Hashem's Creations

What determines whether life is heaven on earth or a jungle? How do we create a livable environment? It all depends on how we live our lives...

To keep the fish in our aquarium happy and healthy, we must follow specific guidelines, otherwise the fish will suffer. Are we any less important that the fish?

I was alone in the Negev Desert, a prime place for personal prayer. I was facing a hill. Upon it was a majestic creature, an Israeli desert wolf (Canis Lupus Arabus). The didn't budge; it just gazed at me calmly. Suddenly, it gave a proud howl that echoed across the desert. It seemed to say, "I'm the chief of this region." I tool my Land-of-Israel reed flute out of my backpack and started playing the melody that the wolf seemed to inspire. The melody came out with a native-American flavor. Enjoy it, and may we soon see the days when the wolf dwells with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6), amen!

In today's empowering podcast, we learn to love ourselves and to appreciate the special qualities that Hashem gives each of us. No more jealousy and no more being down on yourself...

An interviewer once asked me what I most like about Lebanon. I answered: the cedar trees. He asked me what else. I answered: the mosquitoes, between JabJennine and Sultan Yacoub. In 1982, they saved my life. Here's the story. 

Did you ever stop and ponder Hashem's magnificent creation of Planet Earth, with all its wonders like the Northern Lights, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and much more? That vast Planet Earth of ours is only a miniscule part of the solar system, and only one-millionth the size of the sun. Yet, our entire solar system is like a grain of sand within the Milky Way Galaxy, which in turn is like a fleck of dust within the vast super-galaxies that extend beyond our imagination. Now stop and think: Hashem momentarily turns aside from His entire vast universe to create a rain drop, make a flower blossom and help a newborn chick hatch out of the egg. Imagine what He does to perfectly direct every tiny facet of our lives in mind-boggling Divine Providence. Why? Because He loves you so very much, more than you can ever imagine.

You're beautiful. Here's proof in a 2-minute message.

This is a parable about our true source of vitality. A leaf thought that the other creatures who had no connection to the tree had a better life than she did. She wanted to be free and to fly in the wind. She decided to sever herself from the tree. Here's what happened:

Sea Cucumbers are invertebrates from the echinoderm family, like starfish and sea urchins. They look like a fat aquatic caterpillar. Found mainly in the Far East, they live on the ocean floor. Although many humans consider them a delicacy, they are bottom-feeding scavengers who eat anything, especially waste materials. Their 10-12" bodies are tubular, with a hole on one side for eating and a hole on the opposite side for excreting. Let's ask ourselves: what makes a human any better than a sea cucumber?

“If you don’t understand anything about horses, you certainly can’t make judgments about tzaddikim” (Rebbe Yisroel, the ‘Yanuka’ of Stolin). If you love horses and you love Chassidic stories, you’ll love this.

Superficial, exterior looks at people, things or events are always misleading and very inaccurate. The essence of any creation is the Divine wisdom that is inherent in that creation. Once we connect to that Divine wisdom, we connect to the Creator. That way, our insight, intellect and potential rises to a much higher level. We attain fulfillment, success and happiness.

Is there a contradiction between Divine Direction and free will? If Hashem directs everything, like we learn in the first principle of emuna, what's left for us? We find our answer in a most unlikely place. The frogs come to enlighten us.