’s plan went awry? Was G-d’s interference with the weather patterns a waste? It must be that although the plan was […]

Every month has a special blessing and a special power that we can tap into and enjoy this G-dly blessing. In this video, Rabbi Anava is explaining about the month of Cheshvan Duration of class:1:08:15              

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We call the last day of the festival Simchat Torah, because we rejoice and eat a festive meal to honor the completion of the Torah (Rem”a, Orach Chaim 669:1) וקורין יום טוב האחרון שמחת תורה, לפי ששמחין ועושין בו סעודת משתה לגמרה של תורה – רמ”א אורח חיים תרס”ט, א The second Luchot were given to Moshe on Yom Kippur, after […]

יונה בן אמיתי מעולי רגלים היה ונכנס לשמחת בית השואבה ושרת עליו רוח הקודש ללמדך שאין רוח הקדש שורה אלא על לב שמח – תלמוד ירושלמי, סוכה ה:א The Talmud states that Yonah’s prophecy was inspired by the joy of Simchas Beis Hasho’eva that he witnessed as anoleh regel. What is the significance of the fact that Yonah was an oleh regel, […]

“….He who has not witnessed the rejoicing at the water drawing, has witnessed NO real rejoicing in his entire life……” (Mishna, Sukkah 5:1) ״אמרו, כל מי שלא ראה שמחת בית השואבה, לא ראה שמחה מימיו. – משנה, סוכה ה,א The Talmud (Sukkah 48b) quotes the prophetic words of Yeshayahu (12:3),  ושאבתם מים בששון ממעיני הישועה – And you will draw water […]

“…The festival of Sukkot you shall make for yourself for seven days…” – Devarim 16:13 חַג הַסֻּכֹּת תַּעֲשֶׂה לְךָ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים – דברים טז, יג Several unique mitzvot are associated with the holiday of Sukkot, yet among them, the Torah calls the holiday Sukkot, naming it specifically for the obligation to dwell in a Sukkah for the duration of these seven days. This […]

“….You shall make yourself the festival of Sukkot for seven days…..” – Devarim 16:13 ״…..חג סוכות תעשה לך שבעת ימים….״ – דברים טז,יג Several unique mitzvos are observed during the holiday of Sukkos. Yet, the holiday is called Sukkos, named specifically for the obligation to dwell in a Sukkah during these seven days, and not for any other of this […]

In this lecture Rabbi Anava explains the importance and role that Simcha (joy) plays in the Holiday of Sukkot            

“…..In Sukkahs you shall dwell for seven days…..”- Vayikra 23:42 The Torah commands, “For all seven days, leave your permanent dwelling and dwell in a temporary dwelling” – Talmud: Sukkah 2A ״…..בסוכות תשבו שבעת ימים, אמרה תורה כל שבעת הימים צא מדירת קבע ושב בדירת עראי” – מסכת סוכה ב,ב In a certain sense, the mitzvah of Sukkah has the distinction […]