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Ari Shishler

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Jun 29, 2018, 2:27 PM

Love trumps hate, right?

Intense emotions can make us lose our minds. People crack their knuckles punching walls in rage. A flaming faribel, ignited by an overreaction to a relatively minor offense, can destroy a friendship or a family. It makes no sense. Love makes no...

Jun 22, 2018, 3:52 PM

Excuse me, are you Jewish?

You're causally walking down 5th Avenue, Manhattan, when a short kid in an over-sized fedora steps into your path and asks, "Excuse me, are you Jewish?". He's using the universal call-sign of Chabadniks and he'd like you to put...

Mar 27, 2018, 3:08 PM

There’s nothing comfortable about Pesach

Happy Pesach- the festival you love to hate. It would not be Pesach without some healthy kvetching and complaining about the stress of preparation, the cost of product and the food (either because we find it inedible or because...

Dec 29, 2017, 2:48 PM

How about personal ‘day of rage’?

Rage room at Battle Sport, 2016. (YouTube)

It turns out that you're not doing anyone any favors when you encourage 'getting your aggression out'

Oct 27, 2017, 3:58 PM

The problem is the voices in your head

It seems that Shabbos is working anymore. Don't set the cholent cops on me just yet- I'll explain. Shabbos is meant to refresh and rejuvenate us, right? It's our chance to slow down, breathe, reconnect and return to the "world" refreshed. Well,...

Aug 13, 2017, 6:18 PM

Are giraffes vegan?

Jengo the giraffe on February 5, 2015. (photo credit: Courtesy)

On safari, watching the animals doing what animals are born to do

Aug 13, 2017, 12:04 AM

The (big) little things

We last week celebrated our second son's barmitzvah over a spectacular weekend, overflowing with nachas and filled with song. A personal simcha always lifts the soul. My wife and I had looked forward to our son's Torah reading, the grand family get-together...

Jul 30, 2017, 8:24 AM

Give this to your child instead of a smartphone

"Does your school provide iPads in the classroom?" It sounded more like an accusation than a question and I was on the back foot. My mind scrambled to defend Jewish Orthodoxy from the scathing accusation of non-progressiveness, but I realised I would...

Jul 24, 2017, 11:39 PM

The status quo has got to go

"Status Quo". Sound like predictable stability or a sinister reminder that things are not as they should be? The status quo of the Jewish nation encapsulates a legacy of anti-Semitism and the disconnection of Jews from our holiest site. Worse, it constitutes the disconnection of...

Jul 24, 2017, 12:05 AM

What, me blog? You must be kidding! 11 years ago, I started dabbling on Blogger, hoping that everybody -- and nobody -- would read my musings. I still believe that it's high-risk to entrust Jewish philosophy, insight and inspiration -- traditionally the preserve of...

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About Me

Rabbi Shishler together with his wife, Naomi and their eight children, runs Chabad of Strathavon in Sandton, South Africa. Rabbi Shishler is a popular teacher who regularly lectures around the globe. he hosts a weekly radio show in South Africa and is the rabbi of Facebook's largest Ask the Rabbi group.