Nov 24, 2019

Raize Guttman 11-24-19 (26 Cheshvan 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah - Chapter 24 - Verse 23 - 26

Rivka answers Eliezers question about"whose daughter are you?" by saying who she is by going back 4 generations to her great great grandfather Nahor (who happens to be Avraham Avinu's brother). From here we see how proud she was of her lineage, teaching us that we all should be proud of ours. For each of us have a great great grandfather who had a beard and a great great grandmother who covered her head. We all come from great stuff. And the older you are, the closer you are to Sinai. We have to remember our ancestors, who are the links in our chain, and bring us back to our great, great roots in the great mesorah of Klal Yisroel.

Raize briefly mentions something from the Netziv from his book Ha’amek Davar which details why Rivka did not have the same relationship with her husband as Sarah had with Avraham.

Raize Guttman 11-17-19 (19 Cheshvan 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah - Chapter 24 - Verse 21 - 22

Eliezer waited to see, and thought I will have Hashem guide me, and show me. This is the biggest test for anything in life. Hashem is saying relinquish control. Let me lead you, let me guide you. Let go of all the things that you are bound by, everything that is shaping your decision and/or how you react.

Eliezer gave Rivka 1 nose ring, and 1 bracelet. These 3 pieces of jewelry hint to the luchos (the tablets) and the 10 commandments. Their mention is very deep and meaningful, as they are connecting the present and the future. This is not just the shidduch of Yitzhak, but the shidduch of the future of the Jewish people

Nov 10, 2019

Raize Guttman 11-10-19 (12 Cheshvan 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah - Chapter 24 - Verses 17 - 20

Nov 3, 2019

Raize Guttman 11-03-19 (05 Cheshvan 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah - Chapter 24 - Verse 16

Today in our Torah portion we speak about Rivka and her exceptional beauty which was not coming just from her physicality, because from just physical you cannot have Tovas Mareh meod . It has to be coming from something much greater & deeper. This extreme beauty was because of her great, holy and pure neshama that was untouched and brought miracles to her, (ie: the water from the spring came up to her). Rivka's neshama was shining not only in her physical beauty but also in its expression who she was in all of her actions. Her beauty was coming from this incredible special light.



Today's class is dedicated to the refuah shlemah of 3 very special GEM sisters. Esther bas Malka, Bayla Shoshana bas Zelda and Tzipora bas Golda.