A friend posted a Whatsapp video explaining the source of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “attack” naming and the deeper meaning behind the name, the source in the Torah, and the timing.
Rabbi Breitowitz – Explains how to find out purpose without the benefit of prophets and how 90% of our purpose has already been shown to us through the Torah.
Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz – Shares some details about antisemitism and how it has morphed into something more telling recently and why this affects our future and the process of redemption. There veracity and direction from which it is coming from gives clues that the Rabbi attempts to interpret.
Rabbi Breitowitz – Explains the ins and outs of kosher certifications specifically in Eretz Yisroel – dispelling many myths in a straightforward, thorough, and helpful way. What level of reliability can you expect on each level of kosher certification and the differences between them. Helpful for making a important kashrut decisions.
Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi – Towards the end of this lecture, Rabbi Mizrachi explains the importance of giving to others for their basic needs (tzedakah) before luxuries for yourself. One source the Rabbi references is that this is expounded upon by the founder of Chabad (the Alter Rebbe).
Rabbi Trugman – Shares how in Pirke Avot (Ethics of Our Fathers) it talks about the importance of having a good heart – that it empasses many good attributes. The current period we are in counting the Omer is also a time where we fix the things we need to before we receive the Torah on Shavuot. The gematria of Lev Tov (good heart) is 49 – the same number we count the Omer.
Charlie Harary – Shares how we can turn our “eye” in a “good eye” when seeing others who get things that we want or pray for. Instead of following our emotions and becoming resentful we should not only pray for the person but to pray to Hashem to give that person double. This dramatic increase is strong opposite of our emotions and helps train us to acquire and “ayin tov” (a good eye) in all our dealings resulting in our own blessings.
Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky – Shares about the consistency between the Moadim (Jewish holidays) and the 10 levels of Jews (of which the Kohen Gadol is the top which relates to Yom Kippur service in the Holy of Holies). This also teaches us that there is kedusha in place, kedusha in time, and kedusha in people.
Rabbi Breitowitz – Shares about the two main reasons we celebrate Lag BaOmer: 1. The plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped. 2. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s “celebrated yartzeit”. There are many different interpretations and versions that the Rabbi suggests during the video. One interested tidbit is the sefira that is said on Lag BaOmer when we count the omer on that day references Aaron HaKohen and his attribute of peace and how this ties into the ending of the plague of Rabbi Akiva’s students.
Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky – Shares about the issur (prohibition) of idol worship of molech and how children were offered up to that idol and how this is relevant today – that we don’t sacrifice one of our children for the good of other children. Parents have obligation to every single child equally. They are all G-d’s children.