The last time I was in Uman was July-time, 2022. It was about five months after the war in Ukraine had begun, and about a month ahead of the annual kibbutz for Rosh Hashana. One of the tour companies owned by chassidim of the Rav were the only people trying to go there still, at […]
Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov, and the real history of Chassidut – Part I
The story begins, as these stories so often do, when I was working on something totally different.
One of my readers emailed me a few of weeks ago to ask me if I knew how R Berland descends from David HaMelech.
I went back to the OIAG Volume…
The Titanic Test of spotting narcs
A few years ago, I did a deep-dive on ‘narcissists’ and so-called ‘Narcissist Personality Disorder’ (NPD).
By ‘deep dive’, I mean I read tens of books, did hours and hours and hours of praying about how to handle the ‘narcs’…
Previous lives and post-Purim explanations
I had a long trip to make today, which gave me the chance to listen to some shiurim from Rav Shlomo Elmaliach, from post Purim.
I’m just going to paraphrase what Rav Elmaliach was saying, the main points. If you have Hebrew, I highly recommend…
Simcha on Purim is a mitzva d’orayta
Here in Israel, there was a 'debate' about whether we were allowed to be happy on Purim.
I was hoping to get this shiur translated and up before Purim, but in the end that didn't happen, so I'm sticking it up now.
I still have more to translate…
Reflection vs reaction
It's amazing how different life is 'offline'.
Now that I am having a regular three days off from the ‘pace’ of keeping up with the internet, and the 24 hour (fake) ‘news’ cycle, that just keeps us all hopping from one manipulated event…
Earthquakes on the horizon?
I am super-dizzy today.
I think there might be more earthquakes on the horizon.
I am going offline until Thursday now, but in partial answer to SimchavSasson's query about what might be going on with solar flares and sunspots etc, this video…