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Vayeitzei 5773Volume 9 · Issue 11
Impede No More
The Rambam even cites this as law (Hilchos Teshuvah 7:5), “The Torah already promised that the Jewish People will ultimately repent at the end of their exile and they will be redeemed—immediately.”
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Vayigash 5765Volume 10 · Issue 13
Continuing the Victory
…ruvin 68b, et. al.). They denied the Oral Torah altogether (cf. Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 3:8). But the atheism against which the Torah warns when it says, “Do not stray after your hearts,” is atheism that distorts the words of the…
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Vaeira 5774Volume 10 · Issue 15
Exile of the Mind
The way that God created the world is that the ultimate destiny and desired purpose is distant; it does not exist with us and it is not immediate (cf. Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 8:8). The road is long and the toil great. Obviously, a person must focus all his energy on reaching it.
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Bo 5765Volume 10 · Issue 16
Pathless Desolation
accomplishes revolves around his existence here, he has nowhere from which to extract even the minutest amount of life for the World to Come for its entire essence is to come—it comes after This World (cf. Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 8:8).
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Tetzaveh 5763Volume 10 · Issue 21
Gaining the Upper Hand
The Rambam cites the aforementioned passage of the Talmud as law and states (Hilchos Teshuvah 7:5), “The Torah already promised that the Jewish People will ultimately repent at the end of their exile and they will be redeemed—immediately.” It is a clear promise; it is written in Prophets, explicit in the Talmud, and cited
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Behaaloscha 5774Volume 10 · Issue 34
Personal Redemption
The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 9:1-2) addresses the great question regarding the reward of the World to Come and provides the definitive answer. Let us cite his words verbatim, as they are crucial to understanding the subject at hand.
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Vayigash 5775Volume 11 · Issue 11
Light from Darkness
There is a novel insight in the words of Rabbeinu Yonah. In his Gates of Repentance, he begins the second section by stating that it addresses the various ways that inspire a person to return to God. “The first way is that when a person is beset with tragedies, he will take it to heart
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Shemos 5775Volume 11 · Issue 13
Joining the Exodus
city of the Lord may be even less. All that is awaited is one single house. The sages tell us (Zohar Chadash at the end of Parshas Noach) that if even one congregation, one synagogue, returns with true repentance, this in itself will elevate the city of the Lord from its lowered state to extreme heights, in direct contrasted proportion to the two tears that shake the entire world.
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Beshalach 5775Volume 11 · Issue 15
Exclusive Nature
Our crossing of the Sea changed our name—and made us into different people. Every name change is a change of being. The Rambam writes (Hilchos Teshuvah 2:4) that one of the things that a repentant person must do is change his name, meaning, “I am not the person who did this deed. It was done by someone else whose name is different. Today, I am called
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Ki Seitzei 5774Volume 11 · Issue 2
Awakening to the Self
The Rambam (cf. Hilchos Teshuvah 4:2, 7:7) identifies the task of prophets as consoling, admonishing, and continuing the word of God. Of this latter task, it says in the aforementioned verses, “God your Lord will establish from your midst, from your brethren
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Acharei-Kedoshim 5775Volume 11 · Issue 20
Of Days and Weeks
This is how it always is. To elaborate on such matters is to enter waters without end. But let us always remember the words of Rabbeinu Yonah (Gates of Repentance 2:5): “He who is confident in God must have faith when tragedies hover about him that the darkness will be the cause of the light, as it says (Michah 7:8)…, “When I sit in darkness, God shall
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Emor 5775Volume 11 · Issue 21
Continued Existence
indeed says (Shmuel II 23:1; Avodah Zarah 5a), “The words of the man who was established ahl, on high,” and the sages read it as ohl, yoke, referring to him as the man who established the yoke of repentance. He is the one who transformed all 49 levels of defilement that define Moab, bringing them to the 50 levels of purity.
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Behar 5775Volume 11 · Issue 22
Twofold Aspiration
Come has no eating, no drinking,” nor any pleasure that relates to the body, “But rather, the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads and they bask in the radiance of the Divine Presence.” The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 8:2) explains this as the conceptions that they had attained. These are what grant them the delight, the joy, the goodly flavor.
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Vayeira 5776Volume 11 · Issue 6
Prayer from the Heart
The words must emanate from the heart, as Rabbeinu Yonah (Gates of Repentance 2:26) states of one who confesses before God, “And from his heart, he must emit the words.” This is the definition of heart, which is said of prayer: “Which is the service of the heart—you must say that
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Ki Seitzei 5775Volume 12 · Issue 2
Honest Expression
Every year we are reminded of this anew on the Day of Judgment (cf. Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 3:3). In the realm of the Torah, each year is considered a full cycle of life. And every Rosh Hashanah is like a new beginning. To the new lives that we hope will be given to us, it is forbidden
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Terumah 5776Volume 12 · Issue 22
Forever Young
World leaders who were imbued with Divine spirit instituted for us to renew the events of the Exodus during the weeks of its Torah Reading, as is well known (cf. Beer Heitev and Sha’arei Teshuvah to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 685:2).
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VaYakhel-Shekalim 5776Volume 12 · Issue 26
Communal Currency
The Rambam rules (Hilchos Teshuvah 3:11) that if a person separates from the community—he is not pained by their suffering, he does fast on their fast days, he does not rejoice in their rejoicing, but lives by himself—even
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Tazri'a-HaChodesh 5776Volume 12 · Issue 30
Creators of Destiny
words of the Ramban, “Our eyes and our hearts must be there for all days.” We must always remember that we will have to give account not only after 120 but also every single year (cf. Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 3:3). And so on, for all the festivals. They are where we stride.
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Behaaloscha 5776Volume 12 · Issue 35
Guard from Evil
Cut off means liable for extirpation, precisely as the Talmud states. The slanderer is cut off from both This World and the World to Come, just like those who are liable for extirpation (cf. Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 8:1).
