Author: Shayna Rosenberg

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Vayetzei

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

The Ladder of Life

In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Vayetzei, our forefather Yaakov has a dream. In this dream, G-d shows him a ladder that is on the ground with its top reaching the heavens. Many commentaries explain that G-d used the ladder to convey a message to Yaakov that in addition to following in his father’s footsteps, he needs to continuously grow. The question arises – why is he being given this message now? Shouldn’t this message have been given to him when he was much younger?

Horav Yeruchum Olshin, one of the Roshei Hayeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ, points out that this was a critical time in Yaakov’s life. He was about to enter the world of Lavan, his corrupt uncle, and once there he was about to be challenged in ways that he couldn’t imagine. His morals, values and integrity would be put to the test. He recognized that and prayed that when he would eventually return to his father’s home he would have retained the levels of righteousness he had before he had left. However, G-d was telling him that it wasn’t sufficient to just maintain levels of righteousness; one needs to continuously grow. Yaakov’s task while in Lavan’s house was to overcome whatever challenges he might face and continue his spiritual growth.

What a great lesson for all of us. We must realize that our own education in yeshivos and growth in our synagogue life is not enough. We can’t remain stagnant in our growth. Instead, we need to view our interactions of daily living, no matter what the conditions might be, as opportunities for us to continuously develop, mature and flourish. We must emulate our forefather Yaakov and keep climbing the ladder of life.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Toldos

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

The Torah describes the birth of Yaakov Avinu and Esav and contrasts them right away. Esav is described as ruddy and hairy and his name Esav, means he’s already “made” and finished. In contrast Yaakov’s physical appearance is not mentioned at all. Instead, his behavior of being an “innocent (or wholesome) man always in the study tent” is given as his description. Esav is defined by his external appearance because that is his path in life. He did not see life’s mission as one of constant growth and improvement. He saw the purpose of life to be an ongoing pursuit of desires using his talents and the opportunities for worldly pleasure as they present themselves. This outlook is reflected in his response to the negotiation with Yaakov about the birthright. Esav scoffs at the idea of leadership and responsibility, “I am going to die. What do I need this for?” He is saying that life is short, and he doesn’t have time for that sort of thing. (Remember the bumper sticker – He who dies with most toys wins)

Our great king Dovid was also described as being ruddy. This means that he was also a bold person, capable of bloodshed. The difference between him and Esav is that he spent his life refining his character and struggling with the challenging aspects of his personality. That is a life which is well spent and that is how one achieves greatness.

At the end of the parsha, it is interesting that Esav himself understands that he has missed the potential in his life when he realizes that he won’t receive the blessings of his father. He complains that Yaakov took his firstborn rights. This seems odd since he scoffed at the whole idea earlier in his life. It is obvious that when Esav stood at this major crossroad in his life where his destiny and that of his progeny were  being determined, he was able to comprehend that growth and responsibility are the true purpose of life and that he had missed the mark.

This stark contrast between a life of growth and self-improvement vs. self-indulgence and regression is important to understand early in life. It enables us to set a course that will give us a life of meaning, fulfillment and goodness.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Chayei Sara

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

Spare No Effort

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah describes Avrohom Avinu’s trusted servant Eliezer’s quest to find a suitable wife for Avrohom’s successor, Yitzchak Avinu. He goes to Aram Naharayyim and meets Rivkah at the well. He runs toward her after he sees her filling her jug and asks her for water. She responds by offering him water and also to water his camels. Rashi, quoting the Midrash, explains that Eliezer ran toward her because he was excited to see that the water rose toward her and she filled her jug with a minimum of effort. This fact is derived from the difference in the language describing her filling her personal jug, where it says ותמלא- she filled, in contrast to her watering the camels, which is described as ותשאב- she drew, implying that she had to lower her pail to the water.

The question is that if Rivkah was so righteous that the water rose to spare her extra effort when she came to the well, why didn’t it rise as she rushed to fill the trough with hundreds of gallons of water for the 10 camels?

Rabbi Levy Yitzchok of Berditchev (18th Century Chassidic master) explains that the righteous are granted favors in this world when pursuing their needs in this world. However, when they are doing Hashem’s work, they prefer that they exert the maximum effort to accomplish these tasks. This is supported by the Mishna in Avos – לפום צערא אגרא- The payment is commensurate with the difficulty.

Therefore, it would not have been a favor for Rivka to make the water rise while she did the chesed of watering Eliezer’s camels.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Vayera

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

Staying Focused

In this week’s parsha, after Avrahom completes the ten challenges, he becomes known as Avrahom Avinu, Avrahom, our forefather. The climax of the challenges appears to be the Akeidas Yitzchak when Avrahom faces the ultimate test to sacrifice his only son. However, Rabbeinu Yonah, one of the early Rishonim, disagrees with this thought and states that the tenth test, finding a burial place for Sarah, was the definitive test. Although, Avrahom was promised the land of Canaan, at the time of his wife’s death, he did not have control over it yet. Therefore, he could not find a place to bury Sarah there. In Rabbeinu Yonah’s opinion, Avrahom’s belief and trust in Hashem that he would find the appropriate burial for his wife was the ultimate challenge.

Many commentaries are perplexed by Rabbeinu Yonah’s outlook. How is it possible that any test would be greater than willing to give up one’s only son that Hashem promised would be the future of the Jewish people? Avrahom’s mission in life, to spread Judaism to future generations, was about to be lost if he sacrificed Yitzchak. Could any test be greater than that?

Rabbeinu Yonah’s idea teaches us an important lesson for our daily lives. I think all would agree that there is no comparison between the two challenges, Akeidas Yitzchak and finding Sarah a burial spot. There are times in our lives that we can muster up the strength to pass a really big test. However, the key to consistency for one that serves Hashem is to be able to pass the small test that follows the big one for all of them are important.

This idea is illustrated often in professional sports. Many times there is a mediocre team that rises to the challenge and beats a better team.  The very next week that mediocre team loses to a much weaker one.  In life, many times people tend to lose focus on the smaller issues. They rise to the occasion for the big challenge but fall short on the smaller one.                                     

Avrahom was able to become our forefather with his unwavering dedication to Hashem. He met each challenge, big or small, with steadfast faith in Hashem. Our job is to transmit this message to our children.  Value every challenge, big or small, for they are all opportunities to grow in our service of Hashem.

2021 Mayefsky Memorial Parenting Lecture

The community is invited to join the ATT for the 35th Annual Rabbi Isaac Mayefsky Memorial Parenting Lecture on Motzoei Shabbos, December 11, 2021 at 8:00PM at the Associated Talmud Torahs, (ICJA Entrance – 8233 Central Park Avenue) in Skokie. The theme of this year’s lecture will be “Raising Resilient Children in a Confusing World” and will be presented by Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, captivating speaker and renowned educator.  Rabbi Rietti will address how to enhance relationships with children and how to build a child’s resilience in our ever-changing world. He will explore the Torah’s timeless and successful parenting prescription. The program will provide parents with skills that can be applied to children of all ages. Admission is free.

To see the brochure, click here.

For more information, contact the Associated Talmud Torahs at 773-973-2828.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Lech Lecha

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

In this week’s parsha, Hashem appears to Avrohom Avinu and tells him to leave his birthplace to go to “the land I shall show you.” Hashem promises him great things, he will father a great nation, be famous and blessed, etc. The Ramban (Nachmonides) is bothered that we don’t get a better introduction to Avrohom. Usually, the Torah tells us more about a great personality and why he/she was beloved by Hashem. In the case of Avrohom, the Torah tells us that he was told to leave his ancestral land for a bright future in Eretz Yisroel without any explanation as to why he was chosen to be Hashem’s messenger to mankind. The Ramban suggests that since Avrohom’s greatness early in his life was his rejection of the idolatry in his birthplace, the Torah doesn’t want to discuss all of the decadence and depravity of that culture. The Torah just focuses on Avrohom’s loyalty and obedience to Hashem.

The Sfas Emes (Rabbi Yehuda Leib Alter, third Rebbe of Gur 1847-1905) gives a very novel answer to this question. He quotes the Zohar that the call of “Lech Lecha – go forth for yourself” was a challenge to all of mankind in every time. It is Hashem’s call to all of us to go and accomplish our mission in life. Avrohom Avinu was the only one in his time who heeded this call, and therefore, it became his personal charge. There is no introduction to Avrohom’s character and history since this is the essence of who he was. He was the one who listened and thought for himself and that is what endeared him to Hashem, earning the title of “Avrohom, My Beloved.”


As children and spiritual heirs to our great ancestor, we need to do as he did. We must go forth and do great things especially in making the world more hospitable to G-dliness. This is our destiny as a people and our duty as children of Avrohom. We declare Hashem’s sovereignty by conducting ourselves by the values and morality of the Torah. We work hard raising our children to perpetuate these ideals for the future of mankind.


When we do this, we can invoke the merit of our Avos, our Patriarchs, who centered their lives on this mission. May we heed the call and succeed in adding to the spirituality and goodness of this world in our lifetime.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Noach

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

In this week’s Parsha, it states that Noach was a Tzaddik (a righteous person) in his generation. The question that naturally arises is why is in his generation included in that statement. Rashi explains that the phrase implies that Noach was only a righteous man in comparison to the rest of his generation. If he had lived during another generation, such as Avrohom’s, he would not have been considered a Tzaddik. In fact, Rashi in his explanation uses a harsh description when comparing his stature to those of Avrohom’s generation. He states that Noach would be Lo Nechshav Lklum which means he would not be worthy of recognition. However, his clarification presents another issue. How can a person who is considered a Tzaddik in one generation possess such a low stature in another?  

A timeless lesson about the standards we set for ourselves and our children can be learned from Rashi’s explanation. Many times, a person tends to adapt to his/her environment’s standards, and more often than not, ends up settling for much less than what he/she is capable of doing and becoming. Instead, the individual becomes content with being a Tzaddik in an environment that is not very righteous and has a value system that places minimal demands. 

Perhaps this is the meaning of Rashi’s interpretation. Noach did not strive to fully reach his potential. He was content with just being better than everyone around him. However, the Torah demands more from us. It teaches us to continuously search for new ways to improve our character and to become better role models for our children. 

We have just finished celebrating the Yomim Tovim cycle of the Yomim Noraim (Days of Awe) and Sukkos. Let us take the inspiration from these special days to not be content to just be “good in our generation” but rather constantly strive to be the best individuals we can be and raise the bar of what we can accomplish. If we take that approach, most likely we will have an impact on many generations to come.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Vayeilech – Shabbos Shuva

Written by: Rabbi Avrohom S. Moller

This Shabbos we read the haftora of  שובה ישראל where the navi, Hosheah, tells us to return to Hashem as we have stumbled on our sins. The second passuk says, “Take things with you and return to Hashem, say to Him, You have borne all of our sins and even allowed the repentance words to obviate the need for atonement sacrifices.” The cryptic words of this second passuk need clarification. What “things” should we be taking? Why does the navi tell us to return to Hashem a second time? Why do we have confidence that He has forgiven all of our sins? Why don’t we need atonement sacrifices any longer?

The Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibish Wisser, great Tanach commentator and Rabbinic leader, 1809-1879) interprets this second passuk as a description of the repentance continuum.  A very basic level of teshuva, repentance, happens when a person repents out of fear of Hashem’s might and His anger at our misdeeds. This teshuva is done because the person believes that Hashem can punish him, and he is repenting as an act of self-preservation. This is called yiras ha’onesh, fear of punishment, and it is accepted by Hashem. If a person sincerely regrets his misdeeds because he is afraid of the repercussions, the severity of his misdeeds will be downgraded to minimize his punishment. However, there is a much greater level of repentance. This is done when a person leaves his erroneous ways and comes closer to Hashem. At this point, he contemplates the terrible error of his ways because he has achieved a greater appreciation of Hashem’s greatness and kindness and he feels bad about disappointing Hashem whose closeness he seeks. This is called teshuva me’ahava, repentance out of love. The effect of this form of repentance is that it converts the misdeeds into merits (Yoma 86).

The first verse of the haftora exhorts us to return to Hashem since we have “stumbled on our sins.” This implies that our sins have begun to impact us, and we are repenting out of fear of further pain and suffering. The second verse tells us to improve the quality of our teshuva by doing positive deeds which will help us come closer to Hashem. This will lead to a higher and second type of teshuva, one based on love and awe of Hashem. We can then be confident that our sins will convert to merits and that we will no longer require atonement sacrifices since all that we have done is considered meritorious.

We are in the aseres ymei teshuvah, the ten days of repentance, a time most auspicious for repairing our relationship with Hashem through repentance, reflection, and the betterment of our ways. We add merits to create a closeness that will bring us to the next level. If we succeed, Hashem will consider the entire journey to be one of merit. May we all be inspired to achieve this level of closeness during these days of mercy and forgiveness!

Gmar Chasima Tova!

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Nitzavim

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

The Sounds of the Shofar

As we approach Rosh Hashana, a beautiful teaching comes to mind. In the Sefer Sifsei Chaim written by Horav Chaim Friedlander, ZT”L, he poses the following question. Why are there three different sounds to the shofar?  There is a tekiah (long blast), a shevarim (a series of small blasts) and a treuah (choppy blast). Is there any significance to the different sounds?

He explains that the shofar blowing and the order of its sounds parallels the process of teshuvah (repentance). Each set of shofar blowing begins with a tekiah. This long blast represents our current status, a level representing our complacency. However, no one is perfect. Everyone has an area in one’s life which needs improvement. Therefore, the middle sound changes to a shevarim or a treuah, the broken and choppy blasts, or both, representing our need to scrutinize our behavior, the awareness that a change in one’s behavior needs to be done. The final blast of the set is another tekiah. This long blast represents our resolve to change course and focus on a new direction for the coming year.

As we listen to the shofar this year, let us keep this message in mind. If all of us look into ourselves and accept just one area of our lives to improve, we will have understood the message of the shofar, a call to change and constantly grow in life.

A Taste of Torah – Parshas Ki Seitzei

Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman

In this week’s Torah portion Rashi teaches us about the concept of the mitzvah Gorreres which means that when one does one mitzvah it draws one to do another one afterwards.  One who performs the mitzvah of Shiluach Hakan will have opportunities that follow it such as building a fence in a new home, even though these two mitzvos are not similar at all.

The question one needs to ask is how does this work.  Just because one performs a good deed, how does a totally unrelated mitzvah follow that one?  The answer is quite simple. There is a concept in sports when one is in the zone, a reference to when one player is focused on the game and performing at a high level. That is the same idea here.

When one is in the mode of performing mitzvos and seizing opportunities to serve Hashem, that person, shall we say, is in the mitzvah zone focused on getting closer to Hashem.  No matter what the opportunity is, he/she grabs it and moves forward in his/her observance of mitzvos.  Literally one mitzvah leads to another when one is in that frame of mind.

This time of year is a time to refocus and dedicate ourselves to growing in our mitzvah observance. Let us focus and rededicate ourselves to value all of the opportunities that come our way and to literally be in the mitzvah zone for the coming year.