“Another book on the parshah?”

If that was your thought upon seeing More Power Points, then think again! Because this book is unlike the many other parshah books that are out there.

More Power Points will provide you with beautiful insights to say over at the Shabbos table each week and on each Yom Tov—with minimal time and effort. The beauty of each piece is in its brevity yet clarity.

Take a look at the excerpts below from Parshas Bereishis, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Hashem created man in His image… (Bereishis 1:27)

            Whenever Rav Aharon Kotler was driven on the turnpike, he insisted on passing through the manual toll booth and not the automatic ones. He explained that every human being was created in Hashem’s image, and to bypass a human being in order to use a machine shows a lack of appreciation for the value of a person.

Rav Moshe Feinstein was once told that a taxicab was waiting for him. Rav Moshe bemoaned the fact that in earlier times, a person was told that a driver was waiting for him; now it is the taxi that is waiting. The person used to be the focus of conversation, whereas now it is the car that is the focus. Unfortunately we have become so dehumanized, that machines have become more important than people.

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And Hashem saw all that He had made and behold it was very good… (Bereishis 1:31)

            The Midrash says that the term “good” refers to the Good Inclination, the yetzer hatov, while “very good” refers to the Evil Inclination, the yetzer hara.

Rav Moshe of Pshevorsk explains that it is sometimes difficult to determine whether one’s inclination stems from good or bad. He suggests that the way one can tell is by seeing how persistent the feeling is. The yetzer hatov makes a suggestion, and then leaves it to the person to decide whether or not he will follow his advice. The yetzer hara, however, nags and doesn’t let up until he has the person in his clutches. When one feels a desire to do something, and he finds himself obsessing over it, chances are that it comes from the yetzer hara. That is why the yetzer hara is referred to as “very good,” since it is very persistent in its approach.

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…“It is not good for man to be by himself; I will make him a helpmate opposite him.” (Bereishis 2:18)

A young woman complained to Rebbetzin Tzipporah Heller that she was offended because the Torah seems to view the woman’s role as nothing more than a helper to her husband.

Rebbetzin Heller responded, “You have a misunderstanding of what is meant by ‘help.’ You are assuming that the Torah is talking about hired help, where indeed the image comes to mind of an uneducated woman who is paid fifteen dollars an hour to wash floors. But imagine a person who is dealing with serious problems who says, ‘I need some help.’ The image of that type of help is a therapist who may be paid hundreds of dollars an hour. A woman can define her role either way. With the proper attitude, she can exert tremendous influence and accomplish great things for her family and for society. With the wrong attitude, she will feel under-appreciated and unfulfilled.”

Powerful? Check.

Short and to the point? Check.

There you have it, then. More Power Points—everything you could wish for in a parshah book!

Click here to purchase online.

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