Terumah 5770 - February 19, 2010
There are times when happiness is in the air, and all you need to do is attune yourself to it and allow it to enter your soul. We’re now in such a time. This past Monday we entered the Jewish month of Adar – the month when we celebrate the holiday of Purim – and our Sages tell us that “when Adar enters, we increase in joy.” As Haman unhappily (for him) discovered, it’s is a time when good things happen to the Jewish people.
This is not just something that was true of the Jewish nation in antiquity; it includes each of us today.
Some tips for opening ourselves up to the happiness in the air (not necessarily in order of importance):
1) Find out more about why this month is so special: A Month of Happiness. 2) Watch as Rabbi Yehoshua B. Gordon presents some time-tested secrets to joyful living: The Joy that Emerges from Sadness. 3) Even more insights on how to be happy: Joy: an Anthology. 4) Enjoy some uplifting chassidic music, break into a dance...
Don’t worry; be happy. It’s your heritage.
Angels proclaim G-d’s greatness; we shout the praises of technological gadgets. Yet G‑d chose our world as His home....
The Ark in the Holy Temple housed the marriage document binding G‑d to His people. But who could be trusted to guard this seminal manuscript?
Perhaps you’ve approached a therapist or a spiritual mentor for help in creating meaning out of a dark time? It’s refreshing to get help from someone who’s not part of the problem . . .
Single-minded people aren't much fun. We wouldn't want to be like them -- well, maybe just a little bit...
The poles used to transport the ark were permanent fixtures. Why think of traveling when wanting to be at rest?
I never really gave much thought to her day-to-day life, how she coped and adapted; this was something removed from my personal life. Then my brother, Boruch Shneur, was born...
Shimon had gone through months of brutal practice in order to compete in the '72 Olympics in Munich, and he had already purchased his plane ticket...
Drawling cowboys, squeaking doors, crazy monologues greet you from the Bresler's answering machine. Don't hang up, you've reached the right number...
A screamer may think he's being "honest," and saving himself from an ulcer by venting, not even realizing how painful it is for others to have to live with an explosive person...
What responsibilities are appropriate for your child's age? Each child is unique. Remember, "educate a child according to his way"
Once upon a time there was a poor man who heard about a faraway land where diamonds were as plentiful as dust -- one need only bend down and fill one's pockets
The room fell utterly silent. All were caught in the thrall of the melody, a melody of yearning and resolve, of ascent and retreat...
Though motivated by an inner love and a sense of concern for the spiritual health of one's fellow, these rebukes often come in the form of a pricking needle
She scrutinized me for a few moments and suddenly her face lit up with the wonder of discovery. Her eyes grew wide and she exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! there are two of you!"
The Third Temple is not a building, but a state of harmony between G-d, humanity, and nature.
The deeper meaning behind the different opinions in the Talmud and commentaries regarding the menorah’s spatial alignment inside the Temple, and regarding the identity of its miraculous “western lamp.”
Why is Adar such a happy month? Because it is so inauspicious for the Jewish nation!
In Torah scholarship, art and secular knowledge, he surpassed all his contemporaries, and his influence upon learning and writing in Italy, Southern France and England was greater than that of any other Jewish figure
We don’t usually think of the kitchen as a holy space. Yet eating, when done mindfully, is a holy act which renders all your cooking utensils divine instruments . . .
How to unmask a blessing in disguise:
Stare it in the face and say, “I know you are not just a lousy day or bad luck. I know you are a good friend—even if for the life of me I cannot determine how. I know there is only one Source of All Things, and nothing can convince me that evil descends from Above. Evil descends fr...
