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All the more so in our home. Empathy and a kind word shape the atmosphere here. A child comes home from cheder or school feeling tense and upset. He is hungry and tired, with no patience left—he shou…
Through chesed, a person can acquire worlds, or, as it is written (Tehillim 89:3): «A world of chesed will be built». Sometimes an opportunity for chesed comes our way in very simple situations. An e…
Now I would like to quote a passage from the book “Ahavat Chesed,” which I mentioned above. This is the section “Acts of Kindness Involving Speech” (8:2). “If his friend is angry with someone, and he…
Last time, we spoke about the great power of words that the Almighty has given us. We focused more on sur mera (“turn away from evil”), but there is also aseh tov (“do good”). We explored how using s…
In the days when Bnei Brak was not yet considered a full-fledged city, a modest Jew named Reb Shloime Cohen lived there. He was not a rabbi; he worked for a living and studied daily in chavrusa with…
I also want to speak specifically about purity of speech. The Torah itself states (Genesis, 7:8): “And of the animal that is not clean.” The Torah usually uses very concise language, but here, instea…
It is written in the Gemara (Moed Katan, 18a): “A covenant is made with the lips.” This principle demonstrates the power of the spoken word. Thus, as Abraham was on his way to sacrifice Isaac, he tol…
We, the builders of a Jewish home, must be very good engineers, carefully considering our words and actions. Then we will truly be able to build. Building can also take place on ruins—a person in des…
“They looked and saw: a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead. Their camels were laden with spices, balm, and frankincense” (Genesis, 37:25). “Why does the Torah mention what they were carryi…