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Author:Chabad Intown

Nov 01 2017

The Isaac Well Factor

Discipline, being calculated, stringency are all qualities that we employ in our lives for our personal well-being, as well as those under our purview. Imagine a world where that wasn't the case. We'd eat whatever we want, we'd say whatever is on our mind, we'd all be nomads living unproductive lives.   Conversely, if discipline and calculation rules the day, where is the joy, where is joie de vivre? Is that gloomy world the one that G-d wants?   In fact we need a balance between the two. But which one ought to dominate?   These...

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Oct 24 2017

All Alone?!

Do you ever feel all alone? Like no one gets you and your trying to move something along that is meeting human obstacle after obstacle. Or like the entire world has gone mad and you're the only sane one? (If you answered yes to the last question, I know a good therapist.)   Last week I attended a session at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta called a Fishbowl. Inside the Fishbowl were three entrepreneurs. And we were watching the conversation taking place between these entrepreneurs and the interviewee. One of...

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Oct 19 2017

Living in Anticipation

Some people live from anticipation to anticipation. As soon as one anticipated event or milestone is reached the next one is on the horizon. It may be 1 month or 6 months away, but the anticipation of that next destination keeps the person going.   Being fully present is difficult, living in the present is a challenge. Yes, Chabad philosophy in particular emphasizes the need to be present in everything we do. It is a value par excellence.   The first Chabad Rebbe taught us this value in the context of these Torah portions....

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Oct 04 2017

Time to Hug!

It's been a rough week for all of us, it's time for a hug!   The Sukkah walls will hug us beginning this evening and for the next 8 days. It's the Divine embrace that each of us will draw from for the rest of the year. An embrace that provides each of us with the resources we need to live a more G-dly and goodly life this year!   The joy of Sukkos is fully realized on account of the 4 Kinds (Lulav, Ethrog, Hadasim and Aravos). The analogy of each of the...

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Sep 13 2017

Standing With the Water Carriers

This past week we experienced a calling to open our homes, our lives to share with others. People were in need and we were there to respond. Not everyone gets their name in the paper for their acts of kindness, but they are kind nonetheless.   Why is it that people open their homes to complete strangers in a time of need? Perhaps the urgency pressures us to access parts of ourselves that remain concealed in peaceful times.   In fact this idea is reflected in the opening of this week's Torah portion, which...

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Sep 06 2017

It’s All In The Smile

The Mishna states "receive everyone with a pleasant face". We are being taught in this Mishna the importance of having proper social interactions. You may be in a bad mood but you can always smile to another. Your bad mood is not their problem!   Why is the smile so important? I recently read an essay from the Rebbe with a nuanced comment that addresses this question - perhaps.   There is a parable given by the Alter Rebbe regarding the month of Elul. In the parable the Rebbe says that throughout the year...

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Aug 30 2017

Shiny Penny Syndrome

The nature of the human is that the things we can't have, things that are inaccessible, difficult to achieve or expensive are the those we want most.   When things are easily accessible or common we often times disregard their value.   ***   During the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the Holy Baal Shem Tov says that G-d is accessible to each and every one. He uses an analogy of a king who comes out of the palace and goes out to the field where the common man is and he smiles to them...

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Aug 25 2017

A Dream Come True

After many years of dreaming of taking my family to the beautiful natural sites of the west, the dream came true!   Dena and I just got back from a 15 day road trip with all of the kids. The magnificence, beauty and wondrousness of each of the stops would have justified the trip unto itself. Combined together it becomes a thing that fantasy and fairy tales are made of.   Among the many fascinating sites (Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, The Grand Canyon to name a few) we also had wonderful experiences in the...

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Aug 17 2017

Charlottesville, Tinshames and the Eclipse

Hearing the news and seeing the rally marches from Charlottesville, was appalling and frightening. Could it be in the USA in 2017, these words, these actions?!   It's easy to get caught up in one's political leanings, to blame this party or the other. To blame one individual or the other. I'll leave that to those that actually get paid to have an opinion on that.   For me as a Rabbi and a Chabad Chasid, I attempt to look to the deeper dimension and ask myself what can I learn from this?   I found...

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Aug 09 2017

A Bit of Moses

As Yom Kippur draws to an end, I find myself changing gears from being a spiritual leader to a coach as the players enter the final inning or the last round. People are tired, it's been a couple of weeks of preparation for the High Holidays and then two days of Rosh Hashanah, a long evening of Kol Nidrai and now after a full day of fasting, everybody (me included) is wiped out.   So, as we enter Neilah, the finally prayer of the season, I find myself serving as coach. Instead of...

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