http://www.chabad.org/search/keyword.asp?kid=193 Newest articles written by Freeman, Tzvi Copyright 2005, Chabad.org - Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, all rights reserved. http://www.chabad.org/media/images/50/CtRx507451.gif 130 52 http://www.chabad.org Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=558794 <P>The Talmud tells<co:footnote> <P> Brachot 10a.</P> </co:footnote> how Rabbi Meir had wicked neighbors who caused him harm and much anguish. He prayed to G‑d to wipe them out. When his wife, Bruria, heard him praying this way, she scolded him. (Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz writes in his classic <I>Shnei Luchot HaBrit </I>that if your wife scolds you, even if she is wrong, you should listen--otherwise she may not scold you when you really are wrong.)</P> <P>Bruria said, "King David wrote,<co:footnote> <P> Psalms 104:35.</P> </co:footnote> 'May the sins cease from the earth!' Not the sinners, but the sins!"</P> <P>So Rabbi Meir changed his prayers and in fact, the sinners eventually reformed their ways.</P> <P>Our purpose on this earth is to heal and repair, not to vanquish and destroy. Yes, there is evil that must be entirely wiped off the face of the universe. Most of our work, however, is in searching out whatever is good, bringing it out of the background and into the foreground.< Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=557142 <p><i>Question:</i></p> <p>I am a pastry chef deeply troubled with a moral dilemma I seek your guidance on. For as long as I can remember, professional bakeries and retail outlets have relied heavily upon the use of trans-fats in their cake formulas. Because trans-fats hold more water and air (both of these ingredients are free) than sweet butter, trans-fats give higher formula yields, resulting in increased revenues. In addition, the baker's ability to add more water and air to the product results in a pastry that is moister and tastes lighter on the palate, so trans-fat formulations are sought after by the public.</p> <p>However, trans-fats remain solid at body temperature and as such clog arteries and blood vessels. While no celebration cake can ever be considered "healthy," cakes based on trans-fats are actually more than unhealthy: they are toxic.</p> <p>By resolving to base my own formulas on creamery butter I am placing myself at an unfair disadvantage against the competition Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=555601 Woman 1.0 was a harsh and judgmental version, not at all user-friendly. Her name was Lilith, with a personality as inflexible as a dry bone. Adam dumped that one fast. So woman was upgraded. The problem is, Adam wasn't... Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=546077 I realize that I don’t like this idea of one day not being here anymore. Perhaps G‑d and the eternity of life are just constructs of our mind to protect itself from that which it can’t handle? Fri, 3 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=544790 <P><I>Question:</I></P> <P>I am a happily married man. But for a reason I don't know, this past week my mind has been driving me nuts with thoughts of other women, etc. These thoughts are so powerful. Is there a way to stop them? Are there any extra prayers I can be reciting? Is there so extra type of learning I can take on? </P> <P><I>Answer:</I></P> <P>The most powerful tool in all these matters is perhaps the most counter-intuitive. It's called "<I>hesech ha-daas</I>." AKA: think about something else. </P> <P>I know it sounds stupid, but this is how it works: When you fight against your own thoughts, you only engrave them deeper in your neurons. It's something like struggling against quicksand, which serves only to dig you in deeper and deeper. </P> <P>So as long as you are chastising yourself for your thoughts, trying to determine where they come from, trying to convince yourself more and more how bad they are for you and even just remarking to yourself "why is this happening Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=536920 I understand that the traditional Jewish <i>ketubah</i> (marriage contract) is all about the husband's obligations to the wife, but there's nothing in there about the wife's obligations. Is that fair? Thu, 5 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=534097 A new science that sees consciousness not as an epiphenomenon, but as a building block of existence Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=531498 <P><I>Question:</I></P> <P>Before I ask my question, I have to preface it with a little personal information about me so you have some context. One of the most important and most obvious aspects of my personality is an incredible thirst for knowledge and experience. I'm one of those annoying people that can't be beaten at trivial pursuit because I know enough about just about anything and everything to be dangerous and annoying. I also love experience and am one of those people that will try just about anything once (other than illegal things) just to understand and feel what it is. I am also a reform Jew. </P> <P>Because of my thirst for knowledge, I have recently started reading books on Wicca and Witchcraft. I then started reading what is generally considered the foremost authority on magic for practicing magicians. This is not a book on black magic and actually is very serious about teaching people only to practice white magic. I figured I wanted to try it out to see if it works Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=530017 I know that there are many logical proofs for the truth of Judaism. But at the end of the day, how do you know that yours is the right way? What makes you so sure? Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EST http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=529077 <P><I>Question:</I></P> <P>What does the Bible say about abortion? Is a child's life worth less than an adult's? Does life begin at birth or conception? </P> <P><I>Answer:</I></P> <P>Judaism contains a lot more wisdom than what you can read in the Bible. There's a very rich tradition that tells us how to understand the Bible and how to apply it. That tradition has been passed down from teacher to student in an unbroken chain since Moses. Eventually, much of it was written in the Mishnah and the Talmud, along with many of the discussions and later enactments that were based on these traditional teachings.</P> <P>For example, the Bible tells us "Thou Shalt Not Kill." But what does that mean? What if someone is going about killing others? What if he is trying to kill me?</P> <P>So our tradition tells us that the Bible is not talking about those cases. If someone is out to kill you or other innocent people, you need to protect those innocent lives, even if it means killing the murdere Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EST