Quotes from Joseph Telushkin

the trait a leader most needs is a lack of fear. Many people of extraordinary capabilities are held back by fear, fear of challenging others, fear of rejection, fear of being laughed at or of appearing to be naive or foolish.

Normally, we worry about our own material well-being and our neighbor's souls; let us rather worry about our neighbor's material well-being and our own souls" (Rabbi Israel Salanter).

me, my Rebbe was the geologist of the soul. You see, there are so many treasures in the earth. There is gold, there is silver, and there are diamonds. But if you don't know where to dig, you'll only find dirt and rocks and mud. The Rebbe can tell you where to dig, and what to dig for, but the digging you must do yourself.

hereditary and transmitted through the paternal line. Therefore, a person whose father is not a priest cannot be a priest either. * Though without being as insulting as Shammai was. * An infrequently quoted Talmudic passage teaches that Timna, a female character in the book of Genesis, came from a royal non-Israelite household. At an early age, she became interested in the Israelite faith and sought to convert. But when she approached the patriarchs—at one time or another, all three of

What is hateful unto you, do not do unto your neighbor. This is the whole Torah, all the rest is commentary. Now, go and study.

Abraham's readiness to obey God's command shows him to be ethically deficient by later standards, but not by those of his age. True, God had revealed Himself to Abraham, but He had not made known to him the full ethical implications of monotheism. Since other contemporary religious believers sacrificed sons to their gods, God, in essence, was asking Abraham if he was as devoted to his God as the pagan idolaters were to theirs.