What’s So Great About Failure? By Tzvi Freeman We need failure. The world is designed in such a way that people can fail—and fail so often. So often that at times it seems there is more failure than success. We all need failure. Failure, you see, is the only way you can fall out of the script. Yes, that’s frightening. […]

Dear All, A fantastic time was had by all over Simchat Torah and I just wanted to express thanks to all those who not only made it possible but really  excelled. Too many people to  mention individually but the Rabbis, Overlander family and the catering department, the Chassonim and everybody else contributed to make it a Simchat Torah full of Simcha and one to remember. […]

The streets of Hendon, UK were lit up with fireworks and fire jugglers, while live music and dancing went on well into the night. Simchas Beis Hashoeva took place Wednesday night first night of Chol Hamoed outside of Chabad House of Hendon, in London. First it started off with a small crowd because of the rain but with the rain […]

By Rabbi Tzvi Freeman For seven days of Sukkot, Jews walk around in circles, carrying an assortment of green and yellow flora. Then, on Simchat Torah, they dance in circles carrying Hebrew scrolls, working up to a frenzy. Did I say dance? Well, it’s more like marching, your hands over the next guy’s shoulders, singing and stomping as you march […]

By Rabbi Tzvi Freeman Dear Rabbi, In general, I enjoy your daily thoughts. However, today’s Daily Dose made me very upset: Everything can be done with joy. Even remorse can be with joy. My son is going through treatment for a rare form of leukemia. Not “everything” can be done with joy, and trying to do so would make you […]

By Rabbi Tzvi Freeman In a faraway land lived three sisters whose mother had left them beautiful long and elegant dresses of fine and rare material. They cherished these dresses dearly until, one day, they heard that in America the style was to wear short skirts. Now their dresses no longer seemed so beautiful. The youngest sister said, “I will […]

By Rabbi Tzvi Freeman Quick: Tell me something you can give the world that doesn’t come from your genes, your parents, your teachers, your friends, your society, your nature or your nurture. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? That’s what the world would like you to think. The world wants you to think that nothing comes out of a human being that […]

By Rabbi Tzvi Freeman Dear Rabbi, My doctor recommended that I take up some type of meditation, mentioning “mindfulness” as one option. I understand that this particular meditation is connected to idolatry. Are there Jewish meditation techniques I could use? Answer: Mindfulness is a Jewish idea and it is called kavanah. Take one page of the siddur (prayerbook), and learn […]

By Rabbi Tzvi Freeman Be Hole Consider the common association between Jews and bagels for breakfast. Myself, I’m a quinoa-and-avocado man. Nevertheless, mentally constructing a scene in which I invite my Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or Daoist friends to drop by for breakfast, my paranoid Jewish soul hears them translating, “That means bagels and cream cheese.” What does chewy bread with […]

The Holocaust has commonly been conceived of as a revolt against reason, the ultimate example of the “irrational,” designed and executed by the pathologically insane. But if reason was the object of the revolt, it was also the chief ally, a dialectic so monstrously rational that it could override all the traditional bounds of morality. The Holocaust was not so […]