The newly released book “Exhilarating Torah Insights on Recreation and Vacation” is now available (as a paperback, hardcover and digitized version) for purchase and delivery on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/
This insightful and thought-provoking book delves into these questions and many more, offering profound insights. With over 50 meticulously crafted essays, it masterfully conveys the Torah’s perspective on recreation and vacation. As an indispensable guide, this work will enable readers to attain a deeper understanding of these important topics.
It makes a great gift for parents, siblings, friends, relatives, neighbors, business associates, acquaintances and learning partners. Purchase it at https://amzn.to/3eyh5xP.
Some of the questions discussed in this book are the following.
What role does recreation play in our service of Hashem?
What does the Torah teach us about music?
What lessons can we glean from specific types of recreation, such as sports?
Is there a mitzvah to take a vacation?
What does the Torah say about comedy and humor?
To join the thousands of recipients and receive these insights free on a weekly email, obtain previous articles, feedback, comments, suggestions (on how to spread the insights of this publication further, make it more appealing or anything else), to sponsor this publication which has been in six continents and more than forty countries, or if you know anyone who is interested in receiving these insights weekly, please contact the author, Rabbi Yehoshua Alt, at [email protected]. Thank you.
To purchase any of the author’s books (hardcopy or e-book) and get it delivered to your door, please send an email to [email protected] or visit https://amzn.to/3eyh5xP
לעילוי נשמת שמואל אביגדור בן יצחק מאיר
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Rabbi Alt merited to learn under the tutelage of R’ Mordechai Friedlander ztz”l for close to five years. He received Semicha from R’ Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ztz”l. Rabbi Alt has written on numerous topics for various websites and publications and is the author of the books, Fascinating Insights and Incredible Insights. His writings inspire people across the spectrum of Jewish observance to live with the vibrancy and beauty of Torah. He lives with his wife and family in a suburb of Yerushalayim where he studies, writes, and teaches. The author is passionate about teaching Jews of all levels of observance.
Please feel free to print some copies of this publication and distribute them in your local shul for the public, thereby having a hand in spreading Torah.
Flowing Fellow
On the pasuk ואהבת לרעך כמוך, love your fellow as yourself,[1] Rashi quotes R' Akiva who famously declared זה כלל גדול בתורה, this is a great rule in the Torah.
One profound explanation highlights that the interconnectedness of all creation underscores this commandment. When a person sins the spiritual consequences ripple far beyond the individual. Each sin disrupts the delicate spiritual balance which in turn physically impacts the world. It may block the flow of divine bounty that sustains and blesses the world. Sin may obstruct the channels through which blessings of health, prosperity and peace descend from Heaven. This spiritual blockage can manifest in tangible ways, such as illness, strife or scarcity affecting not only the sinner but even the wider world. From this perspective, loving others as oneself takes on an entirely new dimension. If you truly care about your fellow human beings and their well-being, you would be deeply mindful of your own actions, recognizing that personal sins have collective consequences. Love for others would motivate you to avoid transgressions at all costs, not only to preserve your own spiritual standing but also to safeguard the physical and spiritual welfare of those around you.
This explanation reframes the mitzvah of loving others as more than just an interpersonal ethic. It becomes an act of profound responsibility, emphasizing that our actions are never isolated. They are threads in a larger tapestry of creation, where one person’s choices can impact the entire world. Thus, Rabbi Akiva’s statement that ואהבת לרעך כמוך is a “great principle in the Torah” aligns with the broader Torah perspective of collective responsibility and interconnectedness.