We launched this blog today. What that really means is that all the contributors are able to post, but it will probably take a week or so until people get into the swing of things.
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Recent Posts
- Pesach – Leaving the Imprisonment of Materialism
- Some Great Pesach Mp3s on the Seder and the Haggadah by Rabbi Moshe Gordon
- A Brighter Future for Kiruv
- How Can Everyone Make Purim More Meaningful and Really Take Advantage of This Great Day
- American Pie Purim – A Kabbalistic Interpretation of a Modern Classic
- The Month of Adar – A Time of Happiness
- Pleasure, Antisemitism and Jewish Identity
- Twice Adar – Understanding the Halachos of Adar Rishon and Adar Sheini
- Yisro and the Aseres HaDibros in a Nutshell
- Sanctifying The Act of Eating
- Hishtadlus and Parshas HaMon
- The Most Famous Ramban in Chumash – The End of Parshas Bo
- Beyond Our Nature
- Shovavim – Repairing Our Thoughts
- The Eight Sheets of Chanukah
- Greek Influence Today
- Parshas Vayeitzei – Your are a Big Tzadik
- Parshas Toldos – FFB and BT Tzaddikim
- On Disabling the “Frumkeit-Checker” In My Brain
- Parsha Lech Lecha
- Helping Klal Yisroel with Torah, Avodah and Gemillas Chassadim
- Inner Meaning Behind The Four Species and the Sukkah – Bilvavi
- Yom Kippur – Disconnecting from Sin
- Embracing Judgment
- Rosh Hashanah, Mussar and Chassidus
- How Kiruv and the Baal Teshuva Movement has Changed
- You Don’t Desire? Then Yearn to Desire!
- Elul is a Great Time to Work on Kavanna
- Rav Itamar Shwartz (Bilvavi) on Pondering The Meaning Of Life
- Mourning on Tisha B’Av: Feeling the Void
- The Nine Days: Awakening Yourself To Tears
- Parshas Matos- Words are Stronger than Thoughts
- The Three Weeks – Building the World with Ahavas Chinam
- Rabbi Moshe Feinstein on The Mistaken Rejection of Torah Leaders
- The Path of the BT
- The Test of Shavuos
- The Ramchal’s Prescription for Making Better Brochos
- Do Not Profane My Holy Name.
- Pirkei Avos Week 2
- Expressing Gratitude for Spiritual Opportunities
- Developing Emunah of Our Mind, Heart and Actions
- Pesach – From Child to Adult
- Rabbi Moshe Gordon on Pesach
- A Happier Purim
- The Joy of Purim – Arriving at True Happiness in our Souls
- Do Not Accept a False Report
- Do the Details Really Matter?
- Parshas Vayechi – Of Arrows and Feathers
- The Tenth of Teves – A Fast for Torah
- Der Meistersingers of Athens – What’s Up with the Tune for Maoz Tzur?
- Experiencing Chanukah
- Forbidden Kiruv
- Wake Up and Smell the Bacon
- Losing Thanksgiving
- Parsha Chayei Sarah – Your Billionaire Opportunity
- Our Akeidas Yitzchok
- Helping Baalei Teshuva Be Themselves
- Tzidkus and Chassidus
- Start Shnayim Mikra V’Echod Targum This Week with Bereishis
- Sukkos – The Jews Inner Self
- Five Ways to Do Teshuvah
- Yom Kippur – Disconnecting from Sin
- The Four Foundational Spiritual Practices of the Ramchal
- The Challenge of Elul for “Former Teshuva Masters”
- Parshas Ki Teitzei- Maintain Your Advantage This Elul
- Eric Bruntlett’s Elul
- Teshuvah: Returning to Our Source
- The Importance of Developing Emotional Connections
- How Do You Feel Sad About Something You Never Saw? (Bilvavi)
- Eating Cookies at the Kosel on the 17th of Tammuz
- Parshas Balak – Everyone Knows, Except Me
- Parah Adumah – It’s Never as Bad, or as Evil, as It Seems
- Parshas Korach – Give it Up
- Rav Uri Zohar’s Gift
- Parshas Behaloscha – Five Barriers, Three Breakthroughs
- The Joy of Mussar
- Shmirah Ba’Shavuah – Parshas Bamidbar/Shavous Edition
- Yom Tov – Finding Our True Source of Happiness
- Parshas Behar – Choose the Best
- Lag B’Omer – Inner Bonfire
- The Maharal’s Understanding of Lechem Oni
- Parshas Metzora – Fly Little Birdie
- Beyond Vertlach – Key Points of the Seder
- Preparing for Pesach is Part of our Avodas Hashem
- Spiritual Growth Through Drinking on Purim
- Unique Aspects of Purim
- Discovering Your Happiness
- Purim Katan and Daf Yomi B’Halacha
- Defining Happiness – Rav Itamar Schwartz (Bilvavi)
- Guide to Buying Tzitzit
- Groups Within Orthodoxy
- Shovavim
- Ten for the Tenth of Teves
- Tenth of Teves Reading and Listening
- Chanukah – Miracles Within – Bilvavi
- American Holidays – Thanksgiving Survival Guide, Really Short Version
- An Awesome Place, Time and Soul at the Kotel
- Let’s Share the Joy
- A Brief Introduction to the Works of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
- Four Top Misconceptions About Judaism
- The 60 Second Guide to the Book of Bereishes
- A Baal Teshuva’s Father’s Perspectives
- Yom Kippur Takeaway – Forgiving Others When We’re Slighted
- Rebbetzin Heller Gottlieb on Approaching the Viduy on Yom Kippur
- The Avodah of Rosh HaShanah
- Offering Up Our Egos on the Altar of Elul
- Pondering The Meaning Of Life
- Two Kinds of Joy
- What Does G-d Want From Us?
- Shmira Bashavua – Shmiras HaLashon in the Weekly Parsha
- Tisha B’Av Prep – Preserving Our Prayer Portal and Lessons from Bar Kamtza’s Pain
- Unity, Diversity, the 9th of Av
- The Three Weeks – Building The World
- We’re All Broken Vessels – The 17th of Tammuz
- Rabbi Mayer Schiller – The Biggest Challenges Facing Baalei Teshuva
- Telling My Story
- The Power of the Spoken Word
- What Not To Do At The Shabbat Table
- SGZ V3 – With Subtitles – Is Developing a Deeper Connection to Hashem Worth the Effort?
- For Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan – A Translation of The Shelah’s Prayer for Parents on Behalf of their Children
- Shavuos – Not Just Another Uber Driver
- Momentary Gains or Lasting Benefits
- Calibrating Covid Fear
- Pirkei Avos – Chapter Three
- Fifty Ways to Meet Your Lover (Sefirat HaOmer)
- Matzah with a Shmear of Spiritual Sensitivity
- Pesach – Internalizing Your Knowledge
- The Seder in Four Hours, Five Minutes or One Minute
- TEN WAYS to help you and YOUR CHILDREN have a more Meaningful and Inspiring PESACH SEDER
- Perspectives on Pesach Hotels
- Missing an Opportunity
- Preparing Your Soul for Pesach
- When Adar Enters, Focus on Connection and Completion
- Purim – It’s Not a Party for the Non-Observant
- Purim: Happiness In Spite Of Pain
- Dealing With Disappointment
- Understanding Gods Plan as Best We Can
- The Halachos of Snow
- OMG
- Bringing Holiness Into How You Eat
- Inspiration in Everyday Life
- Sharing Details About Our Past
- Should I Argue Against Evolution or for a G-d Directed Evolution
- The Biggest Problem in Judaism
- Yearning on the Tenth of Teves
- Doing a Better Hallel On Chanukah
- Chanukah – Transcending Self-Centeredness
- An E-Mail To My Brother-In-Law
- Being Thankful for Thanksgiving
- David Linn’s The grATTITUDE Newsletter
- When Opposites Attract
- Surrendering to Humility
- The Secret Of All Growth
- 100 words of Chizuk
- The Only Absolute Connection We Have
- Noach was a good man, a good man, a good man…
- Rav Soloveitchik on Awakening the Emotional on Yom Kippur
- Joy on Rosh Hashanah
- Four Words that Fuel Spiritual Growth
- Led Zeppelin & Frum Culture
- Crying From Within on Tisha BAv
- SGZ Vol10 – Our Avodah without the Beis HaMikdash
- SGZ – V9 – The Three Foundations
- SGZ – V8 – Applying Our Spiritual Knowledge to Improve Our Davening
- Spiritual Growth Zoomcast V7 – Inspiration, Information, Internalization
- Inspiration, Information and Internalization
- Spiritual Growth Zoomcast V6 – The Importance of the Mesillas Yesharim Introduction
- Should You Skip the Mesillas Yesharim Introduction?
- Spiritual Growth Zoomcast V5 – The Ten Minute Mesillas Yesharim Overview
- Overview of Mesillas Yesharim
- Spiritual Growth Zoomcast V4 – Going Beyond Bein Adam L’Makon
- Going Beyond Bein Adam L’Makom
- Rav Itamar Shwartz (Bilvavi) on Shavous and the Soul Perspective
- Is Developing a Deeper Connection to Hashem Worth the Effort?
- SGZ V2 – What is Spiritual Growth?
- Spiritual Growth Zoomcast – Volume 1
- The Shul Zoom Boom
- Improving Our Davening at This Critical Time
- Pesach Redeeming Your Soul
- The Five Minute Seder and the Five Minute Plus Seder
- Taking a Step Forward after Three Hard Steps Back
- Developing Our Spiritual Side
- Beyond Corona – I
- The Love and Happiness of Adar
- Rabbi Dovid Schwartz zt”l – Towards a Subler Noncomformity
- The Joy of Existence
- Az Yashir: An Introduction
- The Engaging Shabbos Table
- My Skirt is My Korban Todah
- The Candles and the Tree
- A Hellenist Left Standing
- Wisdom, Torah and Mussar
- Modern Orthodox and Modern Orthodox Baalei Teshuva Research Reports
- Chessed, Gratitude and Love
- Thanksgiving and the BT
- The Pain of Forgetting The Mourners Consolation
- Ode to a BT-FFB “Intermarriageâ€
- Self-Actualization and the Focus on Your Self
- The Inner Meaning Behind The Four Species and the Sukkah
- Rosh HaShanah – Avodah of Ben & Eved
- The Chofetz Chaim’s 85th Yahrzeit is the 24th of Elul – Here is His NY Times Obituary(1933)
- How the Terms BT and FFB Stunt Our Spiritual Growth
- In Search of Neo-Mussar
- Confessions of a BT Wannabe
- Introspection on Tisha B’Av
- Growing at the Bottom of the Heap
- Rav Shimshon Pincus ztâ€l on “Taste and See that Hashem is Good”
- Turning the Tables on the Constant Test of Summertime Immodesty
- Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller on Anti-Semitism
- Why Doesn’t the Segulah of Tzitzis Work?
- Blessed with Diamonds From Rabbi Miller
- An Ambidextrous Theology
- Rabbi Wolbe – Each Person Must Know He’s Important – Bamidbar/Shavuos
- Mourning’s End – Understanding Sefira and Lag B’Omer
- Beyond College Campuses – Judaism in Cherry Hill is Alive
- Profiles in Courage – BTs and the Trait of G’vurah
- The Five Minute Seder
- Pesach and the Three Components of Emunah
- Get Ready for Pesach with These Great MP3s and PDFs
- Purim: The Joys of Simcha and Sasson
- Finding Joy in the Practice of Judaism
- You Used to be So Much Fun – Relating to Non-Religious Family and Friends
- Why Do We Say Brochos Quickly?
- For the Love of Money – Parshas Ki Sisa
- Fanning The Flame
- Factors in Choosing a Mesivta for your Son – Part 2
- Getting to Know Your Feelings – Understanding The Power of Love
- Adults at Risk
- Ten Greatest Songs of All Time
- Nobody Told Me
- Factors in Choosing a Mesivta for your Son – Part 1
- The Awesomeness of Being Jewish
- The Influence of Society
- The Teshuva Journey: A Shabbat With Springsteen
- The Shy Student: An Adventure in Shidduchim
- Just One Dance
- Believing and not believing – Parshas Noach
- Succos and Koheles
- Yom Kippur – Putting Our Mistakes Behind Us
- The Kingship of the Ten Days of Teshuva
- The Essence of the Month of Elul
- The Bilvavi’s Personal Teshuva Journey – From the Mind to the Heart
- Beat the Rosh Chodesh Elul Rush – Start Thinking About Teshuva Today
- The Never Ending Road of the BT
- The Internet, The Smartphone and my Deepening Connection to Rabbi Uziel Milevsky ztâ€l
- A Yeshivish Fourth of July to All
- Earning a Living Doesn’t Have To Be Difficult
- How to Make a Bar Mitzvah and Actually Enjoy It
- Pirkei Avos from the Top
- PSSD: Post Shavuos Stress Disorder
- Attaining the Needs of Our Soul
- What’s Up With the Hardcore Jewish People?
- Embracing Bais Yaakov Dress Standards – Differences Between Mother and Daughter
- Sefiras Ha’Omer- Why We Count, What We Count
- Why American Jews Reject Torah – Some Pain, Not Much Gain
- Classic Ramban on “Be Holy” – “Don’t Be a Scoundrel with the Permission of the Torah”
- Should I Hide Being a BT?
- Kashrus and the BT
- Getting Beyond the Proofs
- Beginners Guide to the Passover Seder
- Gebroks or Non-Gebroks…That is the Question
- Pesach and The Essence of The Three Festivals
- Rosh Chodesh Nisan is Coming, a Good Time for Spiritual Pesach Preparation
- The 60 Second Guide to Purim
- American Pie Purim
- Purim – Rising Above Doubt
- Are We Too Focused on Doing Mitzvos?
- Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Schwartz, Zâ€l
- Rabbi Dovid Schwartz, ztzâ€l
- If you Really Want Unity, Stop Sleeping!
- Tu Bishvat – Eat some fruit! Enjoy life!
- Denying G-d and Denying Humanity
- The Natural, the Supernatural and the Counter-natural
- Searching for God in the Garbage
- One Nation, Indivisible
- Finding Hashem in the Darkness
- The Dyslexia of Teshuvah
- The Dreidel of Life
- Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman – ztzâ€l
- Vayeshev Yakov: Achieving True Jewish Unity Through a Divine Division of Labor
- Alternate Trajectories – Part 4
- Don’t Just Bless … Reverse the Curse
- Alternate Trajectories – Part 3
- Everyone Views Things Just As I Do…
- Utilizing The Power of Concentration
- Nothing is Perfect Until it’s Incomplete
- Alternate Trajectories – Part 2
- Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Scher, ztzâ€l
- Alternate Trajectories – Part 1
- Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller on Cheshvan: Facing the Ordinary
- Growing With Shnayim Mikra V’Echod Targum
- A Gourmands Approach to Sukkos
- Keep the Change
- Beyond Beinoni
- Ten Days of Repentance: A plan to plan
- Rosh Hoshana: Committing to the Plan
- The Selichot Experience In The Eyes Of A Ba’al Teshuvah
- Parents Cannot Be Their Childrens’ Friends
- The Lost Art of Teshuva
- Strike the First Blow and the Fix is In
- What Is The Most Important Thing That You Want In Life?
- Stepping Up Our Teshuva Early in Elul
- Musical Chairs – The Final Chapter – The Wedding
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8I – The Engagement Rituals
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8H – Rav Amram Helps Bring Clarity
- A Tisha B’av Kinah for Our Times
- Tens of Tisha B’Av Mp3s
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8G – A Big Surprise at the L’Chaim
- Learning to Get Along with People of Wildly Different Persuasions
- The 17th of Tammuz and Mishnah Berurah Hilchos Shabbos
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8F – Meeting Rahely and New Complications
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8E – Dropping the Shadchan
- Moishe Bane is Striving to Put Spirituality Back on the Orthodox Map
- Getting to Know Your Thoughts
- The Downside of Spirituality
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8D – Asher Has a Great First Date
- Time, Space and Soul
- The Essence of Our Existence and the Six Constant Mitzvos
- Lag Ba’omer, Rebbe Akivah, and Kabbalah
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8C – A New Shidduch is Proposed
- Conquering Bad Religious Experiences
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8B – A New Zman and A New Possibility
- Beyond BT Guide to the Passover Seder
- Structure of Maggid According to the Malbim
- Uncle Martzi – The Son Who Wanted to Come Back
- How I Learned to Stop Complaining and Love Yom Tov
- Beyond Observance
- There Are no Lightweights or Heavyweights … Only Half-Weights
- Musical Chairs – Chapter 8a – The Cystoscopy
- Aish Appreciation
- Can a BT Earn the Right to Coast?
- Purim, the BT and Unity
- Seven Ushpizin…then Shmini Atzeres
Advisors
Rabbi Yakov Horowitz (Monsey)Rabbi Herschel Welcher (Kew Gardens Hills)
Administrators
Mark Frankel (Kew Gardens Hills)David Linn (Kew Gardens Hills)
Contributors
Guest ContributorsAkiva (Eretz Yisroel)
Aliza Hausman (Bronx, NY)
Anxious Ima (Eretz Yisroel)
Aryeh Leib Ecker (Kew Gardens Hills)
A Simple Jew (United States)
Avrahom-Moishe Erlenwein (Postville, Iowa)
Azriela Jaffe (Highland Park, NJ)
Belle (New Jersey)
Bob Miller (Indianapolis, IN)
Bracha Goetz (Baltimore, MA)
Chava Ashkenazi (Ramat Bet Shemesh)
Daniel Rosenthal (Passaic)
David Kirschner (Kew Gardens Hills)
Dixie Yid (The South)
Eliahu Levenson (Toronto)
Fern (California)
Frumhouse (Chicago)
Ilanit Meckley (Houston)
Jewish Deaf Motorcycle Dad (Virginia)
Judy Resnick (Far Rockaway)
Leah Levenson (Toronto)
Katrin (Modiin)
Kressel Housman (Monsey)
Maya (New York City)
Melech (Passaic)
Meyer (Atlanta)
Michael Goodheart (Jerusalem)
Michael Gros (Ramat Beit Shemesh)
Michoel (Baltimore)
Neil Harris (Chicago)
Ora (Jerusalem)
Phyllis (Dallas)
Rabbi Alter Klein (Bet Shemesh)
Rabbi Aryeh Goldman (Melbourne)
Rabbi Bentzion Shafier (Monsey)
Rabbi David Schallheim (Jerusalem)
Rabbi Daniel Travis (Har Nof)
Rabbi Dovid Schwartz (Brooklyn)
Rabbi Label Lam (Monsey)
Rabbi Lazer Brody (Ashdod)
Rabbi Max Weiman (St. Louis)
Rabbi Mayer Schiller (New Square)
Rabbi Mordechai Scher zt"l (Santa Fe)
Rabbi Moshe Zionce (Toronto)
Rabbi Shlomo Goldberg (Los Angeles)
Rabbi Yonason Goldson (St. Louis)
Rabbi Zev Kahn (Chicago)
Rachel Adler (U Penn)
Rebecca Weiser (U Texas)
Rivkah (Baltimore)
Ron Coleman (Passaic)
Ross Kryger (TriState Area)
Shayna (Monsey)
Shirah Shuraqui (Toronto)
Shoshana (Passaic)
Shoshanna Silcove (Melbourne)
Simon Synett (Ramat Beit Shemesh)
Steve Brizel (Kew Gardens Hills)
Susanne Goldstone (Washington Heights)
William Kolbrener (East Coast)
Yaakov Astor (Monsey)
Yaakov Eric Ackland (East Coast)
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