Numerous Kohanim and the Levites participated in the wars of Israel. Even before they participated in wars as regular soldiers, they led the soldiers of Israel in their fighting.
The eternal challenge of Jewish leadership is knowing when to stand firm and when to acknowledge reality, when to pursue the ideal and when compromise is necessary.
Rav Yitzchok Hutner's thoughts on the significance of the Maccabees' victory over the Greeks: 'The rekindling of the Temple Menorah on Hanukkah represents a new era of Torah transmission.'
“Peace will prevail in the future,” Rabbi Kook concludes, “when people come to recognize clearly that all of the different, individual lights are truly one single light." And who would lead them?
Why did Joseph go to the brothers he knew hated him - and why did Jacob send him, knowing the same?
Sometimes what I perceive to be good for me could actually be bad, and what I think is bad could actually be something absolutely extraordinary for me.
The many impure sources of Redemption are a defense against the Satan - the adversary, whose purpose is to prevent the Redemption from coming into the world.
The Parsha shows us how individuals can go astray, The Haftorah shows us how nations do.
Yaakov thought there was no need for a future exile after all he had gone through. The Medrash explains.
The prophet Jeremiah brings G-d's comforting words to Mother Rachel, but how can she find comfort when the promise of redemption is far into the future?
The point of the Torah is not that great people are saints who never do wrong. They are ordinary humans who are imperfect beings and capable of serious mistakes.
In this parasha, we learn about Judah, the leader of the tribe that will give the Israelites the kingdom of David and ultimately, the Messiah.
A disagreement does not undo our connection. A quarrel cannot touch the neshamah within.
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.
G-d assured Yaakov that Eisav’s rule will eventually end. All Yaakov had to do was to ascend the ladder in his dream himself, and he would prevent this version of history from ever happening. Yet Yaakov refused to ascend the ladder.
The Maggid of Mezritch's yahrzeit is also the day the Alter Rebbe was released from Czarist prison - and the day that, many years later, Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neria, founder of the Bnai Akiva yeshiva network, returned his soul to his Maker. Here are their stories.
Look at Joseph and his brothers as a model. The spark of holiness within every Jewish soul can bring people back together no matter what their differences.
My Jewish brethren, come to Eretz Yisrael - here you will know that you are alive, living a life that is worthy of its name, in the land of life.
This day marks the “birth” of Chabad Chassidism, when the long-hidden secrets of Judaism emerged from the womb of mysticism to illuminate and transform the totality of Jewish life.
What defines Eisav? Is it the vicious Jew-hatred which has defined so much of Christian civilisation? Or is it the genuine Christian love and support for Jews and for Israel that we have seen, particularly in this current war?
According to many halakhic authorities, the Torah obligation for men is to wear tefillin every day for just a brief moment. Others argue that one is obligated to wear tefillin all day, as was customary in the time of the Mishnah and Talmud.
Read how the human brain-arguably the most complex physical structure in the known universe-reflects the same archetypal numerical framework that Jewish mysticism describes spiritually.
The brit is how we identify ourselves as Hashem’s people and is a symbol of our relationship with Him. And of what that signifies in our personal lives.
“And I Will Remove the Sin of That Land in One Day”
Every human being is invited into a hero’s journey, maybe not quite as dramatic as Yosef’s or the Maccabees,’ but equally holy.
The prohibition of gid ha-nasheh is meant to project a broad ethical aspiration, beyond the issue of how we should treat animals.
“For Israel Shall Be Your Name.”
Standing at the crossroads, the Torah reminds us that hatred of the Jew has never been cured by Jewish self-erasure. It has never been softened by Jewish timidity.
One of the greatest of all minchas is actually, the ring that the groom gives to a bride under the chuppah. In order to show that he loves and cares for her.
Why the insane obsession with Israel and Jews?
Their return is happening now. It is not accidental. It is not demographic or sociological. It is prophetic. And with prophecy comes responsibility.
In the midst of the many tragic events in the parasha, Hashem speaks to Yaakov. What is the underlying message in the timing of His words?
We know the problems. We can preach. We can wish for solutions. But none of that brings change. Each of us must take initiative. Start where we can. Do what we can.
Nothing is more important for the survival and welfare of mankind than the ability of enemies to resolve their grievances and to genuinely forgive one another.
Couldn't Yaakov simply avoided his brother?
Does Am Yisrael deserve the Brachot? Do we live up to the title we hold? Are we fulfilling our mission as the chosen nation?
Do we have the resolve to look past the opinions of others and seek the core truth of every person and situation?
The answer is a function of the country's needs.
Rav Kook asserted that in the era of Revival when Diaspora Jews begin to return to Zion in large numbers, the truncated Torah of Exile must be replaced with a Redemption-filled Torah of Light, of Eretz Yisrael, the "Redeeming Torah." This book opens the door to that light.
In the harsh reality he faced, Yehudah did the best he could, say some commentators. At the very least, he saved Yosef from death. Yehudah is praised for recognizing what was achievable. But others criticize him and feel he could have achieved more.
Reading about Yaacov’s marriages to Leah and Rachel is an appropriate time to recall some of the duties incumbent upon Jewish husbands.
Parashat Vayetzei's Ashkenazi and Sepharadi haftorahs are back to back in the book of Hoshea, but have different themes.
Although I am a Hebrew speaker, I traveled to the USA, in order to teach Torah, meet our Jewish brethren, learn about their strengths and the challenges they face, and counteract the negative picture of Israel in the media by describing the gooness of the Land of Israel.
When someone is in harmony, they connect to the soul's source, which exists beyond the limits of linear time. They operate at the level of "thought," which is instant and limitless.
Modeling is the only authentic and impactful form of education.
Whether the Jew is wealthy or poor, mighty or weak, it seems we face our troubles in isolation. Not during the Holocaust, not in 1948, noy today. Except that we are never actually alone.
Is this the country we have been waiting for? Absolutely! It’s not yet total light, but it has a lot of light.
Each of the three daily prayers has its own special nature.
One cannot deny Mamdani’s contribution to the efforts of encouraging Jews to return home.
When hatred becomes normal, when lies replace truth, and when the “faces” around us change, the Torah teaches us to recognize it. That is what Yaakov saw before he returned to Eretz Yisrael.
These are challenging times for our people, and for all good people.
In the end, they parted, by making a covenant - at Laban’s behest - between them, but what did Laban really want?
In this week's parasha, Leah thanks G-d when Yehuda is born and we thank G-d every morning before we get out of bed.
It was not about Kashrut or Shabbat or prayer, but something deeper and more pervasive.
There is a deep, ongoing tension within Am Yisrael regarding which tribe represents the proper approach to the Shechina, and which tribe should host the Mikdash.
May we take this poignant lesson to heart, and understand that Eretz Yisrael cannot be bargained for. It is our land, and the vision and desire of millions of our brethren, over thousands of years of Jewish history, have always rested on the Land of Israel.
Learning how to live one's life by emulating the deeds and words of a great man, a man of extraordinary humility, drive and moral clarity, a leader who carried Klal Yisrael in his heart.
Jews who are invited to the homes of non-Jewish acquaintances for a Thanksgiving meal should keep the Purim story in mind. Yes, it's your life, but the Torah includes the rules on how to live it.
![Guess who's coming for [Thanksgiving] dinner?](https://2.a7.org/files/pictures/203x125/1204437.jpg?autocrop=1 "Courtesy")
Yaakov Avinu reminds us that wherever a Jew may be, his inner compass must point to Eretz Yisrael.
