In the Talmud, it states that the sin God hates the most is someone who lends money to his fellows and then charges them interest. Personally, I can think of many worse things, and I’m sure you can as well, so why is this sin so terrible in God’s eyes? The answer is quite profound,…

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This week is the holiday of Purim, which in some ways is similar to Halloween in that we dress up in costumes and wear masks. I believe the reason for the mask and costume, on a superficial level, is that dressing up is fun and the holiday is about fun and celebration. Yet when I…

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Depression, addiction, compulsions, anxiety, overeating… I have so often heard, “why can’t people have willpower, why can’t they just stop, why can’t they be happy, how selfish is it to kill oneself, get over yourself, what is wrong with you, go get help, and so on and so forth. Let me start by saying, as…

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There is a story said about the great sage, the Baal Shem Tov, who was one of the founders of spiritual Judaism. The Rabbi was asked, “Would you be trusted with 1 million rubles in cash to guard and watch, if it were untraceable and no one would know if you stole it?” To which…

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