Marriage and Dating

In Kabbalistic teachings, we learn that a man receives his income by virtue of the illumination of his wife's soul. He must act like the sun and shine brightly on her. She is identical to the moon. Even her bodily rhythm is lunar. And like the moon, she does great things with the light she gets from the sun. Today's lesson provides a much deeper understanding of the marital relationship.

"Beholden" is a synonym for "grateful". The Oxford Dictionary defines beholden as, "Owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service." The sample sentence the dictionary uses is, "I don't like to be beholden to anybody." An attitude like that in a relationship is devastating, whether it's a relationship with the Almighty or with your spouse. Grateful people are never bitter but bitter people are never grateful.

True love is a bond of emuna, an unbreakable lasting connection between two souls. Whereas infatuation is bodily and physical, true love and friendship are spiritual. We learn all about building a successful marital relationship from the dove...

A lasting marital relationship, what we call a "bond of emuna", depends on the merger of two souls. A true partner in life is therefore one's soulmate, that special person who will share a lifelong mutual commitment. One cannot find a soulmate if he or she is interested solely in a "bodymate". Physical attributes are short-lived...

With so many divorces, something is sorely wrong with western society's concept of marriage. There's a much better game plan, which we learn in today's lesson.

Today's lesson sheds light on verbal abuse in families. Why do spouses disparage one another? Children are the greatest gift the Almighty can bestow on a couple. Why do parents tear their children apart with yelling and criticism? Does a family lack an adequate income? Strife in the home is most likely the culprit. More than anything, let's see how verbal abuse damages the soul. Rebbe Nachman says that if you believe you can ruin something, believe that you can rectify it.

Here's a brief but especially important lesson in marital peace, designed predominantly for the man of the family. A couple came to me for marital counseling. The husband complained that his wife was a spendthrift who owns 350 pairs of shoes...

Here's a poignant parable about relationships, when unthinking husbands starve their wives emotionally and wake up when it's too late...

How does a person find a true soulmate? What is entailed in finding a soulmate? Let's get some answers...

Nicknames are dangerous. Our name is by far one of our most important assets and determines so much in our life, as we'll learn today.

King Solomon (who loved Egyptian Arabian horses like Kasaba, the 2-year old filly in the vid with Rav Lazer) teaches that the key to good relationships is realizing that the other person is unique. Recognize their uniqueness and don't make them try to fit into your mold. This is the key to successful parenting, happy marriage and healthy friendships. It's also the secret to raising animals and happy pets. Once we know that, we can make ourselves happy in an amazingly simple way, by learning the 3 keys to happiness, which we'll do in today's podcast.

The reason people are delayed in shidduchim is because of one of two reasons: either their egos get in the way, or they want something that Hashem doesn't want for them. Hashem wants us to look for a good heart, good character, emuna, piety and modesty. But when a person looks for the wrong thing, they miss their train and end up waiting for the next train and it just might not come so fast. Today's podcast casts a whole new light on the subject of shidduchim, dating and marriage.