A TALK ON THE FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH
To accomplish the delicate task of fair distribution, Divine oversight is required. * The litmus test is perfect clarity and transparency, genuine communication.
To accomplish the delicate task of fair distribution, Divine oversight is required. * The litmus test is perfect clarity and transparency, genuine communication.
The Beis HaMikdash was not destroyed in a single moment in time, close to 2000 years ago, in the wake of which there are the Three Weeks and Tisha B’Av … No! The destruction of the Beis HaMikdash is a daily occurrence! * What is the proper approach to such a horrible, ongoing calamity?
In last week’s parsha, the Torah records the incident of a Jewish prince named Zimri who consorted with a Midianite princess named Cozbi. Pinchas, a zealot, kills them. In this week’s parsha, G-d rewards Pinchas for his brazen act of bravery and zealousness.
Jewish Holidays come in their prescribed times; Passover in the spring, Sukkos in the fall. The way the Jewish calendar is set up, Pesach can never occur in any other season than the spring. Although we follow a lunar calendar in which a year has 11 days fewer than a solar year, we add a leap month 7 times in a 19-year cycle to compensate for the disparity. In this way, Holidays always occur in the same season.
One of the challenging aspects of bitachon is the ability to always synchronize our views with the perspectives of Torah. Torah has guidance on every occurrence and being that the Torah is Hashem’s Will and Wisdom (רצון and חכמה), these guidelines are actually Hashem’s guidelines. Many people have a take on many topics; the question is: are those opinions in line with the Torah’s views? A person with a strong connection to Hashem will be on the right track on most, if not all, occasions
Zimri, the prince of the tribe of Shimon, consorted with the Midianite princess Kozby, ostensibly to justify similar acts of debauchery by many other Jews. What was G-d’s response to these depraved acts? A plague that claimed 24,000 lives.
The wall of exile is not fully intact; it has windows, cracks, splits, and holes. Through these windows and cracks, Moshiach Tzidkeinu gazes and watches. Moshiach stands behind the wall and eagerly awaits and looks, wondering when will he finally be able to come! Of course, he does not suffice with a passive role, just observing. Rather, Moshiach’s gaze has an actual impact in bringing about the redemption. * Part 2 of 2
It is not correct to say that the thought of redemption in the time of exile is a dream, but the exact opposite: when we think about exile – that is the dream! * It is specifically when one accepts the illusion of exile, that it is a dream; it is only during the (dream of) exile that one fools himself into thinking that it is reality!