Parshas Balak
10 maamarim of the tzaddikim on this week's reading, each in Hebrew and English with a takeaway.
Lehavas David
Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz ›Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzThe Tzaddik's Prayer That Conquered the EmoriNot every generation stands where the generation of the Exodus stood, but in every generation there are tzaddikim whose prayer rises beyond this world and draws blessing down for…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzFire of the Avos: A People That Dwells AloneIt is easy to feel reassured because we are not as bad as others, or to borrow our energy from the zeal of people chasing wrong things. Our good should be good in its own right…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzThe King's Revenge: Drawing Back Through KindnessWhen we stumble, Hashem's chosen “punishment” is to draw us closer, showering us with good until we feel how kind the King is and return to Him ashamed and moved. Each of us…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzPrayer for Heaven's Honor: Silencing the AccusersThere are times when our prayers seem unable to get through, because our failings give the accusers something to say. The remedy is to turn our prayer toward Hashem's honor: to…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzAwaiting Salvation: Preparing to Greet MoshiachAwaiting Moshiach means doing what we can, each at our own level, to bring him closer, not guessing who he will be. The great tzaddikim prepared all their lives and still feared…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzTents Like Streams: The Holiness of the Beis MidrashOur synagogues and study halls are only tents, temporary homes until the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt, and those who fill them are often on the modest level of Yaakov. Yet when we…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzMah Tovu: The Simple Jew's Tent Becomes a MishkanMany of us feel that our prayers and mitzvos are only a flimsy tent, done in haste and without the kavanah they deserve. The first words we say each morning answer that feeling…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzFrom Tent to Mishkan: The Instant Power of TeshuvahNo one should think that his small beginning in teshuvah, Torah or prayer counts for little because he still stands on the level of Yaakov. Teshuvah is as quick as turning around…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzStreams and Spices: The Beis Midrash That ElevatesA beis midrash is meant to lift a person from impurity to purity like a stream, and at its best, like spices, to let one person's holiness perfume everyone around him. But the…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzIn the Eyes of Hashem: Blessing Through Guarded EyesHashem's fullest blessing comes “in the eyes of Hashem,” and He gives it measure for measure to those who guard their own eyes. Like Noach, we can take the pull that draws others…