Rabbi Guzik - A Bisl Torah

It’s the season of recommendations: Students applying for high schools and colleges; college students already looking to the summer for internships. Clergy and school personnel are typing away, writing meaningful statements about ways their constituents make a difference.  As we...

I recently watched a reel of a mother experiencing heightened emotions after she left a grocery store. She said she ran into another mother with a toddler and couldn’t help but stare. Her own children were past the baby and...

What is the response when experiencing answered prayers? When our living hostages were released from Hamas’ tortures, it felt as if our prayers were answered. You will often see congregants come to the bimah for an aliyah to the Torah...

There is one piece of Jewish law regarding the sukkah that stands out to me. Once the weeklong Sukkot festival is over, how long do you have until you must take it down? The answer is both meaningful and practical—one...

During the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, we face the Unatanetokef prayer: The stanzas that ask us to confront who will live and who will die. As each page of the mahzor comes closer to its recitation, I find myself...

Over the High Holy Days, a rebbe walked through the marketplace and overheard banter between a merchant and his customer. The customer was clearly frustrated. He was disappointed with the price the merchant offered for the product. “C’mon! I know...

In this season of change, we speak often about wanting others to change: Pointing out what others are doing incorrectly, ruminating on the ways others should improve or be better, and even posting on social media or making public comments...

Sorry, slight update below: Don’t be satisfied. My instruction might sound odd in comparison to Ben Zoma’s wisdom in Pirke Avot: “Ben Zoma said: Who is rich? The one who rejoices in his lot.” Doesn’t that mean be satisfied with...

During the Hebrew month of Elul, God is said to be waiting for us in the “field.” This means that God is closer, more accessible, and eager for us to be nearby. Before the High Holy Days, we speak about...

I don’t have a knack for keeping plants alive. Often, I add too much water, or most of the time, forget to water the plant until it is just too late. Sometimes, I pretend the plant will grow in environments...