The Shmuz

On 12 April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Upon his return, he made the famous statement, I have proven that G-d doesnt exist I was in heaven, and I didn't see any God up there."

While we may find his logic simple minded, in reality, he makes a valid point. How can the Torah expect us to believe in something that all of our senses deny? We relate to the world through our five senses, yet none of them can perceive the presence of HASHEM. How can a person be expected to see HASHEM when everything he experiences clearly denies HASHEM existence?

This Shmuz focuses on how we can come to see HASHEM clearly and experience His presence in our lives.

An atheist is someone who doesnt believe in G-d. A religious person is someone who practices a lifestyle that serves G-d. It would therefore seem obvious that being a religious atheist would be a contradiction in terms. Yet not only isnt this correct, the phenomenon of religious atheists is far more prevalent than we realize.

This Shmuz focuses us on some of the bedrock foundations of our religion and some of the strange experiences that result from living a life unexamined.

Hot, hotter, hottest. Fast, faster, fastest. In the English language we distinguish between the adjective, a descriptive word, and the superlative, an adjective taken to its extreme. Yet when we think about wealth, that distinction somehow gets lost. If I am not as rich as Bill Gates, then I am not rich.

While the Torah does not guarantee that any individual will be wealthy, it does offer a tried and true formula for a person to enjoy riches in this world.

This Shmuz focuses on the concept of wealth, appreciation and the concept of being rich.

Eleanor Roosevelt has been credited with saying, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." The reality is that most of the battles that we fight are based on complex constructions -- created by us. Whether they be issues of misunderstanding other's motives, or our fight with passions and desire, or understanding our place in the universe - our fights and battles are very real to us.

Yet, when you try to explain them to others we often find, many people can't even identify with the challenge nor understand the temptation.

This Shmuz focuses on the fight of our generation, and the very powerful psychological forces that help create the fever- pitched battle that it is.