The Sages teach: “אַל תדִין את חֲברך עד שתגיע למקומו” — do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place (Avot 2:5). This statement is often quoted but just as often misunderstood. The Easy, Popular Reading Many explain it to mean: “Don’t be harsh on someone, because you don’t know his background. He…

Adapted from a parable in Chapter 4, pages 179–180 📖 The Parable: Two Brothers, Two Paths Two brothers inherited land from their father, but neither had the means to survive off it immediately. They divided the land between them. The first brother, wise and industrious, worked during the day as a laborer in other people’s…

A person must understand that there are other needy people in the world besides himself. The Torah set up two kinds of obligations. One is to give from what comes in — from the income, the grain, the harvest. But that is not enough. He is also obligated to give from what he spends. When…

— 1. The Illusion of Parnassah by Human Strength > “However, when it comes to parnassah, a person works many hours, inside the house and outside in the field. He trusts in his abilities and wisdom; and he thinks that if he works a few more hours, he will have more parnassah. To such a…

1. Satisfying Wants and Needs When wealth first arrives, it usually flows into lifestyle. The larger home, the better car, the vacations and lavish simchas—all those long-held desires quickly become redefined as “needs.” A man adjusts upward and calls it normal. 2. Preservation Mode Almost immediately, fear follows: “What if it all disappears?” The instinct…

Chapter 1 The foundation of communal Jewish identity rests on Torah itself. A Jew is not defined only by personal belief but by belonging to a people bound by covenant. In this sense, every Jew shares responsibility for the spiritual and material well-being of the nation. The Torah Jew is a communal being first. Chapter…

1. Extravagance vs. RestraintIt is a strange contradiction of human nature that a man will spare no expense when it comes to adorning himself with luxuries. A large collar, a costly jewel, or some fleeting ornament becomes to him a necessity, and for these vanities he opens his purse without hesitation. Hundreds of coins flow…

— Chapter 1: Introduction – The Language of Metaphor A. Science and the Human ImaginationWhen physicists describe space-time as a “fabric,” they don’t mean the universe is sewn together with thread. When astronomers speak of a “black hole,” they don’t mean a literal hole dug into the sky. These words are metaphors. They help the…

Classical principles applied to the modern world of media, phones, and constant distraction. Why Man Must Work The Creator obligated man to exert himself for livelihood and necessities for two core reasons: Trial of the soul. God gives man needs—food, clothing, shelter, relationships—that must be pursued through effort. What is decreed for a person he…

Two Ledgers: Life vs. IRS The Torah obligates every Jew to give tzedakah not from what he reports on paper to the IRS, but from what he truly receives for his own benefit. Just as on Rosh Hashanah there is a Book of Life and a Book of Death, so too there are two ledgers…