The Shmuz

For those working with young couples: How to assess a marriage

You're a kallah teacher...a new Rov...a LCSW...and someone comes to you with a marriage issue. What's your next move? In his latest high-impact webinar, Rabbi Shafier re

Lech Lecha: A Diamond With a Flaw

Imagine two diamonds. One is completely flawless. The other has a tiny imperfection. Which is worth more? The answer might surprise you. Rabbi Shafier shares a powerful

The Shmuz on the Parsha: Lech Lecha

The Courage to Be Imperfect How could Avraham Avinu fail a test and still be praised for passing it? Rabbi Shafier explores a fascinating contradiction in Parshas Lech L

Shmuz #325 The Moon Was Jealous

Can the moon really complain to Hashem? Can the earth make decisions? And what does any of this have to do with you? Rabbi Shafier takes us beyond the familiar stories of

The Shmuz on the Parsha Noach: The Dangerous Assumption Behind Every Argument

How did the Dor Haflaga go from complete unity to fighting so bitterly that they could no longer live together? The answer reveals a mistake we all make, often without ev

Parshas Noach: Don't Give Up

Noach spent 120 years building the Teivah and warning his generation about the coming Mabul. Yet Rashi tells us that even Noach didn't fully believe it would happen. How

Shmuz #6 It's Not Geneivah, It's Shtick (Parshas Bereishis)

Of course, we all consider ourselves ehrliche yidden. We’d never steal. But when it comes to the government… taxes… some people “mach shtick”. It’s not geneivah, it’s “sh

A Short Shmuz on Succos: Just Ask for Mercy

What happens when you don't have a good argument for why Hashem should say yes? Rabbi Shafier reveals one of the most powerful ideas behind tefillah: we don't always have

The Shmuz on Succos: Elusive Happiness

The Torah tells us to be happy on Yom Tov. But how can you be commanded to feel something? Rabbi Shafier reveals that the key to simchas Yom Tov isn't pretending to be ha

The Ushpizin: Breaking the Forces of Habit

Every night of Succos, we welcome the Ushpizin into our sukkah. But what can these great figures teach us about the way we live? Through a fascinating question about Yaak

Shmuz - 324 - Teshuvah - A Diamond with a Flaw

Yom Kippur forces us to confront the things we've done wrong. But how do you honestly admit your failures without allowing them to define you? Rabbi Shafier reveals the c

Yom Kippur: The Voice Inside Your Head

Not every thought that pops into your head deserves to be believed. Rabbi Shafier takes you inside the battle with the Yetzer Hara, revealing how it can make the wrong ch

Yom Kippur: Finding the Real You

Why is it so easy to see what everyone else is doing wrong, yet so difficult to recognize our own mistakes? Rabbi Shafier reveals one of the most powerful tricks of the h

Yom Kippur: Appreciating and Achieving Greatness

You put on tefillin. You hold back one piece of lashon hara. You say one tefillah with real kavana. It can feel like such a small thing. But what if the true impact of th

Yom Kippur: Start Talking

You've decided what needs to change. You've made a plan. You're determined that this time will be different. So why do we so often find ourselves right back where we star

Understanding Your Purpose on Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur isn't only about looking back at what you've done wrong. It's also an opportunity to look forward and ask a much bigger question: Am I becoming the person I'm

How to Make this Yom Kippur Meaningful, Powerful and Inspiring

What if the real question on Yom Kippur isn't only what you've done wrong, but what you've done with your life? Rabbi Shafier explains that each of us was given a unique

The Shmuz on the Parsha: Ha'azinu

Is there anything you've done that is simply too big to undo? Any mistake that puts you beyond the reach of teshuvah? In this powerful shmuz, Rabbi Shafier explores the e

Shmuz - 323 - Rosh Hashanah

How should you feel on Rosh Hashanah? Joyful that Hashem is revealing Himself as King, or frightened by the knowledge that your future is being decided? In this powerful

The Shmuz #322 The Greatness of Man (Elul Shmuz)

In a world that constantly tells us our worth is defined by success, status, or social standing, Shmuz 322: The Greatness of Man delivers a powerful reality check: what i