Sholom Ber Wineberg

The fact that the non-Jewish nations and peoples praise and laud G-d because He shows overwhelming kindness to the Jewish people is a very auspicious development.In this context, it can be noted that Rashi begins his commentary to the Torah: “If the natio...

After the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah and the mitzvah of taking the four species comes the mitzvah of offering the festival sacrifices, The term “after” is used because of the chronological sequence of these three mitzvos: the mitzvah to dwell in th...

The resolution to the above questions can be understood by prefacing with an explanation of the difference between the mitzvos of sukkah and the four species. Although both these mitzvos reflect the concept of unity, as will be explained (below), neverthe...

“And you shall take for yourselves on the first day….”Vayikra 23:40. With this verse, the Torah introduces the commandment to take the four species on Sukkos. On this verse, the Midrash comments:Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Emor, sec. 22, quoted by the Tur, ...

Every person has an inner spiritual yearning for G-dliness. Since his soul is an actual part of G-d, he has a natural desire to bond with his source.Tanya, ch. 19. Simultaneously, every person is motivated by a drive to achieve, to leave an imprint on the...

It is well known that, as stated in Iggeres HaTeshuvah,Tanya, Iggeres HaTeshuvah, ch. 11 (p. 101a). the higher rung of teshuvah is characterized by abundant joy. From this it is understood – and how much more so does this pertain to the teshuvah of Shabbo...

Now, the sounding of the shofar that will take place in the Ultimate Future will reflect a loftier revelation than that reflected by the sounding of the shofar that took place at the Giving of the Torah. This is indicated by the statement in Pirkei D’Rabb...

There is an additional interpretation of the verse “Return, O Yisrael, to G-d, your L-rd,” that a Jew’s teshuvah must be so consummate that he perceives Havayah as merely Elokim – a level associated with contraction. Although the name Havayah is usually a...

On this basis, it is possible to resolve the questions raised at the beginning of the maamar regarding the verse, “Return, O Yisrael, to G-d, your L-rd.” Four questions were raised:The order of the questions as they appear here differs slightly from the o...

This maamar focuses on the theme of teshuvah. Nevertheless, since teshuvah is intended to compensate for shortcomings in a Jew’s Divine service, it was necessary to first clarify the three fundamental categories of that Divine service: “turn[ing] away fro...