| By Shais Taub | 0 Comments
Rashi says that Yitzchak became blind from the smoke of the idolatrous incense of Eisav's wives. Why did the smoke not blind anyone else? We can begin to understand this by way of three stories: R' Nochum Chernobyler didn't see a non-kosher food item, the Lubavitcher Rebbe didn't see Bob Dylan, and a teenage boy didn't see an inappropriate billboard.
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 5, pp. 139-140.
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The Torah tell us that Rachel was beautiful but that Leah had "bleary eyes"? On a deeper level, this describes two personality types—the conventional spiritual beauty of the perfect tzadik and the unconventional spiritual beauty of the struggling penitent. It is the latter who has a special power to take on the spiritual darkness of this world and refine it. One such story is about a young man who wanted more than anything to remain in yeshiva but his Rebbe sent him to drive a tractor.
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 35, pp. 152-154.
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Following their dramatic showdown, Yaakov tells Eisav that he will meet him at Mt. Seir, but never shows up there. Based on this story, the Gemara says that if a non-Jew asks a Jew where he is going the Jew should name a point beyond his immediate destination lest the non-Jew lie in wait for him at his true destination and ambush him. Being that the commentaries on the Talmud ruled long ago that this concern no longer applies, the Rebbe asks what relevance this teaching has for us today.
Rabbi Shais Taub explains by way of a story that took place in 1991 when Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch’s Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky arranged for the European Regional Kinus HaShluchim to take place in the then USSR.
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 20, p. 164.
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"And [Yosef] asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in prison... 'Why are your faces sad today?'" (B'reishis 40:7.) How did this seemingly small act of asking two fellow prisoners how they were feeling lead to a massive ripple effect? What does this teach us about the enormous power of "small" acts of kindness? How is this lesson connected to 19 Kislev and Chanukah?
Based on Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz, Shabbos Chanukah 5734, Sichos Kodesh 5734 vol. 1, p. 204-213.
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Why did Yosef have the same dream twice? And how is this different than Pharaoh who also had the same dream twice? The answer lies in understanding how each of us simultaneously lives in two realities--the spiritual and the material. This is also connected to the time-honored custom of giving "gelt" (gifts of money) to children on Chanukah.
Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 3, pp. 805-810.
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"And to his father [Yosef] sent... from the best of Egypt." Says Rashi: "This is old wine."
Why did Yosef specifically send his father old wine after twenty-two years of no contact?
We know you can be nostalgic for the past but can you be nostalgic for the future as well? Find out how there are souvenirs that remind us of where we have been and souvenirs that remind us of where we want to go.
Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 10, pp. 158-9.
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Before his passing, Yaakov asks his son, Yosef, to bury him in Chevron although he did not do the same for Yosef's mother, Rachel. Yaakov then proceeds to explain his reasons to Yosef, as Rashi says, "I know that your heart is troubled with me about that."
But why was Yosef troubled? Did he doubt his father until he heard an explanation?
To understand this we need to first appreciate why Jews ask so many questions. Why can't we just accept things without questioning?
Based on Hisva'aduyos 5746 vol. 2, pp. 312-313.
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What is the most important idea to know in Judaism?
The name of the second book of the Five Books of Moses is known as Shmos in Hebrew, meaning "names." How is "names" a fitting title for a book about how the Jewish people descended into and left Egypt?
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 6, p. 243.
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Hashem told Moshe to deliver his messages to Pharaoh in Hebrew, a language that Pharaoh did not even understand. Why was this? And what surprising lesson can we learn from this about effective communication? How is this skill also useful in dealing with our own ego when it refuses to listen to reason?
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 16, pp. 73-75.
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Which takes precedence in Torah—the person or the group? Does Judaism promote an individualist society or a collectivist society?
For an understanding of the true nature of Jewish identity, we look at the first mitzvah performed by the Jewish people while still in Egypt, the Pesach offering.
Based on Michtav Klali Pesach 5739 reprinted in Likkutei Sichos vol. 17, pp. 435-439.
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How do you deal with people and situations that leave a bitter taste in your mouth?
Find out by analyzing a strange story that takes place in this week's Torah reading about the bitter waters at Marah.
Why does Midrash say that the waters became bitter only after the Jews arrived? Why did the waters in their canteens turn bitter, too? What does this teach us about dealing with negative people and situations?
Based on 15 Shvat 5720, Hisva'aduyos vol. 27 pp. 361-3.
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Why does it say that the Jewish people were doing their laundry before the revelation at Sinai? And what does this teach us about the proper relationship between the shepherds of the Jewish people and their flock?
Based on Hayom Yom, 5 Sivan.
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