Nitzotzos: Inspiration to Keep Your Spark Alive with Rav Mordechai Burg

In this shiur, delivered in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explains (based on a Torah from the Tzemach Tzedek) how we can make meaningful and lasting change. Only when we recognize that the truest version of ourselves never participated in our Aveiros can we deeply regret our mistakes and make real changes.

In this shiur, delivered in Darchei Binah, Rav Burg explains Reb Zusias five aspects of Teshuva and the inner symmetry of Teshuva. To realign with Hashem we must live wholeheartedly, purposefully, lovingly, oriented towards a meaningful destination and with dignity.

In this shiur, delivered in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explains (based on a Sicha from the Lubavitcher Rebbe) how Hashem relates to us through various channels. Miracles overwhelm us. The natural world reveals Hashem but we remain a distinct entity. Only through Torah can we truly become one with Hashem. Through Torah we can learn the will and wisdom Hashem and at the same time contribute to the conversation.

In this shiur, delivered in Ba'er Miriam, Rav Burg explains how Moshe Rabbeinu addresses the fears of Klal Yisrael after they heard the Klalos. When we realize that we are a fundamental part of the Klal, that we each make a unique contribution and that no Jew in truth is higher than any other we gain a deep sense of being firmly planted in the ground. Armed with the knowledge that we are safe and ok we can confront the ups and downs of the upcoming year.

In this shiur, delivered in the Lubat home in Neve Shamir, Rav Burg explains the inner nature of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We don't just want Hashem to forgive us so we can have a good year, we want Hashem to restore us to the way things were. On Rosh Hashanah every molecule of creation returns to its source, to its purpose. We return to our mission, to the time when we saw through the veneer of this physical world and we saw Hashem. We restore Hashem to His throne and proclaim Him to be King thus fulfilling the purpose of creation.

In this shiur, delivered at Mevaseret Mishmar, Rav Burg explains how Vidui Maaser is the true confession. Only when we know our own greatness can we acknowledge our sins with healthy guilt and not toxic shame.

In this shiur, the first shiur of the year in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explores the Machlokes as to when we begin to be obligated in the Mitzvah of Bikkurim. According to the Gemara it is from the time we settle Eretz Yisrael. According to the Sifri it is from when we first enter the land. Based on a Torah from the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l, Rav Burg explains the difference between rational and supra rationale and how they relate to gratitude.

In this shiur, the first shiur of the year in Ba'er Miriam, Rav Burg explains how Klal Yisrael became a nation on the day that they expressed their frustration with Moshe Rabbeinu for writing a special Sefer Torah for Shevet Levi. When we take personal responsibility for our relationship with Hashem, when we own the mission of Klal Yisrael, we move from being just a family to a nation.

In this shiur, delivered in Mevaseret at the first Mishmar of the year, Rav Burg speaks about Teshuva not as an accounting of our sins but as crying out for a relationship with Hashem. However, in order to do so, we must remove our garments of captivity - a surface orientated way of seeing the world. Only when we live focused on the essence can we connect to Hashem on an essential level.

In this short shiur, based on a Torah from the Shvilei Pinchas, Rav Burg explains the inner connection between Yaakov Avinu and the Beis HaMikdash. Through our Torah and Teffilah, we turn our Shuls and Yeshivas into the building blocks of the third Beis HaMikdash.