The permission not to make Aliyah applies only to the greatest Rabbis of the generation. How is that?
By seating the elders at the front of the synagogue, the entire congregation bestows honor upon the Torah and its Sages. Although we find various communities that practiced not seating the rabbis in the “east," it is proper to return to the original custom-in order to honor the Torah and increase its influence.
‘If you accept the ordinances, there will be peace amongst you, and you will then merit to acquire the Torah.’
A daughter's memorial tribute to her mother z"l, written as the saga of going through one's parents' home after their passing.
Tens of thousands of IDF reservist soldiers are experiencing feelings not unlike those of the Israelites leaving Sinai. How does the Torah deal with this?
Young religious Zionist Torah scholars connect the Torah Reading with the Land of Israel.
“The progress of human knowledge, and all of the results of human inventions - is all the work of God."
The Iranians are suffering from obsessive, compulsive hatred of the Jews and of Israel and do not hide their intention of using any and every means to eradicate the lives of 8 million Jews in Israel. Is it wise to wait and see?!
What is the difference between a G-d Who listens and a G-d Who partners?
When my reptilian brain goes wild, I need to help it see its owner.
Parshat Shekalim itself revolves around the half-shekel - a modest, equal contribution required of every individual, rich and poor alike, toward the communal service.
Shabbat Shekalim is the first of five special Shabbatot, over seven weeks.
This Shabbat, in addition to reading the parsha of Mishpatim, we will read the haftarah for Shekalim.
We cannot undo what has been lost. We cannot remove the pain from the bereaved. But we are commanded not to add to it.
Shabbat is not merely another commandment; it is an eternal sign of the covenant between God and Israel.
The ancient moral Torah laws on relations with young women form a stark contrast to the actions of progressive liberal Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Herbert Wexner.
To treat G-d’s creatures with justice and compassion is to affirm, through our daily conduct, that the world and humanity are the handiwork of Hashem.
King Yehoash shows us that Lasting institutions are built not through transactions, but through trust.
Does this commandment have any practical application, as do the other commandments of the parashah?
Should we have fought differentlY?
Thank God, we merit to see more and more people returning to tradition, and the day is not far when the entire people will return to its roots, and through this we will be fruitful and multiply from within - and from without, through a great aliyah.
To recite the Hallel prayer of thanksgiving or not to recite it, that is NOT the question.
To fully grasp the concept of the Return, one must consider it in all its dimensions and at all of its levels.
Speech given at Mizrachi Melbourne this past Shabbat.
Humbling ourselves before G-d means strengthening ourselves before others.
Why does it say ‘they journeyed from Rephidim and arrived in the desert’? After all, we know they were iin Rephidim beforehand from previous verses.
How did Moses first present the Torah and its laws to Israel?
How does the holiness of Sinai shape Jewish life across generations? The special message of an altar built without a sword or pride, and the deep bond between the Mikdash and the justice of the Sanhedrin.
During the days of Shovavim there are two primary actions, explained below.
Seventy-five years since Auschwitz and after two decades of incessant Islamic terrorism, the mountain is hanging over our heads once again. Wiill the world accept "I am the Lord your G-d/You shall not murder"?
Yitro’s positive perspective of the Jewish people was caused by his noticing the tremendous significance that the Jewish nation attached to their heritage
Israel united as one man before the Revelation at Mount Sinai, despite the differences between each tribe and every individual Jew.
We have two different opinions as to when Yitro joined, and Zipporah rejoined, the Children of Israel: shortly before the Giving of the Torah, or shortly after it.
The crucial difference between Marah and Sinai.
G-d will tolerate many things from His servants. Becoming a prosecutor of Israel is not one of them.
The Torah records Yitro’s actions because they contain important lessons for all of us.
One can see in Seudat Yitro, celebrated by Tunisian Jews on the Thursday before Shabbat Parashat Yitro, an invitation to reconsider the boundaries of belonging and the possibility of lending an ear to wisdom that comes from outside.
Jewish life has evolved into a kaleidoscope of concepts, values, commentaries, hopes, halakhic decisions, conflicts, etc., where everyone is so sure of himself, but no one really has it right.
In the book “Eight Journals" Yaacov David Shulman has succeeded in remaining faithful to the Hebrew text while capturing the poetic style of Rabbi Kook’s often intricate prose.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life. It has revolutionized the way we think about G -d the human soul, the world and our place in it.
The Torah commanded every Jew to write a Torah scroll for himself. From the time that it was permitted to write the Oral Torah, the commandment is fulfilled through purchasing the books by means of which one actually studies Torah. Databases do not count as books.
“Rabbi," Rabbi Gold asked of Rav Kook, “why were you so deeply moved by the planting of a single tree?
A person should approach military service with the understanding that it is a mitzva-one that overrides even considerations of danger to life, a mitzva whose value is beyond measure, no matter what his placement is.
The trees, except for the almond, look bare and bleak on Tu B'Shvat, but the sap is already rising inside. An important corollary for our personal and national lives.
Rabbi Abba said: you have no clearer sign of the End than this, as it is said: ‘But you, mountains of Israel, you shall give forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel…
How hard is it to earn a living? As hard as building a marriage?
We only celebrate the Rosh Hashanah of trees, but not of other plants or even tree saplings. Why are trees more important than other vegetation?
Moshe’s retrieving of the body of Yosef would thereby serve as the cog in the wheel that would prepare Am Yisrael’s next leader, Yehoshua, after Moshe’s passing 40 years later.
Why does Jewish Law oppose men listening to a female singer? And why, then, did Miriam and the Israelite women sing at the Red Sea?
Let’s listen to what our children say. Often, they just comment on things. They say sweet nothings. But sometimes there’s something really perceptive. Like Miriam.
The story of the man who led Israel to victory, who defeated the enemy nations who were oppressing us - and never requested recognition.
In the name of all the citizens of the state, we express our gratitude to G-d who gave the government leaders the fortitude to withstand the heavy pressure and well-financed demonstrations and did not agree to endanger civilians in order to free the hostages.
The month of Shevat symbolizes a stage that focuses on the tree itself before the actual growth of the fruits.
The authority responsible for security in our beloved Land is the Israel Defense Forces - and only the IDF. Or the police. No private individual is permitted to take the law into his own hands.
The Prophetess Devora asks the tribes who did not join the fight against Sisera's forces when Israel was under threat, where were you? This is the question that many in Israel must now confront honestly. And it has nothing to do with the fact that the Israelites won without those tribes.
My sense is that many contemporary Jews, especially those who would identify as “liberal," might not be entirely comfortable with Moses' Song of the Sea. It is not in sync with a mindset that views war as an evil that “never solves anything." What is Judaism's view?
You fight-but not with fear. You fight with trust, knowing that the outcome is in His hands alone.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life. It has revolutionized the way we think about G -d the human soul, the world and our place in it.
Why did Hashem cause the Israelites to worry about lack of water, and - further - bring them to a place of bitter waters?
