Parasha Insights - Chabad of Great Neck

HAVE YOU HEARD OF MOSES SOLE?

Thursday, March 29, 2018 - 4:40 PM

In 1995, the former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, Jonathan Sacks, flew with then-Prime Minister of Britain Tony Blair to attend the funeral of Yitzchak Rabin. On the way, Blair read The Daily Mirror. When he finished, he looked up, noticed the Rabbi engrossed in a book, and asked, “What are you reading?”

“Why, the weekly Parsha, the weekly Torah portion,” Sacks replied.

“Tell me what it says,” Blair said, and for the next few hours they talked Parsha. Blair loved it. For years to come, every time Rabbi Sacks visited 10 Downing Street, Tony Blair would begin the conversation by asking, “Nu, what’s going on in this week’s Torah portion?”

At a public dinner… Read More »

WHO WAS THE BEST TEACHER IN HISTORY?

Friday, March 23, 2018 - 12:00 PM

Two elderly ladies had been friends since their 30s. Now in their 90s, they still got together a couple of times a week to play cards. One day they were playing gin rummy and one of them said, "You know, we’ve been friends for many years and, please don't get mad, but for the life of me, I can't remember your name. Please tell me what it is."

Her friend glared at her. She continued to glare and stare at her for at least three minutes. Finally, she said, "How soon do you need to know?"

As we begin this Passover season, I’d like you to consider this simple question. Every day we are bombarded by millions of pieces of information, all clamoring for our attention. So why do we remember some things and forget… Read More »

HOW TO SEE THE GREATNESS IN PEOPLE?

Friday, March 16, 2018 - 12:00 PM

I always talk to myself; it is the only way to ensure intelligent conversation.—A man

There is something intriguing you will notice in any Torah scroll—and Chumash—in the opening word of the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, Leviticus.

The opening words of the book are: “Vayikra El Moshe,” "He called to Moses." The Aleph of the word for, "He called/Vayikra,” the first word in the Book of Leviticus, is written smaller than usual. The Aleph is written in miniature.

This is how it has been since the first Torah Scroll written by Moses 3300 years ago. But why? What is the significance of this?

Contrast this with one more place in the Tanach where the Aleph is written in a large… Read More »

DO YOU HONOR YOUR PARENTS EVEN WHEN THEY DON'T DESERVE IT?

Friday, March 9, 2018 - 2:17 PM

Things Mom Would Never Say:

“I skipped school a lot, too.”

“Leave all the lights on... it makes the house look cheerier.”

“Let me smell that shirt—yeah, it's good for another week.” “I don't have tissues... just use your sleeve.”

“Don't bother with a coat; the wind-chill has got to improve.”

Things Dad Would Never Say:

“Well, how 'bout that? I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.”

“Here are a credit card and my new-car keys: GO CRAZY!”

“Mom and I are going away for the weekend... you might want to consider throwing a party.”

“Why do you want to get a job? I make plenty of money for you to… Read More »

World's Worst Skier

Friday, March 2, 2018 - 4:00 PM

An Englishman, a Frenchman and a Russian were discussing happiness. "Happiness," said the Englishman, "Is when you return home tired after work and find your slippers warming by the fire." "You English have no romance," said the Frenchman. "Happiness is having dinner with your beautiful wife at a fine restaurant."

"You are both wrong," said the Russian. "True happiness is when you are at home in bed and at 4 am you hear a loud banging at the door and there stand two KGB police agents, who say to you, 'Ivan Ivanovitch, you are under arrest,' and you say, 'Sorry, Ivan Ivanovitch lives next door.'"

In this weeks portion, Ki Tisa speaks about one of our… Read More »