As a teacher, rabbi and writer I am fortunate to be able to interact positively with many people. Often people come to speak with me or join a class that I give with a passionate craving for spiritual knowledge and inspiration. Unbeknown to them their desire to learn and to…
Month: March 2006
New-Age Spiritual Gurus: Real or Fake?
We live in an age of contradictions. On the one hand the post-modern age is histories most materialistic and narcissistic. In the united states there are hundreds of thousands of people who follow new-age gurus offering a whole smorgasbord of different spiritual paths that claim to be more evolved and…
Relax For The Sake Of It
It’s a new fad. Many spas and health clubs have them – they are called “relaxation rooms”. Many of us live a stress filled existence where the only relaxation we get is when we are sleeping. Even when we are on vacation we have access to our cell phone, e-mail…
Must We Constantly Struggle?
‘As the plane landed at Ben Gurion airport, the Captain made his announcement: “Please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until this plane comes to a complete standstill and the seat belt signs have been turned off. To those who are seated, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and hope…
The Secret of Getting to Know Ourselves
People who do not know themselves properly are unable to make correct choices for themselves. They are blind to where they are going wrong in life, and they inevitably get into the wrong types of relationships and jobs. But worry not: help is at hand. On the Internet there are…
Don’t Be Afraid Just Ask
There is a golden rule known to every preacher: always start your sermons with a question. A good question captivates and has the audience craving a resolution. If a clever answer is given to a profound question, the sermon can be considered to have been successful. Questions are the greatest…
Matisyahu: A Deconstructionist Rabbi
Matisyahu is now an international phenomenon; he is a reggae singer with a difference. Instead of dreadlocks he sports a trilby. His beard is predicated on the Kabbalists’ theosophy instead of Rastafarian tradition and his clothing places him in an Ultra Orthodox Jewish enclave rather than a black ghetto. Now…
Moshiach: it’s In Our Hands Now
Amongst other things, the Torah teaches us the six hundred and thirteen ordinances that God commanded us. Many of the Torah’s laws are dependent on the existence of our Holy Temple. Consequently nearly half of these six hundred and thirteen ordinances have not been applicable for the last two thousand…
Judaism: in the Home or in the Synagogue?
How often have you heard people say, “I am a Jew at heart although I do not go to Shul much?” What should the role of a synagogue be in the life of a Jew? Historically, the synagogue only became a permanent institution in Jewish communities after the destruction of…
It’s All About The Mission
A student of mine recently started to become religious and decided to go to Israel and study in a Yeshiva (rabbinic college). When I questioned his motives he told me that since all rabbis and religious people he had ever met were such incredibly good and kind people he was…