Torah

In our last article, we discussed how the purpose of a challenge, as the Ramban^[1] explains, is to push us to actualize our latent potential, to transform our koach (potential) into po’al (actual). Hashem already knows exactly who we are and what we can become; the purpose of an ordeal is to enable us to realize who we can become so that we can then actualize that potential.

I will never forget what happened that night. After going to hundreds of lectures, and giving quite a few myself, I thought I’d seen it all. But I had never seen anything quite like this. To give you a little background, there are protocols for the introductory process of a speech. At major events, like the one taking place that night, there are always two microphones. The first is for the person who gets up to introduce the main speaker. After finishing his introduction, he walks off with his microphone, and the second microphone is waiting on stage for the main speaker.

If I were to ask you, “What is the wealthiest place in the universe?” what would you answer? You might suggest the banks, the diamond mines, or something along these lines. But in a sense, the wealthiest place in the world is the graveyard. Why?

Have you ever struggled to find your unique passion in life? Have you ever felt like you didn’t have a clear purpose? We are often told that we are unique and special. But sometimes we struggle to experience our individuality, feeling almost lost in the crowd. If you’ve ever walked the streets of a crowded city, surrounded by thousands of people walking in different directions, you may have felt almost invisible. We live on a planet with over seven billion people; Earth itself is a speck in the universe. If our planet is so infinitesimally small, relative to the universe, and within our planet, each of us is only one of more than seven billion people, how are we supposed to feel special and unique?

Two Simultaneous Women’s Events to Pay Tribute to Neshei Dirshu

By Chaim Gold

For two nights next month, one of the storied, massive stadiums in Eretz Yisrael will undergo a remarkable transformation; a transformation that screams two words, “Kiddush Hashem.” Instead of a basketball game or secular concert, the arena will become a massive bais medrash graced by senior Gedolei Yisrael celebrating a new cadre of tens of thousands of new “Mishnah Berurah Yidden”: Yidden who have completed the entire Daf HaYomi B’Halacha cycle of all six chalakim of Mishnah Berurah.

We can all understand the value of developing the greatest possible inner identity. But putting that knowledge into practice can be a daunting, difficult task. After all, where do we start? If I woke up this morning identifying as an overweight, intellectually average, unpassionate professional, how do I suddenly become a passionate, growth-oriented, vibrant individual who strives after my greatness? Here are the three strategies I always focus on: