Weekly Email by Rabbi Moss

What is the Secret of Keeping Faith?

Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - 8:11 PM

Question of the Week:

I'm wondering if you have any teachings that might help me not lose faith as I watch so many people around me suffering. What spiritual sustenance did our forefathers tell themselves to manage through the immense tragedies they must have witnessed in their lives? I already know how to self-care, see a therapist, join a support group, talk to friends. I do all that. I'm looking now for the secret of faith.

Answer:

I recently read the biography of a man who kept faith during suffering. His name was Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, known as the Klausenburger Rebbe.

He lost his wife and 11 children in the Holocaust. His community was decimated. After surviving Auschw… Read More »

Is the World Getting Better or Worse?

Monday, February 17, 2020 - 6:21 PM

Question of the Week:

How can we say that Moshiach is ready to come when the world is such a bad place? There has never been so much crime and war and violence and evil as we see today. Do we really believe that we are ready for messianic times?

Answer:

You must be reading the news too much. That's why you don't know what's going on in the world.

In every key factor, the world is better today than it has ever been, and it's just getting better. We are healthier, safer, freer, smarter and richer than our forebears. And we don't even know it.

Some examples:

- In 1950, 75% of the world population was living in extreme poverty. Today it is down to 10%. Food is more a… Read More »

Should I Limit My Options?

Sunday, February 9, 2020 - 9:17 PM

Question of the Week:

My Jewishness is making it harder for me to find love. The more I get involved in Jewish life, the fewer options I have with girls to date. To be honest, it is making me hesitate before becoming more observant. What should I do, take on more Judaism and limit my options, or keep my options open and put the Jewish thing on hold?

Answer:

It depends what you are looking for. If you are just after a partner, any partner that suits, then it is a simple numbers game, and the more options in front of you the better chances you have. If you have a wider pool of potential partners, the odds are higher that you will be successful in your search. In this equation, the vaguer you are about yourself… Read More »

Isn't This Disgusting?

Sunday, February 2, 2020 - 8:31 PM

Question of the Week:

I'm 11 years old and I'm studying about the specific laws of the Temple in Jerusalem. I learned that it was built in the most beautified way, with gold, silver and copper. Then I learned the laws of the sacrifices which were brought in the Temple, and that blood was sprinkled (and maybe splattered?) all over the place. I'm wondering how that makes the Temple beautiful to have animal's blood everywhere? It seems to be ugly and a bit disgusting. I understand that it was a mitzvah to bring sacrifices, but how is blood on the floor BEAUTIFUL?

Answer:

Sometimes, beauty appears in the most unexpected places. The blood in the Temple is one of them.

The Talmud explains… Read More »