In the final passages of the Parsha, Moshe descends from Mount Sinai carrying the new Luchot. However, his return is marked by a striking physical transformation.
"The world breaks everyone, and afterwards some are stronger in the broken places.” -- Ernest Hemingway
if all this was the work of the non-Jewish erev rav, why were Bnei Israel so severely punished?
Our sages taught that when we repent properly, even deliberate sins are turned into merits.
This Parashah represents a climax - Am Yisrael was extracted from Egypt, Moshe is about to conclude receiving the Torah, and then comes the crash - Bnei Yisrael slide back to idol worship. What went wrong?
The chances of a national state of Indians in the heartland of America are more probable than a “Palestinian” state bordering on Israel. Never!
Hashem creates us together with ourselves. He begins the process; we complete it.
Interview with Rav Dr. Ido Rechnitz, co author of Jewish Military Ethics. A Rabbinic perspective on our painful, national moral dilemma of ‘freeing hostages versus a winning a military offensive.
The Torah enables us to rise above the natural order.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
“Jewish Tradition” is for everyone. For secular Jews, new baalei tshuva, and would-be converts, the book is like a mini encyclopedia. For others, it is enlightening because it explains Torat Eretz Yisrael.
Part 2: Stages and Patterns of World and Jewish History
Most things are a home for another thing, the entire world is a house for G-d.
Hashem’s ownership of the world also gives Him the right to set the conditions for its existence.
There is so much darkness in the world but the light of the Jewish people has never been brighter.
hy should the phrase “Holy to God” be split into two lines?
The High Priest, as the messenger of the united force of the Jewish People, bore these two stones on his shoulders, to highlight that when Jews are united in their service to G-d, they cannot be defeated.
The Jewish Leap Year Challenges Us to Integrate Creativity and Consistency.
Did you know that this Friday and Shabbat there are some minor festivals on the Jewish calendar?
The stones on the shoulders of the apron, and the stones on the breastplate, both serve as reminders. What significance does this hold? And why the emphasis on remembrance?
The Zohar explains the Ketoret, Incense, comes from the idea of tying, creating a bond between us and Hashem.
Young Religious Zionist Torah scholars teach the connections between this week's Torah Reading and the Holy Land.
Moshe’s name is not mentioned in our Parasha.
![And you [Moshe], command the children of Israel...](https://2.a7.org/files/pictures/203x125/1134147.jpg?autocrop=1 "Sipzner /")
To commemorate the yahrtzeit of HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook on Purim Katan, an interview with Rabbi David Samson, one of Rav Tzvi Yehuda’s longtime students.
The Jewish lamb is happy, joyful, and virile – not meek.
iI is the combining of the physical and the spiritual facets that are necessary for true redemption and we see it in the IDF soldiers today.
The Superbowl heroes you watched the other day did it. If they could do it, you are no different; you can do it too. So, what are you waiting for?
If you want to get close to Hashem the place to do it is in the Land of Israel.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
All those who fear that prolonged reserve duty will cause marital and family tensions and financial or psychological problems should become familiar with the words of Maimonides.
As part of the Jewish people we must shoulder the weight of our collective destiny and responsibility for the welfare of our people.
There were general themes that emerged that were constants like axioms and premises in the vast Torah intellectual structure that Rav Hutner taught and built.
Rabbi Zilberstein, shlita, recommended that everyone should take upon themselves two extra things to do for Shabbat.
Rabbi Saadyah Gaon wrote: "The Jewish nation is a nation only by virtue of the Torah."
Israel's first Chief Rabbi: Walls of iron are different from walls of stone, and each suits a different period of Jewish history.
A father plants saplings 210 years early, offering solace to his children.
This week, we embark on constructing the Mishkan as Hashem instructs Moshe on crafting its various vessels. Amidst the holiest sanctuaries, besides the Ark and Kruvim, we encounter a lesser-known vessel: the Kaporet.
Young religious Zionist Torah scholars find connections to the Land of Israel in the Torah reading.
Where is the Ark of the Covenant?
Make a mikdash in your home; make this a religious war. This is the path to victory.
The State of Israel will never come to the point of Shimshon, because when push comes to shove, we will use all the weapons at our disposal to kill our enemies.
Rav Yehuda Alkalai in Minchas Yehuda delivers a vigorous condemnation against the claim that Mashiach will precede the building of the Beis Hamikdash.
The longest single word palindrome is ‘Venatnu’, in the book of Shemot. What does it symbolize?
Why are actors such as Jordan, Egypt, the EU, the US, South Africa and the Vatican so committed to preventing peace?
Commentaries expound on the meaning of the verse "take for me" instead of "give to me" in this week's parasha on the building of the Tabnernacle.
Man is truly alive only once he develops himself spiritually and fully appreciates his soul.
The menorah teaches us how to live our lives.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
A Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan River would doom the pro-US Hashemite regime east of the river, triggering a domino scenario and endangering the residents of Israel.
The brutal attack of Israel by Hamas has had the effect of shifting our level of consciousness, so that we can now see and understand things that always existed but were not revealed to us.
The harm done to the Jewish identity of the state, and to the value of settling the Land, played a part in the terrible crisis we find ourselves in. Only a return to our Jewish and national values, will get us back to growth.
The IDF freed two hostages in Gaza in the middle of the night. A miracle? No question about it, but one that occurred by natural means, the cooperation of Intelligence and fighting forces.
Young religious Zionist Torah scholars teach the connection between the weekly Torah reading and the Land of Israel. New series: Rabbi Yehuda Halevy's Book of the Kuzari.
Israel's first Chief Rabbi: The Jewish people received two Torahs at Sinai.
Rabbeinu Bachye explicitly writes that had the Jews not sinned with the golden calf, we would have reached humanity’s perfection.
After the Torah is given, G-d mentions sending an angel to lead the Jewish People. But after the Golden Calf, the same offer is made, and the Jewish People respond with an outcry. Why does the mention of an angel evoke varied responses? What is this 'malach' about?
The Sages demonstrate that clothing – in the megilla and Tanach in general – is more than just an external aesthetic. It is a catalyst for, and a window into, the spiritual state of a person. And so are our brave soldiers' uniforms.
When my reptilian brain goes wild, I need to help it see its owner
What did the Torah see, to start its words on the ordinances, specifically on the subject of ‘the Jewish slave? What the commentaries have to say.
