Something Spiritual

Digging a well is a complex job. One needs to dig through soil and sand to reveal the natural water that flows beneath ground level. This was something that our forefather Yitzchak was quite familiar with, as he dug wells to provide water for his family. However it was more than a practical thing; it was in fact part of his spiritual role in this world to expose the hidden potential that is often...

Our Matriachs, Sarah and Rivkah, brought a special blessings to their homes: their Shabbos candles lit from Friday to Friday. When it was time for Shabbos, they lit new candles which brought new light to their homes and the rest of the world. Interestingly, their miraculous Shabbos candles did not light indefinitely, but rather they needed to light new candles every week. This phenomena has a powe...

Avraham our forefather taught us the special quality of hospitality. Through food, drink and bed he welcomed in visitors into his home. There was one more detail to Avraham's hospitality that was so critical: he would escort his guests. Why was this so necessary? Ultimately he had given them what they needed, so why did he need to see them out too? There is a specific virtue behind the gesture of...

Avraham our forefather had a change of name, from Avram to Avraham. In this week's Parsha, he became the forefather of the entire world. However, while catering to the entire world he did not forget about his responsibility to his own community. It is specifically through his influence on his community that he succeeded to influence the whole world.

As G-d was preparing to bring the flood to destroy the world, he instructed Noach to build an ark for him and his family. On the ark he was also to take animals, both kosher and non-kosher. But how was he going to collect all the animals into the ark? Miraculously the animals arrived on their own. This is a powerful lesson for each of us: Just build your ark and G-d will do the rest.

Adam and Eve were living blissfully in Gan Eden, until they ate of the Tree of Knowledge. The first thing they did after their sin was to cover up with clothes. Why were they comfortable seeing each other naked until they sinned? What changed with the Tree of Knowledge? The change was in the way they perceived the world. They were suddenly wearing the wrong lenses.

We are living through uncertain times which causes us to be anxious about what the future will bring. The rabbis have taught us to look into the weekly Torah portion or the upcoming Jewish festival, and this will provide us with messages of hope, positivity and inspiration. This is the goal of 'Something Spiritual', a weekly 2 minute message based on the Torah portion or Jewish festival. 

We are living through interesting and challenging times. The concept of the Messianic Era is no longer a strange phenomenon. More people today are learning about the world to come than ever before. However, it is not enough just to learn about it. We need to pray for it! This is why Maimonides in his Halachic work adds in a short phrase that catches the attention of the commentaries. To learn more...

Books, what's their purpose? Most people see books as a source of knowledge. Once they've read a book, they pass it on to the local library or to a friend. But Torah books have another purpose too. They listen to this week's episode of Something SpiritShul.