Shavuot 2016 /5776 Sarah Yehudit Schneider The Torah revealed at Sinai (on Shavuot) is not the one in our study halls today. Those Tablets shattered when Moshe, witnessing the Golden Calf, cast them to the ground. HaShem eventually accepted our teshuva and 120 days later (on Yom Kippur) we received their replacement—a second set—related to the first…but different. At Sinai we got the Torah of Atzilut—the Torah of Unanimity. A searing revelation of presence engraved the sou

Rosh HaShana 2016 / 5777 Based on R. Tsadok HaKohen, Tikanat HaShavin 5:10-12, Tsidkat HaTsadik [40]Sarah Yehudit Schneider There are three categories of tikunim, says the Leshem, and every person has some portion of each on their cosmic to-do list[i]. The first category are tikunim that only happen when we do the right thing. We keep taking the test until we get it right. This is what we generally think of as a tikun. The second category is more mysterious. These tikunim on

Chanukka 2016 / 5777 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Make a menorah out of pure gold. The menorah shall be formed by hammering. Its base, stem, and [decorative] cups, spheres and flowers must be beaten out of a [single piece of gold]. Six branches shall extend from [the central shaft that serves as its seventh]…The whole thing shall be hammered out of a single piece of pure gold….[Ex. 25:31-36] Everyone knows that when the Maccabees wrested the Temple back from its Greek occupiers,

Purim, 5777 / 2017Sarah Yehudit Schneider Based on the teachings of R. Tsadok HaKohen[1] “To the Jews there was light—אורה…” (the feminine form of the word indicating the Oral Torah, as opposed to אור, which is masculine and refers to Scripture itself). [Esther 8:16] “It came to pass, on the third day, that Esther donned malchut…[Esther 5:1].She wrapped herself in ruach hakodesh (holy spirit)…[Rashi, there]. [On Purim] it all turns upside down… [Esther 9:1]. On Purim we final

Pesach 5777 / 2017 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Blessed be the Makom (Place). Blessed be He. Blessed be the one who gave Torah to His people, Israel. Blessed be He. The Torah addresses four children. The wise one, the bad one, the simple one, and the one who doesn’t know to ask.בָּרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם, בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בָּרוּךְ שֶׁנָּתַן תּוֹרָה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּרוּךְ הוּא. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָנִים דִּבְּרָה תוֹרָה: אֶחָד חָכָם. וְאֶחָד רָשָׁע. וְאֶחָד תָּם. וְאֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ

This essay presents Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Gellman’s exploration of the Mei HaShiloach’s teachings on the Akeida that appears in his book “The Fear, the Trembling, and the Fire.” There may be some embellishments but all the primary elements of the thesis are his.[1] Torah Reading for Second Day Rosh HaShanaRosh HaShana 5778 / 2017 Sarah Yehudit Schneider The Akeida is a tale of incomprehensible faith. As the story goes: The Holy One commands Avraham to build an altar and offer his

This Chanukka teaching is dedicated to Yaku, daughter of Heltcha: “Thank you for sharing your light with this world. May blessings of love and healing always be with you on your journeys.” …Karin Chanukka 2017/5778 Sarah Yehudit Schneider The candles of Chanukka are different from those of other special days. On Chanukah the candles are the essence of the day, its central (and only) mitzvah. On Shabbat and festivals the candles are auxiliary to the main rituals specified for

by Suri Tyler, Jerusalem 1992Jerusalem Post Weekend Magazine July 31, 1992 After many years of great poverty, which did not shake his faith in the loving-kindness of his Creator, Rabbi Eisik, son of Rabbi Yekel dreamed someone bade him look for a treasure in Prague, under the bridge which leads to the king’s palace. When the dream recurred a third time, Rabbi Eisik understood that he should follow its advice. And so he prepared for his journey and set out for the capital city

Purim 2018 / 5778 Sarah Yehudit Schneider The Talmud asks: “Why did the Jews of that generation deserve extermination? Because they derived pleasure [נהנו] from the feast of that wicked one [Achashverosh].” [TB Megila 12a]The Talmud doesn’t say “because they ate” – this the Jews could justify by claiming they were subject to royal decree and would risk their lives by refusing to attend the feast. Rather their sin was that they enjoyed the banquet and partook of it with gust

Pesach 5778 / 2018 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Kadesh. Urchatz We start the seder by pronouncing the fifteen steps that will comprise our evening’s ritual which (among other things) marks the birthday of our peoplehood. Kenesset Yisrael (the mystical Body of Israel) was conceived by Avraham and Sarah, floated through the fallopian tube with Yitzchok and Rivka and implanted in the dark womb of Egypt when Yakov descended there with his clan of seventy souls. They gestated “like a

Shavuot 5778 / 2018 Sarah Yehudit Schneider “And you shall know the soul of a convert // because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” [Ex 23:9] All HaShem’s secrets are buried in the Torah, though they’re concealed behind many obscuring garments. The wise, who are full of eyes, can find the secrets hidden there.…In numerous places the Holy One cautions us to not oppress the convert…In one of those places a great secret emerges from its sheath in the first half of the ver

Rosh HaShana 5779 / 2018 [1] Sarah Yehudit Schneider Divine perfection, in order for it to be infinite, must include the possibility of perfecting…a never-ending process by which perfection becomes even more perfect (without implying that its previous state was ever less than perfect). It’s a paradox and we’ll leave it at that.[2] The mechanism HaShem devised to accomplish this perfecting is called teshuva, a term that means literally, return. The Talmud reports that HaShem c

Chanukka 5779 / 2018 Sarah Yehudit Schneider It can happen that when something is deeply true, it transcends itself and enters the category of archetype. Its lessons then apply to things that have nothing (apparently) to do with its story, yet it provides the template for making sense of those other things because, beneath the surface, they actually do share a common root. So it goes for Chanukka which celebrates our Maccabean victory and the miracle of oil that enshrined ou

Purim 2019 / 5779 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Based on R. Y Safrin of Komara’s Commentary on Esther called Ketem Ofier (4:1 – 5:4) Mordecai charges Esther to go before the king, and plead for her people….[Esther warns that] “Anyone entering the king’s sanctum uninvited incurs death unless the king extends his golden scepter and grants them life.” Esther confides that she has not been called by the king for thirty days [implying that she’s likely to receive an invite soon] …Morde

Matanot Chinam–Free Gifts Inspired by Sod Yesharim Pesach 2023 ולהיות שהישועה מיציאת מצרים נקרא מרור יען שלא הי’ בזכות עבודת ישראל אלא כענין שנאמר (ישעי’ מ”ח) למעני למעני אעשה וגו’ And so it is, that our redemption from Egypt is called bitter, because it wasn’t earned by us through meritorious service. Rather [HaShem redeemed us for His sake, and we enjoyed its collateral benefit] as HaShem states through the prophet Isaiah: For my sake, for my sake I [will] do this/it. [Sod

A Shavuot Teaching (2019 / 5779)from the teachings of R. Shlomo Elyashiv (The Leshem) Sarah Yehudit Schneider The Torah revealed at Sinai (on Shavuot) is not the one in our study halls today. Those Tablets shattered when Moshe, witnessing the Golden Calf, cast them to the ground. HaShem eventually accepted our teshuva and 120 days later (on Yom Kippur) we received their replacement—a second set—related to the first…but different. At Sinai we got the Torah of Atzilut—the Torah

Chanukka teachings over the years (2008-present).

Inspired by R. Rafael Moshe Luria [1a]Chanukka 5780 / 2019 Sarah Yehudit Schneider “All our holy days will be nullified in messianic times, except for Chanukka and Purim.”[Ateret Zekaynim on Shulchan Aruch, siman 675, citing Maharshal][1] What an odd assertion, since Chanukka and Purim are only of rabbinic origin, whereas Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot etc. are instituted by the Torah itself, which (being of Divine origin) is the ultimate authority. And what does it mean that they

Purim Teachings Through the Years (1988 – Present).

Purim 2020 / 5780 Sarah Yehudit Schneider וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ יְי ﭏהִים מִגַּן-עֵדֶן…וַיַּשְׁכֵּן מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן-עֵדֶן אֶת-הַכְּרֻבִים וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת לִשְׁמֹר אֶת-דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּיםGod banished [Adam] from the Garden of Eden…and stationed cherubim (angelic sentries) east of Eden, including a revolving, flaming sword to guard the path of the Tree of Life. [Gen 3:23-24] וַיְהִי | בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת וַתַּעֲמֹד בַּחֲצַר בֵּי