On the occasion of the 31st Yahrzeit of my beloved rebbe, רבן של ישראל, מו"ר הרה"ג מרן יוסף דוב הלוי סולובייצ'יק זצ"ל.
The historical and psychological meaning of Ezekiel's vision.
In what way are the Jews different than Hamas? It seems that many university students and world leaders cannot answer that simple question.
What is God telling them to do? If they jump into the Re(e)d Sea, they will most likely drown. And if they don't?
We are powerful. We are G-d’s children. We can help ourselves. He does not want us to surrender. Remember, we were freed from Egypt.
Follow in the ways of Avraham Avinu - make sure that every day of our sefira, is truly ‘ours’ - that we have given it content, by serving Hashem.
The Torah and Judaism do not hide from the topic of death and suffering and in fact early on in the Torah lay down the source of the problem in the first place.
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.
Young Religious Zionist Torah scholars connect the Holy Land and the Passover holiday.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, quoting Prophets and Psalms as well as the Zohar, explains that the wicked channel their life force from mighty, impure forces that expand outwards for a brief time, following which they are left spent and destroyed.
The Haggadah presents four questions that are really answers presented in typical Jewish fashion. Jews often answer a question with a question, don't they?
The experiences and the commitments of thousands of years are etched into our psyche today and are as relevant and binding as they were as the time that they originally happened.
Israel's first Chief Rabbi: " the true goal of the miracles in Egypt goes far beyond the needs of that generation."
Our Sages instituted the drinking of four cups of wine on the Seder night, so that joy and celebration would accompany all the stages of the Seder.
A series of readings to choose from for your Seder table, offering an opportunity to highlight important themes for Israel and the Jewish people in these challenging times.
"The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind" --Mark Twain.
My annual Pesach essay - always timely - but with a twist for today.
It is actually called The Promist of Liberty Hagaddah, but it is plagued by erroneous assumptions about Judaism's ethos that make it tailor made for continuing the Diaspora.
The legacy of Moses and the Exodus in the Abolitionist anti-slavery movement. Followed by Passover Guide for the Perplexed.
This Passover, discover your true light. 3333 years later, we still remember.
Cosmetics, toothpaste, Passover wafers and cookies, eating quinoa - all the things you need to know for the holiday.
A collection of commentaries on tsaraat of a house. The Alsheich Hakadosh says: This affliction should be considered by us, as a gift from Hashem. Why?
It appears that the ability of the Jews to take the pagan representation of the Egyptian society in full view, and prepare it for sacrifice 4 days later, may have been a greater miracle than anything that had occurred up until that moment.
Private property comes with responsibilities – to others.
What is the significance of the emphasis on curing the tzara'at instead of the person? And how does it connect to the plague of the firstborn, and the seder night itself?
Delve into Rabbi Sacks' digital archive packed with articles, videos, broadcasts and shiurim about Pesach.
What is the purpose of finding chametz that we just hid a few minutes ago? How exactly can we call this procedure a “search for chametz”? The answer is a profound insight into what bedujat chametz really means.
It is a fundamental component of Pesach that the redemption from Egypt – our first national redemption – is the paradigm for the final redemption,
If, back in 1967, you tried to convince someone that what happened last Saturday night would happen, you would have been committed to an asylum. But it did.
Can one eat 'matza ashira,' matza with added ingredients such as fruit juice, on Passover? Can one take his usual medications?
There is a huge difference between cleaning the house for Pesach and cleaning the kitchen for Pesach. Read on.
May we celebrate the individual redemption of each of us, the individual redemption of the hostages and their families, and the collective redemption of the entire People of Israel
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explains how the Pesach seder provides a frame of reference for understanding Iran’s recent attack, October 7, and the vicious antisemitism that has awoken across the globe.
A rabbinical message to Islamic scholars: "Islam must recognize the State of Israel as part of the divine commandment anchored in the Koran."
f the rules of the game have changed, let’s change the rules of the game: Permanently allow Jews the same freedom of worship on the Temple Mount as have other faith groups.
Is Israel's success in thwarting the Iranian attack due to science or G-d?
Every generation has its own reason and some have no reason at all - for hating Jews.
The Torah commands us to defend ourselves against those who seek to harm us, and to use force when necessary to ensure our survival.
Someone who worships idolatry b’shituf (in combination) believes in a Supreme God, but at the same time, also believes in various forces with independent powers. Rabbinic opinions on their being considered idolators are mixed.
The 100th Psalm is part of the morning service most days but is also said when thanking G-d for special salvation. What better time to say it?
There is a better approach to aliyah than spending fortunes to bring Jews from Western countries. Opinion
Israel's first Chief Rabbi: There are two levels of kavanah (intention) in prayer.
For while we have fought for and earned the Land of Israel, and the practice of Jewish life has returned to Zion, we cannot say that our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel are truly free.
If You Don’t Love Me, Don’t Expel Me,
From the month of Nisan, we are taught that it is not just during times of sorrow that we should empathise with others, it is also when they are happy.
The laws of tzaraas are incomprehensible if we adopt the general translation.
Are speakers of lashon ha’ra not found amongst the nations? Why then don’t we find that they are afflicted by tzaraat?
God demands we live a life of good deeds towards others and this upholds the world. Therefore, many commandments in the Torah are commandments of interpersonal nature.
Young Religious Zionist Torah scholars connect the Torah Reading with the Land of Israel.
A quick internet search shows that no other country connects (except perhaps Holland) their Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron) and Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut) as Israel does.
There are three important Jewish holidays celebrating Jewish redemption each of which is the historical template and precursor of the establishment of the First, Second and Third Jewish Temples.
How is it that milah brings completeness? And what is the connection with the Menorah?
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.
America did not make Israel. It did not fight for Israel and it will not save Israel. America claims to help Israel with military and financial aid, but this help comes with conditions that do not serve Israel’s interests. What should we do?
It is the first of Nissan in the year 2448 (1312 B.C.E.). Nine of the Ten Plagues have struck Egypt, and only the tenth, the Slaying of the Firstborn, the most devastating Plague of them all, is yet to come.
The future deliverance can be viewed as “a redemption of correction,” perfecting the initial one.
We pray that Hashem protect and defend them all, but every parent has his own special prayer - and his own sleepless nights.
We look for G-d’s presence not in the life of the individual, but in the life of the nation – what G-d does for us as a people.
We have none to rely on other than our Father in heaven. We must ask for His help.
