Rabbi Abrams Blog

Do you ever get a cold? How about back pain? Do you like being ill?  Of course not! At least mostly. We don't talk about it much, but being sick has its benefits. You might get extra pampering, take it easy, relax, skip washing the dishes, mopping the floor, putting the kids to bed, and may even skip work! While 99% of me doesn’t like being sick, there is that quiet little 1% that is okay with being sick, even if I won’t admit it to anyone. The same is true for all problems that we have in life, like marriage, money, children, or moral and religious problems. Relationship problems are really just character flaws and blind spots which only become problematic once you're in a relationship or business. All these problems give the benefit of not being forced to work on our blind spots. If we can accept a sub-par relationships or financial situations, we won’t have to deal with our darkest sides! In other words, while all of our problems, called golus (exile) are overall unwant

Tomorrow is the 25 year anniversary of the Rebbe's passing.  The reality that Chabad has grown exponentially since his passing is unlikely, and defied the world's predictions.  To this day, many people ask why no one has replaced the Rebbe.  The obvious answer is because no one can.  But if he was a such a special man, and now he's gone, how do you explain the trajectory?   Chabad is arguably the largest and most influential Jewish movement in the world, and it continues to grow without a leader? In my opinion, the first part of the answer is about the Rebbe himself.  On the one hand, while he has passed, he's not gone like virtually every other celebrity.  There may still be millions of Elvis Presley fans today, but Elvis is gone.  Contrast this to the 100,000 people who will be visiting the Rebbe's grave this weekend to pray and request blessings.  I am the Rebbe's employee, and I send a report every month of what I've done.  The Rebbe has his way of