We often think of raising children in terms of disciplining them and reining them in. But what about teaching them to be a little bit wild once in a while? Is there a place for that as well?
A profound lesson in education is taught to us at the very beginning of human history as the deeper meaning behind the fact that both Kayin and Shais had descendants named Chanoch.
(Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 35 pp. 7-14.)
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A piece of essential advice for Jewish parents is hidden in the first Rashi of the Torah portion of Noach. We need to tell our children stories, especially stories of the righteous men and women throughout our history.
Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 9 pp. xiv-xv.
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1. How do you become popular without selling out? How do you appeal to the masses without diluting your message? We learn a powerful lesson in reaching out to others while remaining authentic to ourselves from the transformation of Avram the genius into Avraham the man of the people. (Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 25, p. 68.)
2. How do we deal with those people with whom we vehemently disagree? Avraham tells Lot, "Please part from me; if [you go] left, I will go right, and if [you go] right, I will go left." This sounds like a separation, yet Rashi says it means, "Wherever you dwell, I will not distance myself from you, and I will stand by you as a protector and a helper." How are we to understand this? And what lesson does it teach us about finding common ground? (Based on Sefer HaSichos 5750, pp. 96-109.)
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Undoubtedly, one of the most dramatic events in all of the Bible is the Akeida (binding of Yitzchak as a sacrifice.) Yet after this climactic event, this week's portion continues with five more verses of a seemingly technical nature. What is the reason for this seemingly anticlimactic conclusion?
Based on Toras Menachem 5749 Vol 1, pp. 348-349.
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Rashi tells us of the years of the life of Sarah: "They were all equally good." Knowing what we know about all of the ups and downs of Sarah's life, is it really possible to say that all of her years were equally good? The answer comes from a deeper consideration of what it really means to lead "a good life."
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 35, pp. 92-93.
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Rashi says that Yitzchak became blind from the smoke of the idolatrous incense of Eisav's wives. Why did the smoke not blind anyone else? We can begin to understand this by way of three stories: R' Nochum Chernobyler didn't see a non-kosher food item, the Lubavitcher Rebbe didn't see Bob Dylan, and a teenage boy didn't see an inappropriate billboard.
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 5, pp. 139-140.
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The Torah tell us that Rachel was beautiful but that Leah had "bleary eyes"? On a deeper level, this describes two personality types—the conventional spiritual beauty of the perfect tzadik and the unconventional spiritual beauty of the struggling penitent. It is the latter who has a special power to take on the spiritual darkness of this world and refine it. One such story is about a young man who wanted more than anything to remain in yeshiva but his Rebbe sent him to drive a tractor.
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 35, pp. 152-154.
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Following their dramatic showdown, Yaakov tells Eisav that he will meet him at Mt. Seir, but never shows up there. Based on this story, the Gemara says that if a non-Jew asks a Jew where he is going the Jew should name a point beyond his immediate destination lest the non-Jew lie in wait for him at his true destination and ambush him. Being that the commentaries on the Talmud ruled long ago that this concern no longer applies, the Rebbe asks what relevance this teaching has for us today.
Rabbi Shais Taub explains by way of a story that took place in 1991 when Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch’s Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky arranged for the European Regional Kinus HaShluchim to take place in the then USSR.
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 20, p. 164.
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"And [Yosef] asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in prison... 'Why are your faces sad today?'" (B'reishis 40:7.) How did this seemingly small act of asking two fellow prisoners how they were feeling lead to a massive ripple effect? What does this teach us about the enormous power of "small" acts of kindness? How is this lesson connected to 19 Kislev and Chanukah?
Based on Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz, Shabbos Chanukah 5734, Sichos Kodesh 5734 vol. 1, p. 204-213.
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Why did Yosef have the same dream twice? And how is this different than Pharaoh who also had the same dream twice? The answer lies in understanding how each of us simultaneously lives in two realities--the spiritual and the material. This is also connected to the time-honored custom of giving "gelt" (gifts of money) to children on Chanukah.
Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 3, pp. 805-810.
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"And to his father [Yosef] sent... from the best of Egypt." Says Rashi: "This is old wine."
Why did Yosef specifically send his father old wine after twenty-two years of no contact?
We know you can be nostalgic for the past but can you be nostalgic for the future as well? Find out how there are souvenirs that remind us of where we have been and souvenirs that remind us of where we want to go.
Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 10, pp. 158-9.
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Before his passing, Yaakov asks his son, Yosef, to bury him in Chevron although he did not do the same for Yosef's mother, Rachel. Yaakov then proceeds to explain his reasons to Yosef, as Rashi says, "I know that your heart is troubled with me about that."
But why was Yosef troubled? Did he doubt his father until he heard an explanation?
To understand this we need to first appreciate why Jews ask so many questions. Why can't we just accept things without questioning?
Based on Hisva'aduyos 5746 vol. 2, pp. 312-313.
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