Admitting Our Mistakes

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

It's easy to make mistakes. Everybody does. What's not so easy is to admit having made them. Often we fear that others will look down on us if ...

Right And True

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

For the Torah Portion in Israel, click here: http://www.aish.com/torahportion/family/Family_Parsha_Korach_5763.asp OVERVIEW When the others ...

Special Talents

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW We all have special talents -- things that we are good at and know how to do. But it's up to us to choose the best way to use them. The ...

Everyone's Success

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

For the Torah Portion in Israel, click here: http://www.aish.com/torahportion/family/Family_Parsha_Shlach_5763 OVERVIEW In this week's portion, ...

- Using Our Talents -

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW We all have special talents -- things that we are good at and know how to do. But it's up to us to choose the best way to use them. The ...

For Each Other

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

For the next few weeks, the Torah portion read in Israel will be different than the Torah portion read in the rest of the world. For the weekly ...

Profiting Off Others

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

In this week's Torah portion when Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, he finds that the people had made a golden ...

Take Responsibility

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

For the Torah Portion in Israel, click here: http://www.aish.com/torahportion/family/Family_Parsha_Behalotcha_5763.asp OVERVIEW "A tough job ...

Deceiving Appearances

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Our clothing does a lot of things. It keeps us warm. It protects us from the sun. This week's Torah portion teaches us a lot about the beautiful ...

Party Together

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Each of us has our own way of looking at the world, and own way of doing things. Because of this, people don't always see eye-to-eye. When ...

Being a Giver

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

There are many types of giving. Sometimes people give because they're forced to. Other times, people give because they want to. Some lucky people ...

The Greeting that Saved Lives

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW What gives a person value and makes him important? Is it his wealth? His looks or talents? According to the Torah, a person is ...

Being a Friend

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

We want to be nice to everyone. We try to help people when we can and not hurt their feelings. But for certain special people, we have to try ...

Beating Around the Thorns

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW In this week's Torah portion, God tells the Jewish people to let their fields rest and not to plant their crops every seventh year. He ...

Getting Just What We Need

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

In this week's Torah portion, God gives the Jewish people the Ten Commandments. One of them teaches us not to covet -- not to be jealous of what ...

Coping with Loss

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW It is natural for someone who experiences a loss of something important in his life to feel sad, and to mourn over what he has lost. ...

Getting Started

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Sometimes we have a job to do, but it seems so big that we're hesitant to even get started. In our Torah portion the Jewish people were crossing ...

Forgive and Forget

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW If someone does something to offend us, quite often the natural reaction is to want to take revenge and get back at him. But this week's ...

Appreciating Others

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

When someone does something nice for you, it's easy to feel excited and grateful. But as time passes, that feeling of gratitude tends to fade. But ...

Comforting Discomfort

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW In everyone's life, things happen - sometimes big, sometimes small - that cause frustration, aggravation, and pain. This week's Torah ...

Overcoming Limitations

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Sometimes we face things that we feel we just can't do. We think they are just beyond our abilities. But sometimes these are exactly the things ...

Lesson in Humility

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW While it is great to feel good about ourselves, sometimes we make the mistake by boosting ourselves up by putting others down. This week's ...

Seeing Our Special Gifts

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Everyone is different. But each person, in his or her own special way, has something valuable to add to the world. Our job is to try to see it. In ...

The Secret Weapon

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW We all walk around carrying a powerful secret weapon - our power of speech. In fact, ancient Jewish sources teach that speaking properly - ...

Nothing by Chance

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

In life, sometimes things happen that we like and sometimes things happen that we don't like. Is it all just up to chance? In this week's Torah ...

Self Control

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Sometimes a person's silence can be more powerful than a thousand words. We see in this week's Torah portion, that Aaron, Moses' brother, ...

Being Prepared

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Should we simply live for the moment? If everything's okay right now, why plan for the future? In this week's Torah portion, Joseph warns the ...

Showing Appreciation

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW This week's Torah portion talks about thanksgiving, and it has nothing to do with turkey, or pilgrims. It is the thanksgiving offering ...

Judging Favorably

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

We all have a courtroom in our head, and each of us is the judge and jury. Whenever we see our friend do something that looks like it might not be ...

Being Careless

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW When something is genuinely important to us, we take it seriously and are careful to do whatever we can to make sure it turns out right. ...

Behaving Modestly

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

If we've got it, we want to show it off. But is this really the best way? In our Torah portion, Esau and Jacob meet up after being apart for many ...

Following Through

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW A person can have the greatest ideas and make the best plans, but they really don't count for very much until he follows through and puts ...

Being Honest

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

We wish that everyone would treat us the way they should. But it doesn't always turn out that way. We may feel cheated. Does that give us the ...

Paying Attention to Details

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Sometimes when a big new project excites us, it's easy to ignore the details. But in truth, it is the small details that make big things ...

Long Term Satisfaction

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

In our Torah portion we learn how Esau was willing to sell his birthright, an everlasting gift, for a pot of beans! Esau was only able to value ...

The Joy of Giving

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW There are times that people could use our help. At these times we have a choice to make. Do we look at their request as a bother or as an ...

Jumping to Conclusions

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW In this week's Torah portion, we learn the damage caused by jumping to hasty conclusions. The Jewish people were riding high. God had ...

The Kindest Thing

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

We want to be kind. But it's not always so easy to figure out how. It can even happen that by acting in a way that seems kind to one person, we're ...

Dressing Your Best

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Why do people wear clothing? There's more to it than just covering up and keeping warm. In this week's Torah portion, we learn all about ...

To Tell the Truth

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

It's hard to go against the crowd. But what can we do when we know that it's the right thing to do? In our Torah portion, we learn about Abraham. ...

Sharing Our Gifts

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Gleaming gold and silver, precious jewels, and fine, embroidered tapestries. These were just a few of the beautiful objects and materials ...

Ark of Good Will

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Sometimes life can be tough, especially when other people don't treat us the way we would like. But things sure go a lot more smoothly if we have ...

Give and Take

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW The way we treat other people's property, and our own, says a lot about who we are. It can show us how fair and just we really are. The ...

Give or Take

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Do we give or do we take? It's a choice we all face. And it's sometimes hard to know what to do. Our Torah portion, the first of the entire Torah, ...

Life Changing Events

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Sometimes a life-shaking event serves to wake people up, and bring them to their senses. In this week's Torah portion, when God made the ...

Keep Your Word

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

A person's word is more valuable than gold. But it's tempting at times to go back on what we've promised. This week's Torah portion teaches us ...

Being Optimistic

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Every situation contains within it a possibility of success - and a possibility of failure. When the Jewish people were in the desert, ...

It's All for the Best

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Sometimes the good things that come our way are very clear and easy to see. However, there are other times when the good that God sends us ...

Real Life

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

Real life has a lot to offer -- from the beauty of nature (even in our own back yard) to the warm feelings of being part of a family and a ...

Overcoming Weaknesses

by Nesanel Yoel Safran

OVERVIEW Nobody's perfect. We all have something about ourselves that we don't feel good about. The question is: what do we do when we are forced ...