Don’t Hog The Blanket!

By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

This Wednesday we will commemorate the Tenth of Tevet.



The day Nebuchadnezar began his occupation of Jerusalem. All the Jews

had lived in the Land of Israel for eight hundred and fifty years. The

Bais HaMikdash in Jerusalem, built by Shlomo HaMelech, was four hundred

and ten years old. Generations of Jews had never considered…

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By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

Sometimes saying ‘Boruch Hashem’ is not so easy.

“If one digs deep into their soul to find blessing and then articulates that blessing in the form of praise to G-d, the Presence of G-d, the

Shechina, will immediately rest on that individual and whatever they

pray for at that moment will be heard. (ARI)

This explains why:

* Before we begin to pray in the…

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Shabbat Chanukah

By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

I was thinking recently about Chanuka, and a new idea occurred to me. Chanuka, the Festival of Lights, occurs at the darkest time of the year—the time when you would least expect it. And this is an important

characteristic of Judaism: that light, and holiness, occur where one

would least expect…

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By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

Lately, I’ve been intrigued by the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, Yaakov and Esav.

The actual struggle between these two brothers became the prototype of the Jewish struggle with myriads of outside forces and enemies that wanted to destroy

us.

But, before Yaakov re-met Esav…

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Dear Friends,



To make your Chanukah more meaningful this year we have worked very hard

translating and annotating the Megillas Antiochus - The Scroll of Antiochus.



This ancient scroll which dates back to the first century B.C.E. is read on

Chanukah in many Yemenite and Italian synagogues. It retells the story of the

heroic Maccabees and brings to life one of the true…

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By Rabbi Yaacov Haber





In our own lives, we sometimes fall asleep on hallowed ground.

Imagine going to sleep and having the most spectacular dream humanly possible. Yaacov dreamt of a ladder standing with its feet planted firmly in the ground extending deep into the heavens. This became the trademark for spirituality. On it walked Angels of G-d. They went up and they went down. The Torah shares with us just a very short part of one of the most spectacular dreams in history.… Continue

By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

“And it is for you my brother to know, that even if a person reaches the highest spiritual level possible in perfecting his soul; even if he is as holy as the prophets and conducts himself with

complete dedication and love to G-d, – even so he does not even begin

to approach the merit of one who helps others. One who guides…

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By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

The Chasidim speak about raising the sparks. During the process of creation holy sparks flew out of their targets and landed in some of the most unlikely places on Earth. One of the main functions of man is

to find these holy sparks, remove them from their unholy environments

and make them shine out in their holiness.

Abraham negotiated with Efron and the…

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The

TorahLab team, headed by Rabbi David Sedley, has done a remarkable job

at adding a significant contribution to Jewish literature and

understanding.

A little about the book and its history.

“There were many great Torah authors and many styles of mussar. Not every author can speak to every soul; there are after all so many different types of souls. The exception to this is Rabbeinu Yonah

Girondi (and specifically his book on teshuvah). His writings…

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By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

Something occurred to me today. Why are we all different? Why do we all have different talents, natural skills and different likings? The answer is because we all have a different contribution to make. It is our unique abilities that define the contribution we need to make.

I must admit that every once in a while I find myself watching someone and wishing I could sing, talk, write, dance, explain or understand as well as they. But then I realize, that if I could… Continue

By Rabbi Yaacov Haber

The rainbow symbolizes peace because it demonstrates how so many can become one. It symbolizes curse because it shows how one can be divided into so many.

Noach and his family emerged from their ark and saw a rainbow.

The rainbow represented a covenant of peace between G-d and His world. The rainbow symbolized that G-d will not destroy the world again and

that there will never be another flood like the one that occurred in

the time of…

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It’s always fun to read a story about yourself. This is a true story as it appears in a new Artscroll book called “Stories For the Jewish Heart” by Rabbi B. Pruzansky.

I thought I would share it.

Sweet Dreams



One special, golden Shabbos lay ahead on the horizon like a bright

little ball of light.…

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