Mordechai Lightstone

2 weeks ago | mytechtribe.substack.com | Mordechai Lightstone

The famed chasid Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Kesselman once said during a chasidic farbrengen in the 1960s:ā€As time goes on and we get closer to the days of Moshiach, Jews will draw nearer to understanding the true purpose for which their souls descended into this world. In the past, someone might have thought their soul came here just to be a wagon driver. Then came the invention of the horseless-carriage, and suddenly, nobody believed their soulā€™s mission was to be a coachman.

2 weeks ago | chabad.org | Mendy Kaminker |Mordechai Lightstone |Jay Litvin |Chana Weisberg

As the summer approaches and school ends, a world of seemingly limitless possibilities for enrichment, education and entertainment present themselves for our children. Unique among the options, however, are the opportunities afforded by attending a Jewish summer camp. In recent years, countless studies have shown that the informal, experiential education provided by summer camp is critical to forming lasting Jewish bonds and beacons of Jewish identity for young children.

3 weeks ago | mytechtribe.substack.com | Mordechai Lightstone

The Talmud shares a fascinating conversation between Moses and G-d when he ascended on High to receive the Torah. There he saw the sublime letters of the Torah, how G-d, as it were, tied the crowns that sit atop each letter. ā€œMoses said before G-d: Master of the Universe, who is preventing You from giving the Torah without these additions?

4 weeks ago | mytechtribe.substack.com | Mordechai Lightstone

The Holiday of Shavuot begins after Shabbat tomorrow night. While it is a mitzvah to eat a festive meal on every holiday (outside of Yom Kippur, when we eat the meal before the holiday) on Shavuot it’s an obligation to eat one. Seemingly, the holiday commemorating the Torah’s giving should be focused on spiritual matters - not the corporal pleasure of a physical meal. The reason for this unique obligation is connected to the very nature of the Torah itself.

1 month ago | mytechtribe.substack.com | Mordechai Lightstone

A pair of rabbinical students was traveling across America in the 1940s. They met an older Jewish gentleman in the Midwest, spoke to him, helped him put on Tefillin and then bid him farewell. “May I asked you a question?” the older gentleman said. “Many rabbis come and visit me, and when they leave they always ask for a check. I know it’s the real reason they came, and I’m happy to oblige.