by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Oct 19, 2012 | Lifeline
When Lemech named his new son (at the end of last week’s reading, Gen. 5:29), he called the boy “Noach”, saying “this shall comfort us (yeNaCHameinu) from our work and the difficult labor of our hands.” But the name Noach was prophetic in...
by Mordechai Dixler | Oct 11, 2012 | Lifeline
“If you don’t get the best one available, you might as well not have any.” “You can’t do it. It’s impossible; they’re expecting too much from you.” “Why do you trust them? The whole thing is questionable and...
by Mordechai Dixler | Sep 28, 2012 | Lifeline
There was once a man, whom we will call Andy, who was diagnosed with a rare and severe illness. Unique conditions often call for unconventional treatments, and he was advised to try psycho-physical therapy: he was told to find someone who lives in complete joy with no...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Sep 21, 2012 | Lifeline
Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, gave us a chance to reflect upon the past, and perhaps make some New Year’s resolutions for the future. So why do we celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, ten days later? First and foremost, our Sages teach us that the...
by Mordechai Dixler | Sep 13, 2012 | Lifeline
What has more power to change the present than crying? When someone we love begins to cry – a child, a friend, a spouse – it’s as if the world stops in its place. “What’s happened?” “You’re upset about something.”...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Sep 7, 2012 | Lifeline
With the presidential race now so prominent in the collective American consciousness, the following story is especially apropos. In the Ohr Somayach Yeshiva in Jerusalem, there was an elderly native of the city who prayed with the Yeshiva each morning. On the morning...
