Judaism (Page 11)

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Tanya video/lecture: The Holy Epistle

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.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed

The attitude toward sinners

There is a commandment to love every Jew as even if he transgresses many sins as he has not left the general community of Israel. But yhere is no obligation to love sinners who have removed themselves from the general community of Israel.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi: Naso

The benefits of the Sotah Waters

The Sages debate the exact nature of the positive effect of the Sotah waters.

Parashat Nasso:

The ultimate Blessing of Peace

The words of the Blessing of the Kohanim reverberate.

Our light, not our darkness, scares us most

Fear not your power.

Ethics of the Fathers:

The Two Threes

Shimon HaTzaddik addresses the more fundamental question of why the world exists.

The Parsha and Current Events:

The Torah as a way of life

The ultimate CHOK, which is beyond all human understanding, is the day-to-day lives we lead in Eretz Yisrael, with our phenomenal success in all walks of life.

Parashat Naso:

Turning blessings into meaningful brachot

There are many potential factors that could rob a person of the full benefits of the numerous blessings that might have come his way.

Parashat Naso:

When G-d shows His love

Every time the kohen steps up to the podium, raises his arms, and locks his fingers, G-d’s passionate love for us is aroused.

Parashat Naso:

The sanctity of Aaron

The Kohen loves the people and they, in turn, love him.

Rabbinic open letter on the gender issue:

On biological men competing in women's sports events

A boxer who tested male but last year won a gold medal in Paris as a woman and punched a female boxer so hard she gave up after 46 seconds, has put the whole insane issue in the limelight again despite Trump's no nonsense declaration. A reminder of the Torah view is sorely needed, especially when progressive clergy distort it.

Parashat Naso:

Building continuity

This week’s parsha, Naso, contains a passage so familiar that its poetry sometimes hides its depth: the Priestly Blessing. What is its message?

A pressing current question:

Do we find sanctity in withdrawal or engagement?

This debate is not just philosophical—it is playing out today in Israeli society.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Naso: Is nezirut saintly or sinful?

Abstinence leads to holiness but isn’t holiness itself.

The importance of learning Emunah - faith

Just as certain vineyards and crops needs specific geographical locations and conditions to promote their utmost growth, so too the Jewish People can only reach the ultimate in Divine Attachment in the Land of Israel, said Rabbi Yehuda Halevy.

Ruth in Bethlehem

Ruth is surely worthy of becoming King David's great-grandmother.

Shavuot:

The Torah, teaching by example

The true leader leads by example.

The pathway to Hashem and the chain of transmission

A talk with Rabbi David Samson about his new English series of commentaries on the meditative path of the Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Abulafia. "It’s as if Rav Kook bequeathed to us the map of the territory, and Rabbi Abulafia handed me the compass and walking stick."

Shavuot:

The Crown of Aleppo - holding on to the Torah

The incredible loss & recovery of the most authoritative Tanach manuscript, the Aleppo Codex (Keter Aram Tzova).

Shavuot:

The Torah of threes

'Blessed is the all-Merciful One, Who gave the threefold Torah: Torah, Prophets, and Writings, to the three-fold nation: Priests, Levites, and Israelites, by means of a third-born: Moses...in the third month, Sivan.

Revivim:

The world's existence depends on the giving of the Torah

Without the Torah the world could not have fulfilled its destiny. Laws for Shavuot.

Torah Mitzion on Shavuot:

The voice of Torah and the free heart

Hasidic thought explains that Shavuot is not only a time of learning but a time of heart repair.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Bamidbar: Flags of love

The Jewish people sought to uncover and emphasize every individual’s personal strengths, and thus chose banners for each tribe, but no banners flew over the central Tent of Meeting.

What is Torat Eretz Yisrael?

Explaining the Torah we received on Shavuot when observed in the Holy Land as it is meant to be..

Understanding the 'new offering' of Shavuot

We can glean from the sacrifice of the day a poignant perspective as to how to relate to the learning of the Torah.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi:

The symbolism of the desert

There are many explanations as to the significance of deserts, of wildernesses, within our tradition.

The Parsha and Current Events:

Once the axe falls there is no turning back

With an unpredictable, albeit pro-Israel, president in the US, this is the time to make aliya - do not postpone it!

Parashat Bamidbar:

Why was the tribe of Levi so much smaller than all the others?

Torah commentaries address the reason for the small number of levites when compared to every other tribe.

Parashat Bamidbar:

Make your desert bloom

When we read the Torah portion this Shabbat about transforming individuals into a group and a desert into a city, let’s take the message to heart.

Shavuot:

How to be more than the average Joe

Although we all know that we are merely one of billions, we want to feel that our lives matter, that we mean more than just “the average Joe.” How can we do that?

Parashat Bamidbar:

Bamidbar and the ultimate Redemption

The fourth Book of the Torah begins on a certain high note, but turns out to be the saddest and most disappointing in the entire Torah. On the other hand, it has high points.

Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi:

What's the essence of Shavuot, cheesecake?

In a moving and empowering Shavuot message, renowned Torah teacher Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi shares deep insights into the heart of the festival.

Watch:

Israel's Chief Rabbi shares insights and halakhot for Shavuot

Rabbi David Yosef, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, offers a profound lesson on the spiritual essence and traditions of the festival.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Bamidbar: No nepotism

Moshe didn't use his position to advance his children’s careers.

Quantum mechanics: The blueprint of the universe

Torah recognized the concept of entanglement and its effects long before modern science gave it a name.

How do I find true calm and inner serenity?

A single letter in Torah captures the story of five millennia.

Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan:

The Shlah's prayer

This special prayer, which the Shlah told parents to recite on the day before the new month of Sivan, beautifully expresses a parent's appeal on behalf of their beloved children.

The crisis of faith, its historical roots, and its correction

The Jewish people were particularly drawn to the Enlightenment movement, and gave it their energy and talent. Unfortunately, most Jews abandoned Israel’s unique vision, and stopped observing Torah and commandments . To bring them back to repentance, we must appreciate their aspirations and desires.

For his 10th yahrzeit:

Who's afraid of the "settlers?"

Why should a handful of young Jews living on the mountains of Biblical Israel make officials in the U.S. State Department pressure the Government of Israel to tear down these makeshift dwellings?

Yeru and Shalem

There is much to learn from the name Yerushalayim, which is actually a combination of two different names of the holy city.

Jerusalem Liberation Day:

Hidden and revealed miracles

When future historians come to write of our era, they will write of all the miracles but they will also discover another hidden miracle.

Rabbi Chaim Drukman zts"l

For the sake of Jerusalem

Great and formative events have occurred in Israel’s history, but there is always concern that the next generation— who did not experience the events firsthand—will forget them or lose the values and lessons derived from them. That is why Jerusalem Day was established.

Eternity is Jerusalem

Even today, not only in the past, the eternity and the glory of God are revealed in Jerusalem (Daniel 9) as a result of Israel’s victories.

Jerusalem is waiting for us!

Many of our brethren in the Diaspora are waiting for Mashiach to come and build the Beit HaMikdash. But the order of events is otherwise. First they have to come and then Mashiach will arrive to finish the work, may it be soon.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Behar-Bechukotai: Jubilee - National reconciliation

Why was the formal proclamation of the Jubilee year postponed until Yom Kippur?

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai:

Answering the famous question about shmitta and Mount Sinai

The shmita year reminds the Jewish people that they are slaves of G-d, and therefore everything they own should be used to serve Him, whether land or people.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi

Make those moments last.

D’var Torah for Parshat Behar: Ramban says that Yovel, the Jubilee year in our parasha, means taking something forward.

A Rabbi's thoughts on the DC murders:

Rage does not entitle you to murder

Hey, Elias, if you cared for children in Gaza, why didn't you fly to Ben Gurion airport, cut over to Gaza, and enlist at the local Hamas recruiting office? Opinion.

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai:

Bigger bombs aren’t the answer

The full solution is in the parsha this week.

Parshat Behar\Bechukotai:

Our Claim to the Land of Israel will Never Falter

The Torah commentator, the Alshich Hakadosh, bothered by this very issue, offers, that Shemittah astoundingly serves as the rebuttal to the claims of the Jew-haters and fools that sneer at our right to the land of Israel, and claim that the land of Israel was stolen by the Jews.

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai:

Are we eternally chosen?

Yes, there is an unbreakable bond between Hashem and the Jewish people.

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai:

Shmita as a continuation of the revelation at Sinai

A person who is not subjugated to Torah - but to his possessions and his wealth - can not observe the mitzvah of shemita, whilst he still feels that he is the master of his fields.

A calendaric reason for the attack occuring on October 7th

And a call to rebuild a House of Prayer for the Nations, as prophesied.

The Parsha and Current Events:

Global natural disasters

We might be seeing now the beginning of the period where one evil nation wages war on another evil one, while in the background their countries are being ravaged by Hashem’s manipulation of natural disasters.

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai:

The good news

The Torah says that during the exile of the Jewish people, as they wandered the ends of the Earth, the Land of Israel will be desolate and barren, unable to support large thriving populations. And then comes the next part.

Weekly Tanya lecture/video: The Holy Epistle

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.