5781 Torah Studies with Rabbi Cheski

Words Shape Reality. Use Them Wisely.

Sometimes HOW We Speak Is More Important Than WHAT We Speak

Much has been said about the power of words. So how do we balance the need to be articulate and clear with our desire to be sensitive and sanitary with our speech? The Torah’s precise choice of words shows us how.

“You Do You,” They Said. Judaism Concurs.

Finding Individual Expression in the Monolith of Jewish Observance

Are you calm, excitable, loud, studious, ambitious, or shy? Or maybe something else? Whatever the answer, it seems that when it comes to religion, there simply isn’t any room for that. “Do this,” “Don’t do that,” and call it a day. Embedded in the covenant between G‑d and Abraham is the secret of a personal Judaism.

Leaping into Awesomeness

Judaism, Post-Sinai, Is Nothing Like It Was Before

“Reach for the stars.” It’s a nice cliché, but really? – You can’t possibly touch the stars! Follow a winding path that starts with a deep analysis of our forefathers’ religious status to the mountaintop of Sinai, and discover how, indeed, you can reach even higher than the stars.

Don’t Take the Easy Way Out

Being Gifted Is Great; Working Hard Is Even Better

In what can arguably be the most un-Jewish thing to do, we read that Avraham insisted on paying full price for a piece of real estate. Why? Avraham’s purchasing habits, emulated by his descendant King David, teach a powerful lesson: in life, paying full price is the only way to truly make it yours.

To Plow Is to Sow Is to Reap

Two Sides of the Teshuvah Coin

To look at your life in shambles and exclaim, “Oy!” is decidedly unproductive. It may look good, but it’s not going to get you anywhere. Take a cue from Yitzchak, who prefaced a blessing to his son with . . . visions of a plowed field. Why? Because the engine for true growth is in the dismemberment wrought by the plowshares.

Rooting Out Recidivism

The Quest to Cure the Problem, Not the Symptom

Fierce debates rage around questions of law and order, the rate of incarceration, and community policing. Yaakov’s swift departure from the fabled town of Be’er Sheva, to avoid peace talks, is the surprising setting in which the insight to these questions can be found.

The Day Your Soul Is Set Afire

The Chassidic Holiday You’ve Never Heard of That Will Change Your Life

A famed Chassidic master taught that when we set out to conquer the world, we should only let our bodies out of the gate, remaining true to our soul. This pithy teaching contains the secret to the life you’re looking for, and there’s a whole new holiday to celebrate it. Lechayim!

The Treadmill of Life

If Yesterday Was Good, Today Must Be Even Better

Learning to take your first step as a baby was a true feat. As an adult, it’s hopefully not. That’s the way it works: Yesterday’s accomplishment becomes today’s norm—and it’s up to you to build from there. Access this truth by way of a curious Scriptural quirk about an obscure Canaanite city.

Every Victory Is Worth Celebrating

You Don’t Have to Win the War, So Concentrate on the Battle

“What is Chanukah?” asks the Talmud. Far from this being a simple question any Hebrew School kid can answer, the Talmud challenges us to ask what it is that we consider to be the primary lesson of the Chanukah miracle. Look to the candles and remember that it’s not so much about winning as it is about fighting.

A Time to Cry, a Time to Act

If There’s Anything You Can Still Do, Do It!

There are many roadblocks to change. Lack of focus, lack of resources, or laziness, to name a few. An epic meeting between two long-lost brothers, climaxing in heartfelt tears, clues us in to more than one solution to these challenges. Their story will wipe your tears and get your engines going.

Messianic

Why Believing in Mashiach Is Fundamental to Our Faith

Maimonides famously classified believing in the messianic era as one of the thirteen principle of faith. Why? Discover how hoping, anticipating, and syncing with Mashiach underpins everything we do.