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

Rosh HaShana 5780 / 2019 Sarah Yehudit Schneider יאמר א/להים נעשה אדם. במי נמלך?…רבי יהושע דסכנין בשם רבי שמואל אמר בנפשותן של צדיקים נמלך… נפשות של צדיקים שבהן נמלך הקדוש ב”ה וברא את העולם And G-d said, “Let us make Adam” [Gen 1:26] With whom did HaShem consult? [For “let us…” suggests there were others involved.]…R. Joshua of Siknin said in R. Levi’s name: He took counsel with the souls of the righteous… It is they with whom He consulted before creating the world. [Genesis

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