Judaism

Pinchas: When the only path to peace is through the spear

Pinchas understood that fighting to eradicate evil is the only path to real and lasting peace and security.

The Mission Statement of Judaism

"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." The verse that says it all.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

An eternal message in the story of Tzelafchad's daughters

We can find the proper way to serve God through this parsha, which includes wording that can lead one to believe mistakenly that the Torah has been changed on account of this appeal of the daughters of Tzelafchad.

Pinchas: Are politicians really in it for us?

Parshat Pinchas reminds us that leaders can – and must – put their nations’ interests above their own.

The day the world began to die

When is the moment that can be pinpointed as the beginning of one’s death process?

Pinchas: Going against your grain

The question is how did Pinchas’ act of violence restore peace?

Personal Growth series II

When we lose faith in ourselves

Though humility is an important character trait, when applied in excess, it leads to sin.

Watch: Tanya video/lecture on 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.

Cosmic justice and the Biden/Harris administration

Most of the time, we do not see the wicked getting punished for their oppression and lies, but there are exceptions in our lifetime.

17th of Tammuz:

The Tablets were broken

Although a terrible event, there were also good things that occurred as a result of the breaking of the Tablets - and in the last ten months.

17th of Tammuz:

The Torah reading on the fast day

This reading conntains the message which we so desperately need in our times of disaster – the times of disaster which begin with the 17th of Tammuz.

Torah Mitzion:

17th of Tammuz - The dilemma of two Jews on a desert island

Unity or division - which will it be?

Another look at parashat Balak: The prohibition against sorcery

There are people who have special spiritual abilities to see and sense beyond the norm.

Matan Emunah Essay:

The mosaic of our lives: cherishing our broken pieces

Tammuz is a time of brokenness. It’s a month where the luchot habrit were broken. The walls of Jerusalem were broken.

Personal growth series, part I:

The significance of our actions

Humans are the only ones who believe that their lives are supposed to matter and, thus, the only ones who become depressed when they feel they are not impactful.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Psalm 19: Elevating life through prayer

“May the words of my mouth... be acceptable” are words of deep significance. Where is the best place to say them in the prayer service?

Stalin vs. Schneersohn

97 years later: Who won?

Parashat Balak: The angel’s sword

The donkey, Joshua, and King David all see the sword שְׁלוּפָה (unsheathed) in the angel’s hand. Bil’am, too, sees the sword שְׁלֻפָה (unsheathed) in the angel’s hand.

Eretz Yisrael in the Parsha:

Balak: Yaakov and Yisrael - two levels

Religious Zionist Torah scholars find the connections between each Torah portion read on Shabbat and the Land of Israel.

Cracking open the Jewish Code

Parts Vand VI. Links to previous parts are below.

Balak: Beware politicians who talk much, but do little

That he couldn’t win the war was irrelevant to Bilaam; what was relevant was that he could keep the game going, gaining more money, fame and honor as it progressed. Like Arafat and Sinwar did.

The fine print of the Jews' right to Israel

Hamas, Hezbollah, and all the others that claim to be connected to Yishmael are demanding the land of Yisrael in contradiction to the fact that Yishmael severed all ties with Avraham, including any rights to the holy land. Read how this occurred.