by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jan 14, 2021 | Lifeline
Rabbi Meilech Biederman, a well-known teacher in Jerusalem, shared an incredible message this week, one that is worth sharing almost verbatim. Hashem told Moshe to arise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, because that is when he goes out to the water [see...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Dec 18, 2020 | Lifeline
The existence of the Haftarah, at least according to many sources, dates to the time of Chanukah. The Greeks prohibited observing the Sabbath and reading the Torah, and thus rabbis read related portions of the Prophets or Writings instead. These became the Haftarah...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Nov 27, 2020 | Lifeline
Yaakov (Jacob) leaves home, journeying towards Haran, where he knows his uncle lives, hoping both to find safety from his brother, and to marry a daughter from his uncle’s family. At the end of his first day travelling, the verse says that “he came to the...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Sep 17, 2020 | Lifeline
The verse says in Psalms [89:16], “Happy is the nation that knows the Teruah, the sound of the Shofar.” Rav Tzvi E. Hertzberg zt”l asks, “why is it such a great thing to know the sound of a Shofar — and how does blowing a Shofar make G-d less...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Sep 10, 2020 | Lifeline
An elderly man checked in to a small, quaint hotel, only to learn at the front desk that the single elevator was out of order. He asked a bellhop to bring his bags up to his room, implying that the tip would be worth the effort. It was ten minutes later before the...
