Nitzotzos: Inspiration to Keep Your Spark Alive with Rav Mordechai Burg

The challenge of parenting in today's generation may feel enormous. Yosef HaTzaddik teaches us that even in the most difficult circumstances we are all capable of raising children like Menashe and Ephraim. Our children have two parts: Menashe - the parts they would like to forget and Ephraim - the parts they value. In this shiur, based on the Degel Machaneh Ephraim, Rav Burg explains how we must p...

Yosef HaTzaddik reveals himself to his brothers and asks "Is my father still alive?" Of course he is alive! The brothers have been talking about Yaakov throughout their entire time in Mitzrayim. The journey of life can be terrifying. How do we maintain our strength and resolve? The loving words of a parent can stay with us for a lifetime.

Yehuda tells Yosef do not get angry for you are like Pharaoh himself. The worst way to get someone to calm down is to tell them to calm down. Why would Yehuda tell Yosef not to get angry? In this shiur Rav Burg explains the difference between an abundance mentality and an impoverished mentality as it relates to parenting and relationships with our spouses. Yehudas words give us insight into how we...

Yaakov blesses his children that the Egyptian ruler should have mercy on them. The Aish Kodesh asks, why doesn't he bless them that no harm should befall them. Just as Hashem creates an expanding universe and tells it to stop expanding so too there are different types of salvations. Sometimes salvation comes from an expanding process. You go to the doctor who diagnoses an illness, procure the medi...

Delivered to the Shana Bet in Mevaseret for Erev Shabbos Mussar, Rav Burg discusses why the Mitzvah of Ner Chanuka is on the home, the reason for the precedence of Ner Shabbos over Ner Chanukah and the last zman for Ner Chanukah is when the tarmudai would come home from the Shuk. The outside influences of immorality have made an impact on our community. In order to transmit Yiddishkeit it needs to...

Delivered in Shaalvim, Rav Burg discusses Dinah going out into Shechem to reveal the hidden spark of Rav Akiva and Yosef losing his begadim in order to discover himself. The second part of Ra Burg's shmooze begins at the 44 minute mark.  

Chazal tells us that Yosef HaTzaddik would tell Yaakov Avinu about all of the misdeeds of the shevatim. If there was anything to tell, he would run to his father to share with him the bad news. Why? In this shiur, Rav Burg explains that lonely children will push away the very people they want to connect with. The journey of Yosef HaTzaddik is our journey. It is about finding connection within and...

Delivered to the women of Nishei Neve Shamir, in this shiur Rav Burg explains how the story of Yosef and Eishes Potiphar, the story of Rachav and Yehoshua and the story of the talmid of Rav Chiya and the Zonah are all one story. Not only are they all the same soul, it is a story about people, who from a deep place of loneliness seek out counterfeit connection. And, it is also a story about how tha...

In the middle of the meat market, while purchasing meat for the wedding of Rabban Gamliel's son, Rav Akiva turns to Rabban Gamliel and Rav Yehoshua and asks them what it meant by the passuk that the sun rose for him (Yaakov Avinu). Does the sun not rise for everyone. Rav Akiva answers that the sun that set for Yaakov Avinu when he left his father's home now rose for him as well. In this shiur Rav...

Everything the Torah tells us is to impart cosmic and timeless lessons. It is therefore all the more surprising that the Torah, seemingly out of nowhere, tells us about the death of Devorah, the wet nurse of Rivka. Why do we need to know about this? What is the significance of her being buried beneath a tree and the name of that place? In this shiur, delivered in Stern College, Rav Burg explains h...

The story of Yaakov and Eisav's reunion is meant to guide us through our own confrontations with the Eisav's in our life. Rashi changes the order of the pesukim and tells us that Yaakov sent gifts, davened and prepared for war resulting in a genuine hug but a less than genuine kiss. In this shiur Rav Burg explains how we can treat ourselves with kindness and compassion, align ourselves with Hashem...

In this week's Parsha Yaakov Avinu fell asleep at the Makom Hamikdash and dreamt of Malachim going up and down a ladder. Chazal tell us that Hashem had to protect Yaakov from these Malachim who wanted to kill him. The Ksav Sofer explains that they wanted to kill Yaakov because he fell asleep at such a holy place. The Gemara tells us that Hashem made the sun set early so that Yaakov Avinu would go...

What is the inner significance of digging wells? Why did Hashem create the world by first covering the world with water and then aggregating the water into one place so that dry land would appear? Why did Hashem create man by adding water to the soil and kneading us (like bread) into being? In this shiur, Rav Burg explains how we are called upon to see the Godliness beneath existence, how we can r...

1. The story of Eliezer finding a shidduch for Yitzchak comprises 67 pesukim in the Torah! Normally the Torah is concise but here Hashem sees fit to tell us the story in great detail. Why? 2. Eliezer gives Rivka a golden nose ring worth half a shekel and two bracelets each worth ten gold shekel. Rashi teaches that the nose ring is an allusion to the half a shekel that would one day be donated to t...

In this exceptionally stirring shiur the Aish Kodesh asks why Hashem won't allow the tzaddikim to have serenity in this world. The Rebbe distinguishes between those who are silent because they choose not to speak and those who are mute because they have loss all capacity to process their trauma and give language to their pain. Still, even in this state, the mute person can gesture and communicate...

Eliezer is the ultimate servant of Avraham Avinu and yet despite his exceptional dedication Avraham Avinu does not see fit to make a shidduch with the daughter of Eliezer. Why then does he trust Eliezer to find a shidduch for Yitzchak? If Eliezer is trustworthy enough to make a shidduch, why is his daughter not a good match for Yitzchak? In this shiur, delivered in MMY, Rav Burg explains how excep...

‘And Avraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Hashem’ (Bereshis 19:27). From this passuk we learn that Avraham Avinu instituted Shacharis and that one ought to have a makom kavua, a set place, for davening. The Gemara in Brachos teacehs that one who has a makom kavua is an anav, a chasid and a talmid of Avraham Avinu. They have a greater level of siyata dishmaya in...

Avraham Avinu was told lech lecha, go to yourself. But could it be that we are supposed to leave our countries, our communities and our homes - these wonderful places that loved us into being - in order to find ourselves? How could that be the message of the Torah?!? In this shiur Rav Burg explains who is the real you and how we are meant to journey to self discovery.

In this shiur the Aish Kodesh asks two questions: 1. Why does Yaakov Avinu insist on being blessed by the Malach of Eisav when he had already been blessed by Hashem? 2. Why does the Malach ask Yaakov Avinu his name? The Rebbe explains that it is not enough simply to leave our state of pain. True redemption only occurs when we have gained something fundamental from our pain. Our pain brings a whole...

The story of Migdal Bavel is a perplexing one. What is the connection between this story and the story of the flood? What exactly were they attempting to do by building a tower? Why is it a fitting consequence to babel their language? In this shiur, Rav Burg explains how being firmly rooted in the stories of our past gives us the capacity to handle what life throws at us in the present. Those who...

Bereishis means in the beginning. The word Bereishis can also be understood as Beis Reishis, two beginnings. But Hashem only created the world once. Why does the Torah allude to a second beginning? In this shiur Rav Burg explains how every story has not one but two beginnings. It is up to us to choose to begin again.

Delivered at Yeshivat HaKotel's Vayichan program on Hoshana Rabbah, based on a sicha from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Burg explains how it is the simple Jews that reflect Hashem's essence in this world. Complexity hides Hashem's simple presence in creation. The greater the complexity, the greater the concealment. The simple Jew who serves Hashem simply because they're Jewish lacks the concealment o...

As Yaakov Avinu is sleeping and dreaming of the malachim going up and down the ladder, Rashi explains that it is Hashem who is guarding over him. The Aish Kodesh asks, why is it Hashem guarding over Yaakov and not a malach? Why does it repeat that he is being guarded twice? The Malachim of the ladder represent the nations of the world who are at war with each other. When they are fighting, Klal Yi...

In this week's Parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu, for the first time in history, renews the Bris between Klal Yisrael and Hashem. Up until now it was always Hashem that made a Bris with humanity/Klal Yisrael. Why the change? Based on an essay from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks ob"m, Rav Burg explains that truly inspired Judaism comes from choosing to participate in a relationship with Hashem.

In this shiur the Aish Kodesh explains two different types of giving. 1. Hashem simply gives because He is giving, not because we are deserving. 2. Hashem pays back a "debt" so to speak and gives us what we are owed for the performance of our Mitzvos. The Rebbe teaches that there are two types of Jews, those who are lost and those are completely unrecognizable. In 1939 the Rebbe addresses those Je...