The Weekly Mission- Torah Portion by Isaiah Rothstein

Weekly Mission: Parshat Korach (5770) This d’var Torah is written and read (please G-d) for the complete recovery of Shayndel Gittel bat Ayda Adina . Please say a prayer for her in your own words, with a prayer book, or good deeds. There is a story told about two great Hasidic scholars who were brothers --- Reb Zushe and Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk. Both were students of the Maggid of Mezeritch and were known for their greatness in Torah and Jewish mysticism. One time when they were passing through a certain city, they heard that a robbery took place that same day. The police saw Reb Zushe and Reb Elimelech and suspected them of the robbery since they looked unfamiliar. Thus, he arrested them and put them in jail. Upon entering the cell, Reb Elimelech grew weary as he realized that the sun was setting and he would not be able to pray the afternoon service. Because it was a jail, there was a bucket filled with feces nearby. In such surroundings, a Jew is not allowed to pray. Reb Eli...

Weekly Mission: Parshat Shlach (5770) “But my servant Caleb, because a different spirit was with him and he followed Me wholeheartedly, I shall bring him to the land to which he came, and his offspring shall possess it.” [i] It is often difficult to imagine that one person can actually make a colossal difference in the world. We often struggle to wake up in the morning and many of our days are rote. When will we say to ourselves, “I too can change the world”? As human beings, we are terrified and overwhelmed by the world. We contemplate growth and change but when we see something far greater than our greatest thoughts, we retreat to the lower dimensions of our heart. Our motivation for greatness is stifled by another’s greatness. We are belittled because we feel inadequate and are unable to fathom our maximized potential. Because of uncertainty, the Jewish people ask Moshe to send spies into the Holy Land. They were asked to, “See the Land—how is it? And th...