Dvar Haftorah for Shoftim:
The Haftorah we sing every Friday night
We are expected to rise, to rebuild and to act.
A prophet as great as Moshe--possible, or heresy?
What does the Torah mean when Moshe communicates that the prophet must be 'Like me'?
Judaism
Parashat Shoftim:
Wholeheartedness is the key
Hashem adjures us to ‘cleave to Him’ - and as Hashem is upright and righteous, one who wants to cleave to Him, has to also be ‘upright and righteous’.
Parashat Shoftim:
Shoplifting erodes the fabric of society
The Torah teaches that stealing from the community is not less serious than stealing from an individual. In some ways, it is even more dangerous.
Parashat Shoftim:
The land-for-peace travesty
Giving enemies, who are sworn to our destruction, parts of Israel is equally emphatically not the Jewish way of relating to them.
Parashat Shoftim:
Do we need a king?
As Jews, our national mission requires that certain individual preferences be sacrificed for the sake of societal good.
'Settlers' returning to their Biblical status
The word 'settlers' is often used as a pejorative, but a study of the Torah, the Sages, and the words of our Rabbis reveals the central place of 'inheritance' in the Jewish story.
Rosh Chodesh Elul
Before the Word: Beethoven, the Shofar, and the Living Melody
The shofar does not teach what we never knew. It awakens what we have allowed ourselves to forget.
Parashat Shoftim:
The Torah’s command not to fear
Our generation has been given something Jews prayed for over the course of centuries: the ability to defend ourselves in our own land.
Rosh Chodesh Elul:
The parable that revolutionised the month of Elul
In previous generations, only great spiritual giants were capable of attaining the loftier level of Teshuvah MeAhavah. But times have changed.
Medinat Yisrael - Kosher or Treif?
The surest sign of the revealed End of the Exile is when the Land of Israel gives forth her fruits in abundance, something which our generation has merited to witness. Medinat Yisrael is the greatest miracle that has transpired in the world since the beginning of Creation.
Revivim:
Between Social Order and Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
It is forbidden to harm Arabs or their property in order to deter them from harming Jews, or to expel them. It is forbidden for any person to break the law and take the law into his own hands.
A special light to break the deepest darkness
Post-Tu b’Av Full Moon, a Special Shabbat Night, and the Rebbe’s Remarks in His Last Public Address.
Private Struggle, Public Assault:
Protecting Torah life in the digital age
We must protect our communities from online messages intended to weaken faith, normalize transgression, and influence others-particularly the young and vulnerable-to reject the sacred foundations of Jewish life.
Learning to See: From Blessing to Divine Presence
Parshat Re'eh opens with “See" and ends with “be seen." What does the Torah teach us about the many levels of seeing - from physical sight to spiritual vision?
When religion Is based on lies, it becomes meaningless
Better an Ugly Truth than a Beautiful Lie.
Parashat Re'eh:
Standing before the Arizal
"Re'eh" means "see." We must see beneath the surface. See that within us lies the history of the world, - and adjust accordingly.
Torah Mitzion on the Parasha:
The essence of the Regalim
Sefer Devarim does not replace the Torah given in the first four books; it illuminates it. The Regalim are an example.
Dvar Haftorah - Parashat Re’eh:
The assault that changes its form
For generations, some tried to frighten Jews away from their faith. Others tried to argue them out of it. The Malbim finds the strength to prevail prophesied in this week's Haftorah.
Parashat Re'eh:
Today and every day
We need to make the choice between blessing and curse, and by our ethical conduct, we decide for ourselves which way our faces incline.
Re’eh: Is money a blessing or a curse?
The answer depends less on money than on us.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi:
Parashat Re'eh: Food parcels save lives
One of the great elements of the practice of sending food parcels is that it’s not just those who receive who benefit, but those who send the food, they rejoice.
Parashat Re’eh:
Preparing for Rosh Hashanah
As bewildering as the world can be, the parasha and haftorah assure us of our wonderful future. Our enemies, whether on the battlefields or in the international courtrooms, are destined to fail.
Parashat Re'eh:
Its own reward
Judaism affirms the tenet of reward and punishment. But we are not privy to the guidelines the Creator utilizes in implementing this principle.
Haftarat Parashat Re’eh:
The unity of the gemstones
The combination of physical and spiritual advancement in the modern Jewish state propels us towards the redemption represented in our haftarah by כַּדְכֹד.
Parashat Re'eh:
When miracles prove nothing
The test comes when falsehood is persuasive, when it is wrapped in emotion, reinforced by success and presented by someone who appears impossible to dismiss.
Weekly video/lecture:
Tanya/ Iggeres HaKodesh - 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.
The truth that less means more:
From Rebbe to Jung to Quantum Physics
Stepping back from the frantic demands of the materialistic self enables an individual to align with a greater, unmanifested source of infinite blessings.
Pride of Lions
Western society is undergoing a profound upheaval. Long-held assumptions about identity, freedom, security, and human expression are being challenged and, in many cases, discarded. And yet, we hold the answers.
Lo Titgodedu:
Different political parties, one family
In this election period, we must remember: Jewish life itself is full of debate. The Beit Midrash was built on questions and argument. The real question is: How do we disagree without dividing?
Assimilation can’t be stopped!
Even setting the issue of anti-Semitism aside, There is no hope for the Jewish people in America. Opinion.
From the Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Make a bracha before eating?
The Torah does not command the blessings over food before eating, only after - so why do we do so?
Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:
Parashat Eikev: Two Loves for Eretz Yisrael
One who is closer to the Land of Israel, and demonstrates a greater connection to it, comes first for blessing.
Dvar Haftorah for Parashat Ekev:
The prophecy that awaits every Jew
The renewal of the Land mirrors the renewal of the nation.
Parashat Eikev:
What do you believe in?
When the G-d of Israel decrees that it is time for His children to come home, then nothing and no one can prevent it.
Parashat Eikev:
Why we are chosen
We were chosen, but non-Jews should not believe that they are completely relieved of the responsibility of observing Mitzvot.
Cracking Open
Why breaking the Tablets was Moshe's greatest accomplishment.
The gift of the land is only in the merit of the Avot
Why is it important to stress that we were given the land because of our forefathers' merits? Famous commentators give their explanations below.
Eikev: The Benefit of Holy Encounters
This week's Torah portion presents the only two blessings that are Biblical commandments.
Trust in God does not replace the army
The parsha teaches that God is the one who grants strength to achieve success, not that a person is exempt from taking action of their own.
The Receptive Heart:
From molecular recognition to redemptive prayer
One of the most exquisite acts in all of biology teaches something profound about prayer.
The Shidduch Crisis, part II
Not according to our timetable
From separation to reunion: Tisha B'Av to Tu B'Av
With the establishment of the State of Israel, we went from destruction to rebirth, ascended from the deepest abyss to the highest heights.
Parashat Eikev:
The Parsha and Current Events: Betrayal
Breaking a contract is an act of non-confidence, but breaking an emotional tie is an act of betrayal.
Haftarah of Redemption
It is worthwhile to study this Haftarah because it describes what is destined to take place amongst the People of Israel, and indeed we are witnessing it with our own eyes.
Alcatraz Syndrome
The gates are open. With a little courage and faith, you too can be here, a free Jew in the Jewish Homeland.
Parashat Eikev:
The danger of success
Parshat Eikev reminds us that humility is not the enemy of achievement but its proper companion.
Blessing over the Mezuzah and customs regarding Tefillin
The sages instructed that every person should inspect his mezuzot twice in seven years. Ideally, every person should continue the custom of his forefathers and acquire a Torah scroll, tefillin, and mezuzot according to their tradition.
Weekly Tanya video/lecture:
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.
For Tu B'Av:
The Shidduch Crisis
Part I: Opening our hearts - the message of Parashat Eikev and Tu B’Av.
Be ready for the final bow:
As the play comes to an end, don’t opt out
Every soul which ever lived contributes to the Third Temple. They moved backstage to allow the next generation to continue the work. But they never really left; they are just backstage.
Post Tisha B'Av
Have we not learned our lesson?
The flames that destroyed the Beit Hamikdash still burn on the streets of Jerusalem.
Parashat Va'etchanan
The discipline of knowing
The first territory a Jew must defend in a crisis is his own consciousness.
Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:
Va'etchanan: Loving God with all your might
What does it mean to love God וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ - "with all your might"?
Between Safeguarding the Body and Sacrificing One’s Life
Our appreciation for all those who served during the war in its darkest hours demands that we reflect more closely on the verses that have accompanied Jewish self-sacrifice for generations.
Haftarat Shabbat Nachamu:
Comforting God
The word nachamu appears twice because there are two distinct parties in need of comfort.
Parashat Va'etchanan:
It’s not a coincidence
This is the time to study - not just read, but to study in depth - the messages of the 9th of Av, of Parashat Va'etchanan, and of Haftarat Nachamu. Though we were exiled, scattered to the four winds, beaten, persecuted, slaughtered in our millions - we are still here to tell of our history - and we came back home.
Shabbat Nachamu: A New Perspective:
Discovering Hashem’s mercy within exile
The darkness of galut is real, but it is not the final chapter of our story.
Dvar Haftorah for Shabbat Nachamu:
The illusion of human power
Great powers compete for influence, and commentators confidently predict how history will unfold. But the Jewish people have heard such predictions before.
Parashat Va'etchanan:
The appropriate orientation to Torah observance
Both adding to and subtracting from the Mitzvot fall into the same category of effectuating alterations in the Divine system of commandments.
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