Parshas Shelach 5784
Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW STAM TORAH PARSHAS SHELACH 5774 “UPROOTING THE ROOTS” A businessman found himself in some serious financial trouble. His business was in the red and his investments were failing miserably. He was in tremendous debt and saw no way out of his misery. In desperation he sought the council of […]
Parshas Behaloscha 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Beha’aloscha 15 Sivan 5784/ June 21, 2024 Pirkei Avos – Perek 2 NO KETCHUP People take their food very seriously. We are blessed to live in a society of plenty and we expect our plenty to tantalize our taste buds exactly how we like it. […]
Shavuos 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shavuos 5 Sivan 5784/ June 11, 2024 49th day of the Omer NAMING STARS As I get older it seems to only be getting worse. I’m really bad at recognizing names and faces. In this regard my wife and I are opposites. She doesn’t forget a face, […]
Parshas Bamidbar 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Bamidbar Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5784/ June 7, 2024 – 45th day of the Omer Pirkei Avos – Perek 6 FACE THE MUSIC Shortly after I became engaged to my future wife, I attended a b’ris in Lakewood. Being that it wasn’t far from my kallah’s […]
Parshas Bechukosai 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Bechuksai – Shabbos Chazak 23 Iyar 5784/ May 31, 2024 – 38th day of the Omer Pirkei Avos – Perek 5 – Mevorchim Chodesh Sivan FOREVER HOME Last winter while visiting Yerushalayim, I had the opportunity to tour the Old City with Daniel Luria, Executive […]
Parshas Behar 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Behar 16 Iyar 5784/ May 24, 2024 – 31st day of the Omer Pirkei Avos – Perek 4 MEASURED HURRIEDNESS A few weeks ago, I was speaking to Shlomo Pomerantz, a devoted firefighter and friend (and fellow talmid of Rabbi Berel Wein). We […]
Parshas Emor 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Emor 9 Iyar 5784/ May 17, 2024 – 19th day of the Omer Pirkei Avos – Perek 3 BECAUSE YOU CAN Sometime during the winter of 2018, I was perusing new titles in one of the local Monsey seforim stores, and noticed a new English […]
Parshas Kedoshim 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Kedoshim 2 Iyar 5784/ May 10, 2024 – 17th day of the Omer Pirkei Avos – Perek 2 EVERY DROP It’s a classic and beloved story. A forty-year-old shepherd viewed himself as a complete failure. Completely ignorant of Torah knowledge, Akiva didn’t even know how […]
Parshas Achrei Mos 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Achrei Mos – Mevorchim Chodesh Iyar 25 Nissan 5784May 3, 2024 – 10th day of the Omer Pirkei Avos – Perek 1 JOY OF JOYOUSNESS On the afternoon of the seventh day of Pesach I realized that in Eretz Yisroel Pesach was over and […]
Parshas Metzora 5784
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Metzora/Shabbos HaGadol 11 Nissan 5784/ April 19, 2024 THE PROCESS (With the exception of my brief introduction, the ideas in this essay were adapted from a lecture about the Haggadah by Rabbi David Lapin.) My first position in chinuch was as the Social […]