Nitzotzos: Thoughts to keep your spark alive

Vayera

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Vayera - Are You A Bread Person Or A Salt Person (Achdus Event - Tomer Devorah and Sharfmans)

In this shiur, delivered at the Achdus Event with Tomer Devorah and Sharfmans, Rav Burg explores why Lots wife turns into salt and why we continue to make it a part of our Yiddishkeit today. The difference between drawing towards and drawing from is subtle but the implications are enormous in terms of the way that we treat other people.

Vayera - What You Learn When Your Back Is Up Against The Wall

This shmooze, sponsored by Smilesforthekids.com and delivered in Mevaseret, addresses the Kiruv methodology of Avraham Avinu. Why does Avraham Avinu seemingly coerce people into acknowledging Hashem? Is that helpful? Does it create meaningful and lasting change? In this shiur, based on a sicha from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Burg speaks about how sometimes we have to face the hard truth in order to unlock who we really are and what we really believe.

Lech Lecha - Be Fascinating

In this shiur, delivered in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explores the difference between the generation that built Migdal Bavel and Avraham Avinu. The juxtaposition of the two clearly indicates that the fundamental mission of the Jew is to be uniquely themselves. Only when we serve Hashem according to the unique nature of our soul can we say that we are truly serving Hashem. And when we do we are fascinating people.

Achdus Event - (Mevaseret and Aish Gesher) A Torah of Unity

In a tremendous display of Achdus in these difficult times, Mevaseret and Aish Gesher joined together for a morning seder. Rav Burg addressed both Yeshivas in an opening shmooze on the topic of Rav Chanina ben Tradyon's tragic death. As he is leaving this world, Rav Chanina ben Tradyon reveals the secret of Klal Yisrael's ultimate victory.

Achdus event

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Noach - Finding an Inner Strength Amidst the Flood

This shiur, delivered in Yeshivat HaKotel for the newly formed Acheinu program, explores the nature of the world pre-flood and post-flood. Pre-flood the world received its Godliness from Hashem whereas post-flood the world discovered its Godliness from within. This change was brought about through two mechanisms: 1. the flood 2. the Teiva. The flood of life destroys all of our toxic systems and the Teiva is where we discover our inner strength.

Noach - Getting ready to leave the Teiva

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Noach - Leaving the Teiva, Returning to the Vulnerability of Life

Noach would not leave the Teiva until the dove returned with an olive leaf in his mouth. But where would a dove get an olive leaf from? The Medrash provides us with two solutions: Gan Eden or Eretz Yisrael. What is the inner meaning of retrieving an olive leaf from these two places? In this shiur, Rav Burg explores how we can return to our lives after the flood of destruction. How do we know that it is safe to leave the Teiva? When we discover that our inner essence is untainted, the essenti...

Noach - The Teiva as a model for the Jewish home

This shiur, delivered in Tomer Devorah, explores the specific dimensions and design of the Teiva as a model for what a Jewish home ought to look like.

Bereishis - Making Light Out of the Darkness

In this shiur, delivered in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explores the first several pesukim of Bereishis in an effort to understand these difficult times that we are living in.

Bereishis

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Chizzuk in These Difficult Times (bonus: how to talk to your children about the war with Hamas)

In this shiur, delivered in the Lubat home in RBS Hey and on zoom, Rav Burg provides Divrei Chizzuk for the community. Focusing in on the spiritual nature of what it means to be a Jew, Rav Burg explores why Achdus is of such extreme importance. At the end of the shiur Rav Burg provides a step by step guide as to how to talk with our children about the war with Hamas.

Chizzuk

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Hoshana Rabbah - To Live in a Pleasant World

This shiur, delivered at the Yeshivat HaKotel Hoshana Rabbah program, begins with three questions: 1. What's the inner nature of Hoshana Rabbah such that it has the capacity to override the psak of Yom Kippur? 2. Why does the war of Gog and Magog take place on Hoshana Rabbah? 3. What's the connection between Dovid HaMelech (the Ushpizin of the night) and Hoshana Rabbah? In this shiur Rav Burg explains how music represents the mergjng of the spiritual and the physical. Though they don't natura...

Succos - Enjoy the Process

In this shiur Rav Burg explores the inner essence of the Esrog. In this world there is both process and achievement. In the physical world we only value achievement but in the spiritual world he process is the goal. When we value the process we can achieve complete Simcha.

Succos

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Teshuva - It All Comes Down To Me

This shiur, delivered in Darchei Binah, explores the story of Rav Elazar ben Dudaya, a man who engaged in a completely hedonistic lifestyle but managed to do Teshuva and acquire his portion in the world to come in a moment. Only through taking personal responsibility for what we have done can we become the people we are destined to be.

Haazinu - Speaking With the Higher Self

In this shiur, delivered in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explains the difference between Dibur and Amira. Sometimes, when speaking to our lower self doesn't work, we need to speak with the higher self in a strong and direct manner in order to truly inspire.

Haazinu

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Teshuva - Renewal of our Homes

In this Aseres Yemei Teshuva shiur, delivered at the Chanukas HaBayis of the Lubat family in RBS, Rav Burg explains how Teshuva allows for an expanded relationship which includes our previous misdeeds.

Teshuva and Tzedaka

Delivered on Zoom to Tomer Devorah alumni, Rav Burg explores the Mitzvah of Tzedaka and it's essential connection to Teshuva. Tzedaka is not something we give only with our hands but also with our hearts. It is the truest expression of the Godly soul that we have inherited from Avraham Avinu. In tapping into our true essence we also discover the part of ourselves that is forever pure and the pathway to Teshuva.

Rosh Hashanah

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Rosh Hashanah - Reconciling Trembling With Joy

In this shiur, the first shiur of the year in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explores two approaches as to how we can reconcile the seriousness and the joy of Rosh Hashanah. In the first approach the judgement is serious but the judge is our father. In the second approach we can share the seriousness of our judgement with the Judge Himself and it is a joy to have a place of belonging.

Teshuva

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Teshuva - Building A New Relationship With Hashem

In this shiur, delivered to Aish Gesher for Women, Rav Burg explains how Teshuva allows us to build a new relationship with Hashem. From within our wrong doings we discover what we truly desire from our relationship with God.

Teshuva - A Sanctuary in Space

In this short shiur, delivered to Mevaseret Alumni, Rav Bug explains why the Rabbeinu Yonah calls Teshuva a sanctuary. Teshuva is not just something we do but a place where we live. Only through Teshuva can we build a home for Hashem in this world.

Nitzavim

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Nitzavim - Make Good Choices

In this shiur, delivered in Sharfman's, Rav Burg explains why we need to be told by Moshe Rabbeinu not to choose death. How many of us choose a path that leads to death because of poor solutions that create further problems?

Ki Tavo - Collect Your Fruits

In this shiur, the inaugural shiur Sharfmans, Rav Burg explores the inner meaning of the seven species and why we must deliver them in a basket to the Kohen.

Ki Tavo

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Elul - Meeting the King in the Field

The Alter Rebbe teaches us that the King comes out to the field to meet with us during Elul. What is the inner depth of this Mashal? Why does the King take this stroll? In this shiur, delivered at the first guest shiur in MMY, Rav Burg explains why Teshuva feels inorganic even though it is our most natural state of being.

Elul

Reeh - The Fate of the Many Lies in the Hands of the Individual

In this week's Parsha shiur, delivered at the final NCSY Kollel Mishmar of the summer, Rav Burg analyzes the first pasuk in Parshas Reeh. The lessons explored include: 1. The fate of the many lies in the hands of the individual 2. The world will be a bracha or a klala depending on what we choose. 3. To be a human being means to be someone who exercises conscious free will. Choose your highest self. 4. Choice always happens in the now. If you want to know how you ended up at your destination s...

Great Debates - Should a Rebbe Know What His Talmid is Doing on a Saturday Night

NCSY Kollel ran a program called Great Debates. In this debate, featuring Rav Yosef Hirschel vs Rav Burg, the topic debated was should a Rebbe know what his talmid is doing on a Saturday night. Rav Hirschel argued the affirmative and Rav Burg argued the negative. At its core the issue being debated was, what is the role of a Rebbe.

Insane Story

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A Beautiful Story of Chesed

In this shiur, delivered at NCSY Kollel Mishmar, Rav Burg told over an exceptional story of Chesed in Beit Shemesh involving a family that is struggling with a rare genetic disease. With Chesed like this happening in our community how is it that Mashiach hasn't come yet?

Finding the Sweetness in Torah

In this shiur, delivered at NCSY Michlelet, Rav Burg explores the bracha of V'haarev Na. Only through finding the sweetness of Torah can we ensure transmission of the Jewish mission to the next generation.

Tisha B'Av - Feeling Hashem's Pain

In this shiur, delivered at NCSY Kollel on Tisha B'Av, Rav Burg explains how we are all very busy trying to tap into our own loss on Tisha B'Av but what about feeling Hashem's Pain for His loss. It's His house that was destroyed and only through feeling the pain of another will we merit to rebuild the Beis HaMikdash.

Tisha B'Av - The Five Stages of Destruction

In this shiur, delivered at NCSY Michlelet to both TJJ and Michlelet girls, Rav Burg explains how each one of the five tragedies that occurred on Tisha B'Av further our destruction until we are completely annihilated. But, at the point of complete annihilation, we discover that we have not been destroyed we have been planted and we are in the process of growing.

Tisha B'Av

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Devarim - Choosing a Godly Life

In this shiur, delivered in NCSY Kollel at Mishmar, Rav Burg explains (based on a sicha from the Lubavitcher Rebbe) why Hashem allowed Klal to make the totally free choice to send Meraglim to spy out Eretz Canaan. We are naturally pulled to do a Mitzvah but when given an option we are totally free to do as we please. In this way we can truly invite Hashem into our lives.

Nine Days - Discovering The Simcha That Comes From Aveilus

Chazal teach us that anyone who mourns the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash will merit to see it in it's state of Simcha. In this shiur, delivered to the Nshei of Neve Shamir, Rav Burg explores the vulnerability of Aveilus - the physical loss and the geographical disorientation, and how only through a true mourning process can we come to discover the completion that exists within our state of incompleteness.

Matos - Making His Ratzon Our Ratzon

In this shiur, delivered at NCSY Kollel Mishmar, Rav Burg (quoting from Rav Lopiansky shlit"a) explains why the last battle that Moshe Rabbeinu fought was specifically with Midyan and Bilaam. Why was this a condition for Moshe to move on to the next world? Furthermore, what was the significance of the Tzitz in the battle with Midyan? Are we serving Hashem or serving ourselves? Do we learn Torah in order to pervert the Torah or to do Hashem's will in this world?

Matos Masei - Hard Enough to Survive and Complete the Journey (Staff Training With NCSY Next Step)

In this shiur Rav Burg explains, based on a sicha from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the connection between the Masei and the reason why these Parshios are read during the three weeks. We must live with the paradox of becoming hard enough to survive Galus, drawing from wellsprings of faith that we did not know existed, and at the same time understand that this all taking us to Eretz Yisrael, a time of Geula. The shiur was followed by a Question and Answer with the advisors of NCSY Next Step.

Shelach

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Parshas Shelach - You Are Not Fallen, You're in Process

In this short shiur, delivered at the grand banquet of Mevaseret, Rav Burg addresses the Talmidim for the final time of the year. In this shiur he defines the difference between a Malach who is an Omed and a human being who is a Mehaleich. An Omed can be defined by his fall but a human being who is in process can never be defined by what he does.

Behaalosecha - Swimming Against the Stream of Life

In this shiur, the last of the year in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg addresses the inverted nuns that we find in this weeks Parsha. What are they doing in this week Parsha? Why a Nun? Why inverted? Why do we recite these pesukim at least three times a week? A Jew is called upon to swim upstream in life. To go against the current. And as we rebound for our state of Nefillah we climb higher than ever before, to a place that is even beyond our capacity to achieve.

Shavuos - To Be A Part Of God's Nation

In this shiur, delivered in Michlala, Rav Burg explains (based on the Torah of the Nachlas Yosef) the first several Pesukim of Megillas Rus. Understanding the inner story of how Naomi came to be in Moav allows us to understand the heroism of her return to return to Eretz Yisrael. Indeed from her return comes Dovid HaMelech and ultimately Melech HaMashiach.