"They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it." -Confucius

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Rebuking without Anger

Mesilath Yesharim, Ch. 11
"Even for the sake of fulfilling a mitzvah (commandment), our Sages of blessed memory have cautioned us not to get angry; even a rabbi with his student or a father with his son. Of course this does not mean that they should not rebuke them. Let them rebuke them, time and time again, but without anger, in order to guide them along the right path, and any anger they express should be only facial rather than [true] anger of the heart."

Monday, August 1, 2016

Who is a "Talmid Chacham" (Torah scholar)?

Mishnah Berurah 575:3

Only if one can ask him a halachic (legal) question in his area of study, and he can answer, then he is considered a talmid chacham.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Chiel built Yericho, sons died

מלכים א' ט"ז ל"ד

רש"י שם

 תלמוד ירושלמי מסכת סנהדרין פ"י ה"ב ופני משה שם

Omri's daugher married Yehoshaphat or Yehoram?

מלכים א' טו:כב -- I Kings 16:22

Rashi, ad loc

Seder Olam Rabah, Ch. 17 -- סדר עולם רבה פי"ז

Comments of Vilna Gaon, ad loc -- באור והגהות הגר"א שם

Meir Ayin, ad loc מאיר עין שם

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Love without reproof?


(שני לוחות הברית, פר' וירא)

"Any love that does not have reproof with it is not love."

Monday, October 26, 2015

When in Rome...?

בראשית רבה סי' מ"ח סט"ז
Midrash B'Reshis Rabah 48:16: "When you come to a city, behave according to the local etiquette. [From where do we learn this?] Since there is no eating and drinking in heaven, when Moshe went up to heaven [to retrieve the Torah], he did not eat, as it says... 'I did not eat bread nor did I drink water' (Deut. 9:9). But below (on earth), where there is eating and drinking, [it says,] 'And [Avraham] stood over [the angels] under the tree and they ate.'