SUCCOS 5778
STAM TORAH SUCCOS 5778 “HOME AWAY FROM HOME” Once upon a time, the world existed without Waze and GPS systems. People had to rely on finding out driving directions before they left on their destination. If they didn’t they risked getting lost. In that archaic world (from not-too-long-ago), the first part of the […]
SHABBOS SHUVA/YOM KIPPUR 5778
L’zecher nishmas Alexander ben Nuteh Yitzchok STAM TORAH SHABBOS SHUVA/YOM KIPPUR 5778 “TEAR DOWN THIS WALL” The great gaon, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef zt’l, was renown in Lithuanian Vilna as an erudite scholar, versed in all areas of Torah. He held many Rabbinic posts, his most prestigious being the head of the Beis Din […]
ROSH HASHANAH 5778
STAM TORAH ROSH HASHANAH 5778 “ALONE WITH YOURSELF” Dr. David Pelcovits related the following story: “A number of years ago, a man who is a respected and well-known personality in the yeshiva world, approached me to seek my guidance in dealing with his son. His son was involved in terrible things and the situation […]
PARSHIOS NETZOVIM-VAYELECH 5777
STAM TORAH PARSHIOS NETZOVIM-VAYELECH 5777 “PERFECTLY CANDID” The Stranger Author unknown “A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted […]
PARSHAS KI SAVO 5777
STAM TORAH PARSHAS KI SAVO 5777 “HEROIC PRESERVATION” Rav Chaim Shmulevitz zt’l related that he once asked a survivor how he endured five years in a forced labor camp, and remained a believer? How could he have emerged with the same love for Hashem? The man replied, “We couldn’t keep one mitzvah in the camp. […]
PARSHAS KI SEITZI 5777
STAM TORAH PARSHAS KI SEITZI 5777 “PERSONALLY UNIQUE” Phil and Mike were part of a team of construction workers building a skyscraper in the middle of the city. When it was time for their lunch break they sat down together with their feet dangling twelve stories from the ground. Phil opened his lunch box and […]
PARSHAS SHOFTIM 5777
STAM TORAH PARSHAS SHOFTIM 5777 “EMOTIONAL BRIBERY” Melburn McBroom was a domineering boss, with a temper that intimidated those who worked with him. It may not have been so terrible if McBroom worked in a factory or in an office. But McBroom was an airline pilot. One day in 1978 McBroom’s plane was approaching […]
PARSHAS RE’EH 5777
STAM TORAH PARSHAS RE’EH 5777 “PRICELESS LAND” A Texas rancher was visiting a farm in Israel. The proud Israeli farmer was showing the Texan around. “Here is where I grow my tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash. Over there I built a clubhouse for my children, next to the shed I built, on the side of the […]
PARSHAS EIKEV 5777
STAM TORAH PARSHAS EIKEV 5777 “BEFORE AND AFTER” In the introduction to his sefer V’ha’arev Na[1], Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein shlita relates the following story about his father-in-law, the eminent Torah sage Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv shlita: In Iyar 5768 (1998) Rabbi Elyashiv, had to be hospitalized[2]. Despite his hospitalization, he was determined to maintain his […]
PARSHAS VAESCHANAN/SHABBOS NACHAMU 5777
STAM TORAH PARSHAS VAESCHANAN/SHABBOS NACHAMU 5777 “WHOLEHEARTEDLY” During a lecture given on Tisha B’av a number of years ago, Harav Matisyahu Salomon shlita, the Lakewood Mashgiach, related the following personal story: “When I was a young man I was a student in the Gateshead Yeshiva. The yeshiva had a hundred and twenty-five students; not large […]