The section on the Red Heifer, teaching purification from the impurity of death, is a preventive measure, a spiritual remedy for the inner trauma of the anticipated encounter with death in Israel’s wars for its Homeland.
Today marks my father’s yahrtzeit. Later in the day we will visit his resting place on the Mount of Olives The view there is spectacular and you don’t have to worry about alligators devouring the body the way you do in Boca Raton where my parents lived before I brought them on Aliyah.
Just as we are told to take a leap of faith about the commandments, so are we asked to take a leap of trust about life's events. It is easier, however, to take the leap of faith than the leap of trust.
In Chukat, the snake on the pole was not magic. It was a mirror.
Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef visits the Hostage Families Forum Headquarters and met with the families of the hostages who continue to be held in Gaza.
Speech is the currency of connection, and has the power to work in ways both good and bad.
The Canaanite king of Arad had an Amaekite goal. He fought Israel attempting to annihilate them, and took captives. History repeats itself.
With so many men dead, who would tell the youth about yetzias Mitzrayim?
Rashi seems to be saying that the sin of Moshe consisted in his deviating from the command of Hashem to speak to the rock instead of hitting it. But why would Moshe, the faithful servant, not do exactly what he was told?
Is it proper to recite a blessing on the military success in Iran? Is it correct to define what happened there as a miracle?
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 Rebbe spoke out against proposed agreements to surrender pieces of the Land of Israel to foreign sovereignty.
'Genuine holiness is an altruistic striving for good for its own sake, not out of self-interest.'
If we are willing to face a painful truth, we can learn a very important lesson from this. There is no guarantee that a very learned person will also be a great Tzadik (righteous person).
The primary quality of a Kohen Gadol, of a High Priest, of a man of G-d, is his or her ability to transform lifeless sticks into living orchards. In tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, for His 31st Yartzeit.
During the generation leading up to the Churban, the wickedness of women was even more pronounced than that of men. What could explain such a drastic shift?
The State of Israel is saving the world from the tyrants of destruction in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza. Israel gave the United States the courage to help destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. Where does this courage come from?
Moshe understood that this effort on the part of Korach in reality stood to undermine the entire Torah
The existence of the State, in and of itself, is a mitzvah, and transgressions performed within it do not invalidate its sanctity.
Did the intelligent Korach not feel the contradiction in his words?
Rabbi Kook zt”l saw in the mindset and approach of Cain and Korach the essence of a deceptive religiosity — an outward display of piety while being inwardly consumed with jealousy and hatred.
Korach confused what we are with what we should be.
Iran will remain a world threat because the U.S. and Israel did not finish the job in the fashion dictated in the Torah. But we must recognize that Trump made up for FDR's refusal to bomb the tracks leading to Auschwitz.
Leadership is an act of service.
Rabbi Micha Halevy, Chief Rabbi of Petach Tikva and head of the Ateret Nehemiah Yeshiva, was asked why, if we have faith in G-d, we turned to the United States to help in our war effort against the Iranian enemy. Here is his answer:
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 last piece addressed our relationships with peers — including spouses, friends, and family. In addition to those relationships, we should also have meaningful relationships with the generations that precede and follow our own.
Israel did not ask "whether" but "how." And with reliance on G-d's help, that question was answered by its brave fighters, with President Trump giving the final hammer blows. Reading parashat Shlach, we can see that this is what the spies did not do.
The white expresses the kindness and the supreme divine conduct, and the color techelet expresses the judgment that is revealed in the world. About the fascinating issue of techelet, and the deep spiritual element within it.
When we look to the last Book, in the Torah, V'Zot HaBracha, we find a simultaneous phenomenon mentioned as well—a tag-team phenomenon involving pilots in the air, soldiers on the field, and soldiers in the tents.
We should learn from Tzelofchad’s mistake, and stay focused on that which is enduring and eternal, and not confuse the way-station for the final destination.
A message of appreciation for the "B'nei Yisrael" - the children of the State of Israel.
There are currently more than 100,000 Israelis abroad, stranded in dozens of countries ever since this current war closed the airspace above Israel. Yet the overriding concern of all these Israelis abroad is how to come home despite the missiles from Iran.
In discouraging aliyah to Israel, the spies did not have Emunah. In other matters, they did believe. They believed, and yet they didn’t believe.
Tikkun for the sin of the spies is realizing that there are absolutely no justifiable reasons to settle outside the Land of Israel. It's time to take the step.
On the most basic level, the Sin of the Spies was that they were overcome by fear and communicated their despair to the nation. The lessons of this episode are very relevant to the current situation.
It’s safer in the Beis Medrash. It’s safer in exile-mode. It’s spiritually cleaner to stay away from politics, from armies, from national responsibility. Just what the spies wanted.
Your primary interest should be to create a pleasant environment for others to enjoy. And that message is in the words of Hashem to Moshe.
Answering an age-old question: Why does the story of the spies follow the story of Miriam's punishment for slander?
Large-scale construction in Judea and Samaria will positively impact the entire country. Precious time is being wasted.
Yes, the desert with its manna and Divine Presence is more conducive to spirituality but this is not the Divine goal. The goal of the Torah is to build the Kingdom of God in the earthly realm with all its challenges
The spies misunderstood the nature of their mission.
“So the king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month — that is, the month of Sivan — on the twenty-third day of it; and it was written according to all that Mordechai commanded…” (Esther 8:9). And the 23rd of Sivan is tomorrow.
If our religion cannot accommodate anguish, then it is not the faith of Israel. But it can. And it must.
Give thanks to God, for He is good, for His mercy is forever.
From the words of the Chachamim it is clear that the Redemption process will never come to an end, despite possible setbacks.
Will we hit Iran hard to simply teach them a lesson, or will we eradicate the evil once-and-for-all? The decision is in our hands.
‘This was the severity of their transgression, that: it was not meat that they desired, but that they desired desire.
We are meant to assist and impact others, and we are similarly assisted and affected by them.
The Torah tells us this very week that we need to fear. We need to blow the trumpets, and G-d will save us.
Whether you are following the war on Fox News or on INN, you are watching the “salvation of Hashem!”
Praying for Israel's success.
In this week's Torah reading: “Rise up, Hashem! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.”
Dreams, Rav Kook wrote, perform a vital function in the world. Great dreams are the very foundation of the universe.
The Iranian enemy is like a snake which bites without any benefit to itself, it comes solely from the desire to harm and destroy.
There are three pedagogical lights in teaching. (A) Teach the material. (B) Train students to research and study independently. (C) Inspire students to love learning.
Our sources deal with the spiritual aspects of naming a child - boy or girl.
A prophet’s words are not his own.
There are times when we must be able to control our urge to criticize.
