How do we react when we witness an accident, or see people we know distantly in need? All to often we fall into the rubbernecking syndrome – we stop, stare, and then go merrily on our way. We need to push ourselves to help, and of course, to pray. After all, everyone is a human being, just like us. Avraham teaches an age-old lesson about caring for others in his example of praying for Sodom that we would do well to learn from.
Have you ever withheld giving thanks to someone because you didn't want to feel beholden to them? Often, people will cover their discomfort by giving thanks to God instead. The backwards logic of this tendency reveals an interesting insight into our attitude about relationships.
We know that Reuven attempted to save Yosef from death at the hands of his brothers. So why if he tried to save him was he included in the punishment they all received for selling him? A powerful class on how responsibility sharpens your moral sensitivity, and the need to completely finish every mitzvah you do.
Yosef's brothers were speechless and mortified when he revealed himself to them. How could they have missed so many telling signs? Rav Noah makes a powerful point on just how easily we constantly deceive ourselves by ignoring messages sent to us in so many obvious ways.
Everything in Torah has a reason. However, appreciate that when you get that feeling of an idea being far-fetched or inapplicable, know the chances are high that you're headed in the wrong direction. Rav Noah explains about not getting carried away with theory without also anchoring it to the goof.
To be 'Constantly Aware' sounds like a lot of hard work, but Judaism sees it as how to find out what makes you tick in order to enjoy your life to the fullest. This first 48 Ways to Wisdom explains the five ways to fully appreciate all the good, all the wisdom and all the pleasure that permeates the world around you. Rav Noah Weinberg presents a down to earth Jewish formula for unlocking your potential - with loads of wit and wisdom. Many hear to A-WAY-A-DAY as they count the Omer.
A primary way to acquire wisdom is to seek the company of those who have it! Just as an "apprentice" learns through interaction and experience, so too we acquire wisdom from a wise man. You can read all about wisdom, but until its value is clear, we probably won't make the effort to find a wise person from whom to learn.
This class of Way #10 is on the previous tape or CD.
Rather than viewing the mitzvos as something that we should just
be very well-versed in, we have to take the steps to do them well and make
sure that we're serious about getting it right. Hear this great series about
living and enjoying Torah.
As human beings, we live our lives according to the logic implanted in our brains. The only problem is that we allow our mental acuity to rationalize, veering us off course. Rav Noah posits that if a simple animal would tell us the truth as he saw it, we would be mortified. Can we learn to trust in Hashem's obvious, overwhelming love for us?
The word Elul is an acronym for 'I am for my beloved, and my beloved is for me.'Instead of using the word repentance to describe the word teshuvah, a better translation is the term 'to return.' The period before Rosh HaShanah is the most fitting time to evoke a deeper love for our Creator, in a way that allows the force of that warmth to permeate under our skin.Â