God's commandments to us are designed for getting us in touch with the spiritual world. If so, wouldn't we do better to connect to God by transcending physicality by way of meditation and meaningful thought, and skip all the do's and don'ts that mitzvot entail? Rabbi Kirzner explains how purposeful action makes a definitive difference for bringing God into your life.
Moses prayed with all the power of his enormous heart to be able to enter the land of Israel – yet his request was still denied. Was G-d making light the power of prayer? And was this the reward for faithfully leading the Jewish nation for forty years in the desert? This discussion on prayer addresses: the need to give up all aspects of our lives to G-d, our need to pray from the intellect as well as the heart, and a new perspective on what we gain when we’re able to sincerely speak to G-d.
On this night, we are told: Tell your children all the events of our redemption from Egyptian bondage. The Pesach Seder is the optimum time for embedding our beliefs into their lives. Hear the rock-bottom, essential message that children need to hear - mainly from their parents, and throughout the year as well.
The experience at Mt. Sinai brought about a complete transformation. But it's a little hard to understand because the bulk of the Torah was received in stages later on. Rabbi Kirzner takes a closer look at the nation's splendor at that historic moment, and the extent their spiritual energy has dissipated over the ages. Nonetheless, hear how you can still give your children a taste of that enlightening revelation that shook the world.
The two warring nations of Moab and Midyan seem to have vanished into the dust of the ages. But upon analysis, their ancient attempt to cause us to sin using the forces they each represent, are still surprisingly relevant. Where do we find these two powers as the primary causes for destroying our holy temples, and continue to work against us? And one of them is still internally enmeshed in us, perpetuating the exile it brings until we can break out? A talk for Tisha B'Av from an angle you've never heard before.
Many of the rituals surrounding Tisha B’Av have a way of bringing on the feelings of being victimized. But an even greater unrealistic expectation is to mourn for a Temple we’ve never experienced. Rabbi Kirzner explains what treasures were really lost as the Temple burned down, and the responsibility we can initiate to rebuild it.
Jacob’s dream of angels ascending and descending a heavenly ladder carries even greater ominous overtones then just the length of the four exiles. The 4th angel ascended but never fell back, seemingly to continue climbing – dooming us for eternal exile. How did God’s response that He would push the angel back calm down Jacob, and what does the seeming strangeness of the ascendance of the final angel imply about the internal exile we are mired in today?
Why do seven haftaros of comfort follow the 9th of Av? And why is Hashem asking us to comfort Him? Hear how Hashem’s hashgacha in the world moves us beyoud many puzzling questions, and past the pain of suffering - teaching us how to perceive the world as one, and not as a duality.
A basic misconception Jews have today is attempting to reach God alone - in the midst of a society that appears bereft of moral boundaries. In a most heartfelt manner, Rabbi Kirzner explains how we can polish our confused identity by using the accumulated potential of our illustrious giants. Hear how the life of our matriarch Rachel, in specific, proves our ability to reach this cohesiveness and complete redemption.
What greater dichotomy could there be then mourning on Tisha B'Av for the destruction and at the same time a faint hint of hidden joy? Rabbi Kirzner’s moving portrayal of this dichotomy of the pain, and the deeper meaning of consolation has a potential for deepening our appreciation for any suffering that may come our way.