Judaism

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Vayeishev: Joseph's complete trust in God

Everyone knows the wounds of their own heart, and everyone knows in what places they must strive to become stronger to completely trust in God.

The Parsha and Current Events:

Sudden and extreme changes

Something big is happening now in our world; changes which are on a Biblical scale.

Yosef's two dreams

Selected commentaries explain why Joseph's brothers were angered by his dreams.

Vayeishev:

Where do they need me?

The greatest test of Emunah is to make changes to one’s life when things are going well.

Vayeishev:

Three guarantors

Three guarantors for the coming of Mashiach are alluded to in the three pieces of collateral that Yehudah gave to Tamar, the ancestress of the Mashiach.

Torah Mitzion:

The ancient source of Jewish resilience

Jewish resilience is incomparable, but when we understand who our ancestors were and the values they inculcated into us, we begin to understand where it comes from.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi

How can we bring peace between rivals?

Parashat Vayeishev portrays the dilemma of Jacob and his rival sons.

Parashat Vayeishev:

The impure sources of Redemption

First, how could the Mashiach be the product of a problematic union? Surely his ancestry has to be unblemished!

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Vayeshev

Why Shechem?

Equality before G-d is supposed to govern human society.

Shimon and Levi did not blame the victim

What Shimon and Levi did was extraordinary both for their time, and for the geographical region. It still is today in parts of the world. They did not blame the victim, they blamed the perpetrator, taking a Torah-based stand and calling rape an abomination.

Good, evil, and growth

God created the world and everything in it, including evil and suffering, in order to benefit His creations. Man’s view is narrow and limited, unable to see the bigger picture. From this, we can strengthen our faith that everything God does is for the good

The effects of the Greek confrontation with the Jewish People

A New Era of Torah Transmission. How and why it came about.

Personal Growth series:

Our foundational relationship

Two descriptions encapsulate Hashem’s relationship with our world.

Watch: Tanya video lecture on Igeret Hakodesh

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.

Matan Emunah Essay:

Kislev: On the Path of Love

Chanukah is a time to strengthen the positive energy in the home, as the mitzvah is emphasized as נר איש וביתו (Shabbat 21b), an obligation on the family to add light to the home.

MIGA (Make Israel Godly Again)

Israel and Israel alone must decide to return to holiness and the promise of Divine protection and victory.

When the Nations whisper

Today, we can see how Israel represents both tremendous power and military and moral might, as well as its antithesis, vulnerability and frailty.

Decline of the West in the Book of Ovadia

Yes, Esav rises high up to the top of the ladder, but eventually Hashem orchestrates his fall. It was prophesied then and it is happening before our eyes.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayishlach: Pillars and sanctuaries

Why does it matter whether the worshippers gather around a pillar outside or pray inside a sanctuary? 

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

G-d listens when we rely on Him alone

Precisely when a person sees himself in great need, after exhausting his actions and efforts, he must strengthen his faith, with a clear understanding that salvation is expected to come.

Vayishlach:

Yisrael has risen to rebirth

Girded with Torah, ever-stronger Emunah, and physical prowess graced from Above, we will march onward to complete Redemption.

Rachel's last lecture

Why did Jacob and Rachel argue about a name moments before her death?

Eretz Yisrael in the Parsha:

Buying a portion of the Land

Young,Religious Zionist Torah scholars connect the weekly Torah reading to love of Eretz Yisrael.

Vayishlach:

Redeeming captives

Did Shimon and Levi over-react by massacring Shechem and his entire city?

Torah Mitzion: Vayishlach

The alienating capitalist

The polite rejection of any gift has a caveat. By rejecting the gift, we also reject the expected interaction expressed by the giving party.

What will our monuments look like?

A person’s l.egacy is not confined to a physical marker

Vayishlach:

Do you have everything?

The truth is that no one person can have everything.

Vayishlach:

Do you have plenty?

The wicked, in their own eyes, consider themselves to be tzaddikim, and that all that is given to them is their due.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayishlach: Won't you be my neighbor?

Esav sought to escape Yaakov's influence.

Parshat Vayishlach:

Sciatic nerve - or loss of nerve?

The story of Jacob and the angel points to a time when the Jewish people will stand at the edge of return to their ancestral homeland, but hesitate to take the final step.

Haftarah Parashat Vayishlach:

Brothers reunite

By acknowledging our shared history, we can and must begin to build bridges instead of walls.

Content of the Divine Revelation

All Divine revelations to the patriarchs dealt with establishing the people of Israel – that they would multiply, inherit the Land, and bring blessing to all peoples. Blessed are the soldiers fighting with self-sacrifice and defending the people and the Land. The Levites and priests participated in Israel’s wars.

Invitation to Greatness

The gleam in Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook's eyes sparkled with extra warmth when he met with students from abroad who he hoped would move to Israel. When a Jew lives in Israel, his whole life is a mitzvah. A mitzvah which is equal in weight to all of the mitzvot of the Torah.

The writings of Rav Hutner zt"l: Reflections on Pachad Yitzchok

An introduction to the published correspondence of Rav Yitzchok Hutner, by Rabbi Israel Meir Kirzner.

Belonging

"We make a mistake when we think religion is only about believing. It’s also about belonging; and belonging is about community, that delicate yet powerful network of relationships where we learn moral literacy – by being there for other people when they need us, knowing that they’ll be there for us when we need them." - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Truth to Yaakov

The essence of Yaakov is truth=emet, in its truest form.

Watch: Weekly Tanya video/lecture, Iggeres HaKodesh

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.

Rav Meir Fendel z"l: In appreciation

Rabbi Meir Fendel zt”l was a true hero in Klal Yisroel who created thousands of frum homes – facts on the ground. He changed the face of New York’s Jewish community.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayeitze: The rivalry between Rachel and Leah

Even in th. Messianic Era, the divide between Rachel and Leah will continue, with two Messianic leaders

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Vayetze: Understanding that everything is from G-d

Divine Providence guides man in his ways in accord with man’s faith and trust in God.

Vayetze:

Attached to the earth but reaching to the sky

What was the significance of Yaakov's dream of the ladder and angels? A selection of commentators' answers to the question.

Vayetze:

The omission of a blank space in the Torah-the Story of a People

No missing links.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi:

Vayetzei: How do you respond to your dreams?

Our dream, right now, is “Beshuv Hashem et-shivat Tziyyon” — “May Hashem enable the captives of Zion to come home.”

Parshat Vayeitzei:

Yaakov was assured of eventual redemption of the Jewish people

The explanation of Yaakov’s vision can provide much poignancy vis-a-vis a future episode in Yaakov’s life–namely

Vayeitze:

The world’s biggest family

Am Yisrael is a family. We know it’s true. When Am Yisrael is in danger, we all ignore our differences and jump into action,

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayetze: G-d loves, and demands

G-d is our father… and our lawgiver.

Vayetze: Show your children your love of Judaism

First, we must love Judaism ourselves. Then, we can impart this love to our children.

The Parsha and Current Events:

A many splendored thing

To love being Jewish is to strive to be as close to Hashem as humanly possible. And to be close to Hashem means to live in the land He gave the Jewish people.

Torah Mitzion:

The ladder

Why did Hashem send Yaakov the angels on the ladder vision now?

Vayetze:

Only in Eretz Yisrael

Yaakov understood that through the holiness of Eretz Yisrael, which was the “house of G-d and the gate of heaven,” he would be able to fulfill his task of connecting heaven and earth.

Are you yearning for the Land?

Over and over, the Book of Bereshit emphasizes the centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Jewish life. Instead of merely reading through the events described in the Torah portion “Vayetze” in a superficial fashion, let’s take a deeper look through the eyes of our Sages.

Should a parent pardon their child?

A halachic perspective on presidential pardons. Op-ed.

Watch: Tanya video/lecture: Igeres Hakodesh

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.

A lecture about the Holocaust by Rav Yitzchok Hutner zts"l

The pattern of Jewish history throughout the ages is Churban, Golus, Geulah – Destruction, Exile, Redemption.

On the Law exempting Yeshiva Students from Military Service

It is a great commandment from the Torah to save a person in danger. When it comes to saving all of Israel, it is considered a clear obligatory war. The commandment to study Torah does not override the commandment to enlist in the army but the discussion about the government’s survival is a different matter and coercive conscription is not feasible

A quiet Yom Kippur

In tribute to Rabbi Aharon Ankri zts"l, killed in a car accident several days ago.