Jan 26, 2020

Raize Guttman 01-26-20 (29 Tevet 5780)

Monday is Rosh Chodesh Shevat, so today in our class we give over some Hashem Loves Me stories.




*With apologies, please note that today we experienced some technical difficulties in connecting to and recording our class.

Jan 19, 2020

Raize Guttman 01-19-20 (22 Tevet 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah - Chapter 24 - Verses 61-64

This week in our Parsha we see Rivka, her maidens and her entourage traveling from her homeland to Canaan. As she is passing on the road, she saw Yitzchak for the first time (davening in the field). “Rivka fell from the camel” (vatipol me-al hagamal) from seeing him for the first time. Raize addresses the question of what the Torah means when it speaks of Rivka “falling".

Also, the Torah mentions when Yitzhak lifted up his eyes, he only saw camels were coming. The Torah does not mention that he saw Rivka, his new wife and her entourage. Yitzhak was such a tzadik that he chose where to put his eyes, and chose what to see.

Jan 12, 2020

Raize Guttman 01-12-20 (15 Tevet 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah - Chapter 24 - Verses 58-60

Laban (Rivka's brother) seemingly blesses Rivka by saying you should become this great nation and may your offspring inherit the gates of your enemies. Meaning, your offspring should be very successful, they should be on the upper hand, rather than the lower side.

However, these famous words said by Laban were not a blessing. Rashi says Laban was trying give Rivka a curse. When a person checks out a girl for marriage, you are supposed to check out the brothers of the girl. Often times, the children will turn out like her brothers. So in essence, he was actually cursing her. He is saying, so should you children be wicked like me!


Jan 5, 2020

Raize Guttman 01-05-20 (08 Tevet 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah - Chapter 24 - Verses 52-57

Eliezer falls to the ground to prostrate himself. And now he wants to go home to his master.

Rashi tells us from here we learn out when you hear good news, you have to thank Hashem. How often do things fly right over our heads? We give the gratitude we feel a quarter a second of thought and we are onto the next thing. We don’t truly take the time to thank Hashem. Thankfulness and gratitude is the way of life for a Jew.

Rivka withstood all of the illicit behavior that happened in her home growing up. From this we learn that the actions of our matriarchs and patriarchs in Torah are a sign for all our years in exile. Hashem knew that the Jewish people would go into exile and that the Jewish people would be exposed to such shmutz and filth and he gave our matriarch’s and patriarch’s special powers that they would be able to pass down to us.

They asked Rivka if she wanted to go and get married. We learn from this that before you marry a girl off, you have to ask her opinion. Even in the most Chassidish shidduchim you must ask the girl.