Judaism (Page 22)

Revivim:

The courage of our soldiers

In IDF military service, soldiers fulfill two commandments, each equivalent to all the commandments: the obligatory war of saving Israel from its enemy’s hand, and settling the land.

Yom Kippur:

Genesis of Repentance

Who, on Yom Kippur of 5784, could possibly have foreseen what havoc and turmoil the year would bring?

Torah Mitzion:

A matter of time

Could the High Priest enter the Holy of Holies at will, or only on Yom Kippur? A seeming contradition and its solution.

Shema Yisrael:

Say it aloud

'Blessed are His Name and glorious majesty forever'.The battle is not yet over on all fronts, but the identification of God's glorious majesty is sharp and clear

The Parsha and Current Events: Yom Kippur this year

Our success in defeating those Arabs who value death over life could possibly set off the prophetic insights regarding a future international war between the descendants of Aisav and those of Yishmael. Who knows?

Teshuva:

Hollywood to the Holy Land

Tzvi Fishman's miracle-filled journey to Jerusalem.

A Chazan's thoughts for Kol Nidrei

There is one day a year designed for the soul, and solely for the soul.

Israel’s halakhic responsibility to confront Iran

The Torah teaches us about the importance of self-defense and the preservation of life; Iran’s aggressive posture is not just a political challenge — it is a direct violation of our right to exist. Opinion.

The power of confession

Our liturgy is filled with pro forma confessions. These are not our sins, so we may say them out loud. We may even sing them out loud. But if they are not our sins, why do we confess them?

From memory to action: Reflecting on October 7 and Yom Kippur

How will we remember this chapter of our Jewish story? What narrative will we pass on to our children and grandchildren about that fateful day in October?

Atone for the (Mis)conception

This year's Yom Kippur soul-searching must not deteriorate into a left-wing style depression and weakness.

When will the wars end?

It has been 76 years and it feels as though we have been at war every one of those years. This is not an exaggeration. Op-ed.

The Fast of Gedaliah 2024

The Fast of Gedaliah, held to mark the trragic assassination of the governor of Judea after the destruction of the First Holy Temple, is today. Our Sages said: "To teach you that the death of a tzaddik, a rightous man, is equivalent to the burning of the House of our G-d."

Watch: Tanya/ Iggeres Ha’Kodesh - 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.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

The Teshuva of Rosh Hashanah

When we examine the Rosh Hashanah prayers, there is no mention of sin or penitence. How can that be?

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Haazinu: G-d's servants or His sons?

Only through the combination of two attributes can we fulfill completely the words of the Song that promise: “because it will never be lost from the mouth of their offspring”

The Parsha and Current Events: Forgiveness

There is one scenario which prevents the gentile world from forgiving us for living. It is Jewish boys, born in our Alt-Neuland, sitting under the canopies of F-16s and F-35s and bombing the hell out of Arab Nazis who live only to annihilate the Jewish people.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Haazinu: Looking for an excuse

Denying religious truth is often convenient.

Approaching two Holy Days and Shabbat

The uniqueness of Rosh Hashanah's joy - amidst trembling - and the special laws for this year.

Good signs for a Good New Year

The year 5784 unfortunately began with bad signs but the year is ending with good signs.

How a Rabbi convinced Simon Wiesenthal to pray

The world is not deaf to your prayers.

Rosh Hashanah at a time of war

How to channel our fears.

Are we a religion of NO?

If G-d is your destination, you won’t take a route that leads you elsewhere.

Pray for a hostage in the dark

We know the well-known Gemara (Bava Kamma 92a), that those who daven for others will have their prayers answered first

The spirit of Mashiach wafts over Lebanon skies and Gazan tunnels

Hashem and His Nation Israel have taken the world's front stage, weeding out the poisonous thorns that would destroy G-d's people of Israel. Watch out, Tehran!

Rabbi Kook on Teshuva: The path to happiness

“There is another type of T’shuva, not the penitence over specific sins, but a T’shuva aroused by a vague inner anxiety."

What will we be - Shvarim, Truah or a unified Tekiah Gedola?

We need a chorus of melodies this year to follow the shofar - the voices of proud Jews.

Like sheep?

The hidden meanings in the Unetane Tokef prayer's comparison of the Jewish People to sheep.

Revivim:

The custom of reciting Selichot

Selichot is a custom that the Jewish people began to practice during the Geonic period, more than a thousand years ago * By the end of the Rishonim period, the custom was established in Sephardic communities to recite Selichot throughout the month of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance * In Ashkenaz, the custom is to start reciting Selichot on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah.

"Thus may all Your enemies perish, Hashem."

The assassination of Nasrallah and Jewish unity.

Proud to be a Jew

Embracing Faith and Unity in challenging times.

Started like the Yom Kippur War, turning out like the Six Day War

As always, the power of the people of Israel is revealed precisely when it seems to be at its lowest point.

Rav Kook Torah

Elul: The Shofar of Redemption

The two great scholars were both standing, eyes shut...

To follow in our ancestors footsteps a duty, not just a privilege

As much as we are bound by our ancestors declaration of allegiance to G-d and the Torah, our generation is now bound to educate and inspire our own descendants to follow the proud path of Judaism.

Eretz Yisrael in the Parsha:

G-d does not abandon Am Yisrael and they must care for each other

According to Rashi, why does the Israelites’ mutual responsibility begin only upon entering the Land of Israel?

Nitzavim- Vayeilech:

Praying for our leaders

Who will lead us? Will the leaders of yesteryear move on, and new ones arrive on the scene? In which direction will they take us?

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

The Song of Torah, the Song of happiness

A careful reading truly shows that it is not the “sanctity of the Torah” that serves as a guarantee of its fulfillment but the “Song of the Torah.”

Nitzavim-Vayelech:

The final Shabbat of 5784

The coming year of 5785 will be a crucial one for all Jews. Make no mistake about it. We will defeat all our enemies to the amazement and dismay of the world. Our status of “chosen people” will advance before the enlightened family of nations.

Nitzavim-Vayelech:

The eternal witnesses

How can one compare man, with his abiiity to choose, to the heaven and earth? Commentaries weigh in on the question.

Nitzavim-Vayeilech:

Two endings - and Shana Tova!

Shabbat Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech, in addition to being the final Shabbat of the year, marks two other endings as well.

Nitzavim-Vayelech

“Not in the Heavens”

Torah is accessible to all.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi

Our tradition demands hope

D’var Torah ahead of midnight Selichot,

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Nitzavim-Vayelech: A tide that doesn’t raise all boats

A Jew can't ride on the coattails of the righteous.

Torah Mitzion on Nitsavim:

Standing before Hashem

Reading the first verses in this Parsha always gives me a feeling of awe, perhaps even fear...

National teshuva - part I

Rabbi Kook teaches that penitence which relates only to personal wrongdoing is incomplete because the Teshuva of each individual Jew is actually only a part of a much greater National Teshuva of Am Yisrael. What does that signify?

We don’t thank Hashem enough

There is one “thank you” that has been greatly forgotten.

Dancing to a better Jewish future

The Russians wrote: “It is also obvious that the Jewish population of the US is divided with regards to the issues of Ukraine and Israel, just as the population of Israel itself.” Russia knows American Jews are weaker when we are divided. A musical concert united us - can we preserve that unity?

'I will distance the Northerner from you'

Joel's prophecy about the north has become totally relevant.

Personal Growth series:

The Essence of Mitzvot

Naturally, we prefer to be free to make our own decisions and live as we please. Mitzvot call upon us to recognize our dependency upon Hashem and subjugate our will to His.

Rav Yitzchok Hutner's books and thought systems (Part Two)

Rabbi Yitzchok Alster's interpretations of Rav Hutner's works in English.

Matan Emunah Essay:

Bringing blessings for the New Year

How can we view our mundane activities as connecting, positive and meaningful? When can we take a few moments to pay more attention to the blessings in our lives and thereby invite more blessing?

Redeeming captives

Redeeming captives is a great mitzvah, and it takes precedence in importance over all other types of charity, but not over every other consideration. It is forbidden to pay an exorbitant price for redeeming captives.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi

We must be happy; we’ve got no choice

Yesterday's parsha has a message that will get us throught these challenging times.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Ki Tavo: How to serve G-d with joy

How do we cultivate a sense of joy in our service of God, when we observe mitzvot and study Torah?

The wrath of Esav and the end of the exile

Rabbi Soleveitchik suggests that the bringer of the first fruits should not declare his gratitude for the salvation of Yaakov from Esav, because there are still lingering, and often painful, impacts of that exile.

When G-d wants you to compliment yourself

Before I confess my sins, I must confess my greatness.