Either man accepts God’s authority as the Legislator of moral norms, or he will eventually fail in all attempts to create a moral society.
Why are the physical traits of the Land emphasized the first time Hashem talks about it to Moshe? Young Religious Zionistt Torah scholars provide answers.
How did Pharaoh’s daughter know that the baby in the Nile was a Hebrew child?
What do these enigmatic names - ‘I Will Be Who I Will Be’ and ‘I Will Be’ - mean?
The prolific Torah luminary whose Mishne Torah, Sefer Hamitzvot, Guide to the Perplexed, Letter to Yemen's Jews, and more light up the ages, is brought to life in Israel during the week of his yahrzeit, with the high point an annual three day Rambam Conference.
The Rabbis in the Midrash, always sensitive to nuance, focus our attention on the enigmatic words: "G-d saw that Moses turned to see, so He called out to him from amidst the bush." What does that symbolize?
Moshe as a baby, non-supervised milk, and the food that builds a Jew.
We live in an age of unprecedented Jewish freedom and unprecedented Jewish disappearance. The Haftorah tells us that those who have disappeared are not lost forever.
The midwives saw to it that a healthy body was accompanied by a healthy soul. So must we.
Hopes which are destroyed cause deeper despair than complete hopelessness. The Jews had hoped for a new Pharaoh who would ease their lot, but the opposite occurred. Where to turn?
How to gain from a crisis.
There is a struggle here over the source of shefa - the flow of blessing - in the world.
Our sages teach that public embarrassment is akin to bloodshed, yet it is far easier to ignore it, to go about our business and pretend nothing happened. We think why should I get involved and put myself at risk?
Commentators analyze the symbolism of the burning bush.
Moshe’s name conveyed a lifelong mission: to oppose injustice and to fight on behalf of the helpless.
Were it Halakhically permissible, we would have to recite Hallel every day here in Hashem’s Holy Land!
Every tyrant who oppresses his citizens and does evil is also an enemy of Israel - from Pharaoh all the way to Maduro and Khomenei.
Jewish communities of Ashkenaz, Sepharad, and the Yemenites each read a different prophecy as the haftarah for Parshat Shemot, with each focusing on a distinct aspect of this redemptive process.
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 mitzvah of tzitzit particularly expresses faith and the unique destiny of Israel. The most honorable garment is the four-cornered fringed tallit which expresses all the latent powers within the person and within the world.
Just remember, the future of Am Yisrael and Torat Yisrael are in Eretz Yisrael, and we are fortunate enough to live in the historic generation of kibbutz galuyot.
The writing of the Septuagint was celebrated by many, yet our sages describe this moment as darkness descending on the world. Why?
Hashem is sending a coded message of encouragement for the Jewish nation.
There is a dire need to teach the truth to all Am Yisrael, both in Israel and in the Diaspora.
We are not asking for more. We are asking that the chain remain unbroken.
Much good can result from recalling the punishment for wrongdoing, even if this motivation may appear beneath one’s spiritual stature.
What true leadersship looks like.
Why was Yehuda chosen to lead? For many reasons, but first and foremost, a leader has to be able to stand up and jump into action to tackle threats, without consideration of the fallout or personal risk.
What is the difference between a blessing given through the hands and a blessing given through the knees?
Why did Jacob ask to be buried in Israel? See what the commentators have to say.
There is disagreement among our commentators if these are prophecies of the times of the mashiach, or if they refer to other events.
There is profound humility in King David’s words. For all his achievements, he frames his legacy not around military victories or political triumphs, but around covenant.
God does not do anything by accident. Not now. Not last year, not a thousand years ago. Not ever.
It is not good for a victim to replay the horror he experienced and to keep active the pain he has gone through. He must instead remove the traumatic event from active consciousness.
The Midrash identifies Manasseh and Ephraim not only as concrete individuals, but also their descendants Yehoshua and Gideon. What is that based on?
If a swastika on a wall provokes outrage while an interfaith wedding invites applause, our moral compass is dangerously off course.
Israel’s political, intelligence and diplomatic corps along with the media must remember they are in the employ of victory on the battlefield and security during peace time.
Hashem gives each person a role, a mission, a contribution. Ephraim receives leadership; Menashe receives honor. One is not at the expense of the other.
One of the four fasts mourning the Temple's destruction, today marks the day the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem began.
The Levites were the officers responsible for the fulfillment of the commandments of war. From here we learn that yeshiva students may not be exempted from army service by claiming that they are like Levites
As I sit and study looking at the falling snow, I realize that each figure in Bereshit, which we will finish reading this coming Shabbat, is a bridge; each figure is a link in the destined chain. As we all are.
Just as Joseph's brothers were reconciled and unified and spoke one with another, also in our generation, the People of Israel, who are being gathered from among the nations, must become unified in the Land of Israel.
Meta-mitzvot are necessary because the Torah cannot possibly address every circumstance people encounter. Kedushah is an example.
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.
Why did Yaakov send Yehuda to Egypt before he descended there to see his son Yosef at last?
"The Jewish people are crowned with two qualities, Eidut (testimony) and Torah, one seen in Joseph and the other in Judah."
"I Am Who I Am, Because You Sold Me."
We have witnessed the resurrection of the dry bones. We have seen the ashes of Auschwitz giving rise to the miracle that is the State of Israel. In the past two years, through trauma, loss, and uncertainty, the Jewish people have survived. But endurance is not the final goal.
The temptation to despair is strong. But Torah teaches that we cannot remain there. We must act responsibly, together, and with unity.
How Yossef is showing and hinting to Yaakov how he dealt with the Egyptian world successfully.
The prophet clarifies: Unity demands shared purpose, honest self-examination and recommitment to what binds us together.
This is perhaps the most dramatic narrative in the entire Torah. Why did Yosef suddenly conclude the charade?
In the end, Rachel and Leah are is not a competition, but a single system.
Last week we celebrated Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights - which is all about Miracles. Why are miracles so important? Watch and find out.
Eight Jews stood in a Soviet courtroom like upright candles and declared their loyalty to the Jewish people. It happened during the dark days of Communism when that could mean exile to Siberia or worse. A true story.
There is really no way to leave a state of depression unless one has the courage and boldness to dedicate their energies to developing and honing their talents and doing something worthwhile for society.
We are now in transition, from Hannukah, the holiday of light and celebration, to a day of fasting and mourning. How do we do that?
The primary role of the members of the Tribe of Levi is to lead the army spiritually, and see to its disciplined behavior.
As in Miketz, after two years of war, we look back and glance at what is happening. It feels like a dream. And it goes on - like a prophecy.
