As Israel faces political deadlock and America signals a shift in its relationship with the Jewish state, a single phrase from Parshat Chayei Sarah offers a timeless framework for navigating an uncertain future.
Isaac at one point of his life lay on an altar, ready to become an offering for G-d. This became the hallmark of his life: He embodied absolute dedication and resilience, consistent, unwavering, and unbending.
From Sarah's connection to the name Israel to Rivkah's symbolic gifts, Parshat Chayei Sarah reveals the matriarchs' role in shaping Jewish destiny.
The double cave symbolizes the two methods by which the body is refined and elevated.
Parashat Chayei Sarah and some thoughts after a disappointing election.
Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imeynu continue to show us the way to deal with life's challenges without giving up.
Are we going to be disheartened by a viciously anti-Israel political swing on our most important human ally? Or do we maintain our faith and trust G-d to continue guiding human history? G-d's tests of Abraham help us see the light.
We must struggle today so that tomorrow we will not have to mourn our dead. We must fight against this disgraceful idea through every legal means. We must make clear to the public the magnitude of the disaster and the danger.
Avraham showed that he was prepared to deal with difficulties and find solutions, but he would not abandon the principles that were essential to the future of his family and Klal Yisrael.
Trust in God does not contradict the need for human effort to fulfill our Divinely ordained destiny.
When Rashi says all her years were for the good, it means every moment of every year.
An in depth review of commentators on the test with which Eliezer approached Rivka and what its real meaning was.
Did Rivkah really "fall" when she saw Yiitzchak, and if so, why?
For those who are not used to keeping Shabbat, even with the right supplies, taking on Shabbat can be a formidable challenge, yet a growing number of Jews in Israel have embraced this foundational mitzvah.
The Jewish bond with Hebron began with Avraham's own life there, was strengthened by his purchase of the Cave of Machpelah, and became a source of faith for generations after him.
After 16 months of development, a device called the Halachic Igniter has been completed. It allows users to generate a spark on a stovetop remotely via wireless control.
Biblical and Zionist history show that as much as possible, despite G-d's promise, we did not conquer through strength and with the sword, but in a peaceful manner, paying the best of our money for every piece of the territory of our Land.
The Torah is a book of instruction. What was Abraham teaching his servant Eliezer, and through him, all subsequent generations, including us today?
Why is the age of our matriarch Sarah recorded in such unusual detail?
The Torah’s prohibitions assume our capacity for self-control. Hashem emphasized this: “Sin lies at the doorway…but you can control it."
To my mind, we are transitioning to a new age of Jewish - and Human - History and this week's Noahide Convention is part of it.
Women are obligated to broaden and deepen their study of Torah and halakha, while understanding the internal logic of the Torah as it emerges from the Talmud and its commentators.
Modern science helps us read the Torah’s blueprint, revealing an architecture within these laws that we would otherwise miss.
“Is there anything too wondrous for God?"
What began as a visit witnessing a new generation pledge itself to the defense of Israel became a far more demanding encounter with Jewish history.
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.
What if someone has absolutely no interest and has no questions? How can there be a responsibility to teach him?
Yitzchak’s ashes stand for all who have sacrificed in this war - the fallen, the wounded, and those who carry spiritual and emotional scars invisible from the outside.
Read how various commentators explain how Abraham could extend a welcome to his three guests although in the presence of Hashem.
Campaign pledges are easy to make. The harder part comes when the election is over and the cameras are gone. Those entrusted with leadership must never lose sight of the people they are supposed to serve.
A miracle at 34,000 feet was an opportunity to understand the most famous Jewish prayer for succor, but we should feel Gd's miracles every morning when we recite it quietly.
The Alter Rebbe's step by step program to rediscovering the joy of living.
Where are you? At home, taking care of yourself, or out in the public square like Abraham, showing how a Jewish life should be lived?
Rabbi Kook, of blessed memory, stated: “Faith and love are the very essence of life in this world and in the World to Come."
The Akeidah came to uproot an ethical system which emanated from man, and to build in its place a firmly based Divine sytem of morality.
For Meir Kahane's yahrzeit, yehi zichro baruch. In memoriam.
Parashat Vayera speaks to the values of righteousness and justice, the importance of advocating even for those whose views are far removed from our own, and the responsibility to never stop seeking a path toward rectification.
What does the Akeidah, the binding of Yitzchak, have to do with Gaza?
What does the land of Moriah mean?
Jewish treasures stolen by Nazis 88 years ago come home, thanks to Arizona synagogue.
The question is not merely whether we remain attached to the people who taught us Torah. It is whether we continue to follow the derech they showed us.
Women are obligated to study Torah, and the Torah belongs to women just as it belongs to men.
The word “choice," is not limited to the ballot box.
Don't let politics become your religion. After all, do you know who Hashem would vote for?
What is the essential difference between man and angels? Food for thought on Election Day.
The next time you are offered the opportunity to join a new Jewish community in America with glatt kosher restaurants and bakeries, magnificent shuls, luxurious mikvahs, affordable villas, and all the comforts of your dreams, think twice.
G-d speaks to every soul; One man heard it -- and the rest is history.
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.
We cannot afford to weaken ourselves through unnecessary divisions.
Our patriarchal father taught us that parenting is a blend of respect and love. You can’t smother a grown child with love and micromanage their affairs. You must respect them enough to give them their space. . They have a funny way of showing their love during certain stages of their lives, but they always need it from us.
Even when brothers disagree and even if they live completely different lifestyles, their love must transcend their differences.
Regardless of the candidates or the election outcome, we should recognize and appreciate the profound zechut of possessing the right to vote in our own country.
An in depth study based on known commentaries.
For thousands of years, our mother Rachel has accompanied us through our trials and suffering, but ultimately, there is hope that the weeping will come to an end.
Matriarch Rachel's life touches the hearts of Jewish women generation after generation no matter where they are.
Abraham’s journey to the Land of Israel transformed his spiritual perception, revealed the land’s holiness and laid the foundations for the Jewish people’s divine mission.
In denial, the French government refuses to read the message: Today's demonstrators in France are marching with Palestinian Arab flags.
More than once I have been asked, “Why is Eretz Yisrael the only thing which interests Religious Zionists? While untrue, it still must be explained.
More importantly, what is the particular mitzva driving the Jewish nation for the last hundred years or so?
