אֲחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַנְּתוּנִים בַּצָּרָה וּבַשִּׁבְיָה, הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם We say this heartfelt tefillah, asking Hashem to have mercy upon all of our brothers who are currently in danger. A question has been asked: Why do we say "Achenu kol Beit Yisrael" — all of the Jewish people? It seems to imply that every Jew is in dange…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Rashi writes at the beginning of this week's parasha, Beha'alotecha , when Aharon saw all of the Nasi'im bringing big donations to the inauguration of the Mishkan, חלשה דעתו – he felt bad that he did not have a part in them. Hashem told Aharon שלך גדול משלהם – your portion is better than theirs. Your job will be to light the Menorah and prepare the…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The pasuk in this week's parashah, Beha'alotekha , says: עַל־פִּי ה' יַחֲנוּ וְעַל־פִּי ה' יִסָּעוּ "The Jewish people encamped by the word of Hashem and traveled by the word of Hashem." The Torah is teaching us that even the simplest actions — like stopping and starting — were done only in accordance with Hashem's will. This is a lesson we must co…

The final pesukim of Parashat Behaalotecha tell the famous story of Miriam speaking inappropriately about her brother, Moshe Rabbenu. Miriam was punished with tzara'at (leprosy) for speaking lashon ha'ra (negative talk) about her brother. One of the most significant aspects of this story is what's missing – Moshe's reaction to Miriam's harsh words.…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Dealing with doctor's appointments and hospitals can be a very tedious and stressful process. Trying to find the right doctor or the right treatment, spending hours in traffic and waiting rooms—sometimes even weeks are spent trying a certain therapy, only for it to make things worse. The Chazon Ish wrote in a letter that it is a mitzvah to seek med…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

We have learned time and time again that everything that happens in our lives comes directly from Hashem. There is no such thing as an accident or a coincidence. Everything is carefully planned and orchestrated exactly as it is meant to be. We have also been taught repeatedly that whatever Hashem does is the best thing for us. If we truly internali…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The struggles we face in trying to keep the Torah and mitzvot are incredibly precious to Hashem. In fact, they are the very reason we were placed in this world. When we have to struggle to do what's right, the mitzvah we perform becomes infinitely more meaningful. At times, we might wonder, "Doesn't Hashem want me to do this? So why is it so hard?"…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

At the end of this week's Parashat Naso , the Torah goes into great detail describing the donations brought by the Nesi'im to inaugurate the Mishkan. Remarkably, each Nasi brought the exact same offering, yet the Torah repeats the full list of items again and again—spanning about 56 pesukim . Why such repetition? The Torah is teaching us a profound…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The story is told that on one Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rav Bunim of Peshischa came to his Rebbe, the Chozeh of Lublin, to receive a berachah. However, he noticed that the Chozeh was hesitant. At the time, Rav Bunim had a successful business, but the Chozeh revealed to him that he had seen a decree in Heaven that during the coming year, Rav Bunim would l…

Parashat Naso includes birkat kohanim – the special blessing with which the kohanim are commanded to bless the rest of the nation. The first portion of this berachah is: יברכך ה' וישמרך – "G-d shall bless you and protect you" (6:24). Rashi explains this to mean that Hashem should bless us with material prosperity, and then protect it for us. Normal…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

I once spoke to a person who considered himself an older single. He was completely consumed with the fact that he was still not married. He did not want to hear anything other than advice or a segula on how he could get married. He said he was unable to concentrate on anything else in life and resolved to basically be completely unproductive until …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

When it comes to our physical needs, we are encouraged to make a basic effort and then rely on Hashem for the results. We know we'll never lose out by making the hishtadlut that Hashem wants us to make. In the business world, many people might say if you don't cut corners and bend some rules you won't be able to make money. We say, we don't need to…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Mishnah in Pirkeh Avot (6:4) teaches: כך היא דרכה של תורה: פת במלח תאכל ומים במשורה תשתה ועל הארץ תישן וחיי צער תחיה ובתורה אתה עמל . This is the way of Torah: You eat bread with salt, you drink water in rations, you lie on the ground, and you live a life of distress – and you toil in Torah. At first glance, the Mishnah is telling us that the T…

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot teaches us how deeply beloved we are to Hashem — not only did He give us His precious Torah, but He also expressed His immense love by telling us just how valuable that gift is. Shavuot is a time to appreciate the Torah as our guiding light and to reflect on the responsibility that comes with such a gift. The pasuk in Teh…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

When a person recognizes Hashem's involvement in his life, he has a mitzvah not only to thank Hashem, but to also sing His praises. The pasuk says: " שִׁירוּ לוֹ זַמְּרוּ לוֹ שִׂיחוּ בְּכָל נִפְלְאוֹתָיו " — "Sing to Him, make music to Him, speak of all His wonders." (Divrei HaYamim I 16:9) We are meant to speak joyfully about the wondrous things H…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Chovot HaLevavot teaches us that when it comes to avodat Hashem , we are rewarded for our desire to do a mitzvah —even if we're unable to carry it out. This means that even a poor man is rewarded for wanting to give tzedakah , even if he doesn't physically have the means to do so. Our choices and our will to perform mitzvot are the very reasons…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraBy Rabbi Eli J. Mansour