Devarim 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! What is the saddest day of a person's life? Most likely it is the death of one of his closest relatives - father, mother, brother, ...

Matos - Masei 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Can one Can one test the Almighty? Part of what I do in life is fundraising. One time I met with one of our supporters, a personal ...

Pinchas 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! The story is told of Napoleon walking through the streets of Paris one Tisha B'av. As his entourage passed a synagogue he heard ...

Chukat-Balak 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! What is the value of keeping your word? What is the value of keeping Shabbos (religiously fulfilling the laws of the Sabbath)? I once ...

Vayishlach 5767

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

If you would like to support the Shabbat Shalom Weekly, please click here: GOOD MORNING! Hanukah is coming soon -- the first night is Friday, ...

Korach 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Last week I shared with you the Secret of Life according to my friend, Rabbi Pliskin. For those who missed it or don't remember: (1) ...

Shlach 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! I once offered a young man the opportunity to meet my good friend and renowned author and speaker, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin. The young man ...

Be'halot'cha 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! One cannot love what one does not know. If one wants to appreciate and love being Jewish, he needs to learn the Torah and know the ...

Naso 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! If you are Jewish, firstborn, male, whose parents are neither Cohanim or Levites and your mother didn't have a previous miscarriage ...

Shavuot 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! This week I would like to share with you a poignant story about one of the people I most respected and admired - Mr. Bernard (Dov) ...

Bamidbar 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Thursday evening, May 28th, begins the two day holiday of Shavu'ot (or Shavu'os in the Ashkenazic pronunciation). (Yizkor, is on ...

Bechukotai 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! In about two weeks is Shavuous, the holiday celebrating the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. In addition to the usual festive meals ...

Emor 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Mother's Day is coming up Sunday, May 10th on the American Holiday Schedule. (In the Jewish "Holiday Schedule", every day is Mother's ...

Kedoshim 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! With tremendous gratitude to the Almighty and congratulations to my daughter Chana and son in law, Eli Lebovics, it is my pleasure to ...

Metzora 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Until I was 22 years old and started to learn in a yeshiva, I always thought that there were only 10 Commandments. I was surprised to ...

Shmini 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! My father always says that "Free advice is worth what you pay for it." Here is an exception to that rule. It has been said that "being ...

Passover (first day) 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! A sweet and healthy Pesach to each of you, my beloved readers! Q & A: WHY THE EMPHASIS ON PESACH TO BE CHAMETZ-FREE? On Pesach ...

Tzav 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! There are 613 Commandments in the Torah (not just the 10 Commandments given at Mt. Sinai). The Hebrew word "mitzvah" ...

Vayikra 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! The Seders are Wednesday night, April 8th and Thursday night, April 9th. Q & A: WHAT IS PESACH (PASSOVER) AND HOW IS IT ...

Pekudei 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! The Seders are Wednesday night, April 8th and Thursday night, April 9th. About three weeks until Pesach and counting ... It's time to ...

Ki Tisa 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! I once had the pleasure of attending a wedding in Jerusalem. It is the custom in Jerusalem for poor people to collect tzedakah ...

Tetzaveh 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Purim is coming up next week! Purim is the holiday that reminds us that God runs the world behind the scenes. Nowhere in the Megillas ...

Trumah 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! I once asked Reb Noah (Rabbi Noah Weinberg, founder of Aish HaTorah) for his favorite joke. He gave a little laugh and then proceeded ...

Mishpatim 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Last time we explored the excuses for anti-Semitism; this week we'll look at the reason. Anti-Semitism is unique amongst the hatreds ...

Yitro 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! With heartfelt sorrow I inform you of the passing of Rabbi Noah Weinberg, founder and leader of Aish HaTorah. To many of my readers, ...

Beshalach 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! The story is told of a Jewish man who applied for a job as a radio announcer and was turned down. When asked why, he angrily ...

Bo 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! The story is told of a class of students who were requested to write their list for the modern day "Seven Wonders of the World." Many ...

Va'eira 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! George Burns once lamented that it's "too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxi cabs and cutting ...

Chayei Sarah 5759

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Standing in the checkout line at the supermarket one is surrounded by the tabloids and their headlines -- Monica's off to a diet ...

Shabbat Shalom Weekly_

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

Sukkot is the time of our joy!

Shmot 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! I don't believe I have ever heard anyone say, "Gee, raising kids sure is easy!" It has been said that being a parent is the only ...

Vayechi 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! There are so many things happening in the world these days. It's almost enough to drive some people who are not used to praying to ...

Vayigash 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! The story is told of a rabbi in a small village in Poland before World War II. One day the village priest knocks on his door and asks ...

Mikeitz 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Happy Hanukah! I thought you might enjoy a perspective article written by my friend and colleague Rabbi Nachum Braverman, Aish HaTorah ...

Vayeshev 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Hanukah is coming soon - the first night is Sunday, December 21st. It's a wonderful family holiday. After we light the candles, we ...

Reb Noah's Favorite Joke

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

Imagine what we could accomplish if we actually used our potential.

Vayishlach 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! This might be the "slickest" segue you'll ever see: In this week's Torah Portion, Yitzchak (Isaac) dies. After they buried Yitzchak, ...

Vayetzei 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Last week I wrote about Trust in God. It occurred to me that for one to trust in God, one must first believe in the existence of God. ...

Toldot 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! I just returned from a trip to Hong Kong and Singapore. Each person shared the economic woes and fears he faced - and their efforts, ...

Chayei Sarah 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! With what's going on in the world with the stock market, the banks, the defaulting mortgages, there is a lot of stress going around in ...

Vayeira 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Last week I wrote about the existence of the soul and the nature of the World to Come. This week I share with you my own journey to ...

Lech Lecha 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! People often ask me, "Does Judaism believe in an afterlife?" I grew up with a secular background and it wasn't until I was 22 years ...

Noach 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! One time I returned from a meeting to find a Meter Maid (does anyone still use that name?) writing a parking ticket for my car. When ...

Bereishit 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! It makes sense that if there is a God Who created the world and created us for a purpose, that He would communicate to us what is the ...

Sukkot 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! This coming Shabbat we read a special Torah portion for Shabbat during Chol HaMoed (pronounced something like "hole hah-moe-aid") ...

Ha'azinu 5769

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Judaism has something for everyone. If you like to drink, we have Purim. If you like asceticism or self-denial we have Yom Kippur. If ...

Vayelech 5768

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Yom Kippur begins Wednesday evening, October 8th (Yizkor is on Thursday, the 9th). Rabbi Avraham Bukspan recently shared with me an ...

Nitzavim 5768

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Rosh Hashana begins Monday evening, September 29th! Many Jews all over the world are rushing to make sure that they have places ...

Ki Tavo 5768

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

GOOD MORNING! Did you ever want to accomplish something and just couldn't gather the willpower to do it? Now Rabbi Zelig Pliskin has written his ...

Why Kosher?

by Rabbi Kalman Packouz

Keeping kosher offers a variety of spiritual and practical benefits.