A child is not required to be a servant to his parents in his personal life decisions (within an observant framework), as HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook explained.
What is so significant about these two affirmative mitzvot of brit milah and the Pesach sacrifice that places them in the Karet category?
The study of Torah, when undertaken with humbleness and dedication, can lead one to a special encounter with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
“I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and her returnees through righteousness.”
The whole sorry episode of Sodom and Gomorrah teaches is that yes, there can be an entire metropolis, and entire region, in which every single man, woman, and child, down to the new-born baby, is judged and found to be evil.
Commentators weigh in on the unexpected laughter of Matriarch Sarah at the news that she would bear a son.
Kitah weekly videos suggest topics for discussion at your Shabbat table.
Mothers are always praying for their children, even when they aren’t aware of doing it.
Avraham and Isaac didn’t let their greatness get to their head.
The use of egg donors raises many halakhic and ethical questions.
Our devotion to God does not require that we sacrifice the family relationships most dear to us. On the contrary; true devotion to God demands that we invest in those relationships.
The Jewish people are no strangers to uncertainty and at the Orthodox Union, we are more determined than ever to continue advocating for the needs of the Jewish people.
Lot’s story is a warning for every generation: chesed without understanding deceives the heart and misleads the hand. We see it clearly today.
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.
Of course, it is preferable not to employ those who oppose our existence in this Land. However, as long as there is no practical alternative, it is forbidden to halt the building of our land, lest we repeat the Sin of the Spies.
I saw in you a genius wordsmith, whose ability to share Torah was extraordinary. All this was combined with a deep and abiding love for Am Yisrael.
In their very first encounter, Hashem’s initial words to Avraham were “Lech lecha!” If you want to come close to Me and discover your mission in life then go to the Land I will show you.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer showed respect and developed genuine friendships with Jews and non-Jews from many different backgrounds and communities, and across the political spectrum.
An age-old phenomenon that is still with us, with one crucial change.
Abraham and his revolutionary faith kindled a nascent spark of faith among the nations.
Avraham was not going to be, like Noach and Adam, born of a world where it was just him and his wife; rather, they were going to be the progenitor and catalyst of a new people
The Prophetic consolation after the Three Weeks lasts well into the next year. We receive Isaiah’s healing message of consolation not for seven weeks, but for ten weeks.
Sarah didn’t think she was beautiful; Avraham knew better.
The Nation of Israel has a special power called the strength of Rachel, which keeps it alive.
HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook told visiting students from the Diaspora that the command “Lech lecha” is as imperative today as when it was first spoken to Avraham:
The all-women's Breishit Ensemble performs in gratitude for the miracles the Jewish People have witnessed in the merit of Matriarch Rachel, whose yahrzeit is this Saturday night.
In this week's Kitah high video, I share a very famous Midrash that raises the difficult issue of children challenging their parents' beliefs and way of life.
All the noble traits that appeared in Avraham our father, and all the good deeds that he performed throughout his life, have not been lost. They were imprinted within the people of Israel, in the spiritual and even physical “chromosomes” of the People of the God of Avraham.
Avraham and Sara are the exemplars of Divine service, models who we must strive to emulate.
The Chatam Sofer reconciles the seemingly irreconciliable views of Rashi and of Ramban, and lauds Abraham's ability to instill faith in his descendants.
The life of Avraham is a sign for those who make Aliyah to Israel: at first they will have difficulties, but in the end, the blessing will surely come.
The very essence of the Land of Israel is that it is dependent upon G-d’s constant care. And the most immediately obvious expression of that care is the rain.
Without the kitniyot issues, we would be one more step closer to being simply “Jews of Israel”, instead of being Ashkenazi or Sephardi Jews, or Jews from Morocco, Ethiopia, or India.
Every star in the heavens matters - and so does every Jew on earth. We are brothers and sisters.
Our war for the Land and the revival of our people includes numerous systems and all the systems need repair. A state commission of inquiry appointed by the Supreme Court will not help at all, because the judicial system also needs scrutiny.
In this series of articles, the writer highlights that many of today’s scientists, in their relentless quest to comprehend the universe, are discovering the very same truths and principles articulated thousands of years ago in our Holy Torah.
The generation of the Flood could not stop Noah from boarding the ark and the American VP cannot derail the sovereignty train. A little humility, and some historical perspective, is required of the Trump administration.
The Torah does not demand that every non-Jew living among us convert, nor does it require their expulsion. But it does require that those who remain in the Land accept the basic terms of moral conduct and recognize the rightful authority of a Jewish nation in its land.
There are no mechanisms in place to safeguard the Jewish population in America. Alliyah is their best recourse. Opinion.
The Talmud states in Megillah 9b: “May the beauty of Yefeth reside in the tents of Shem.” How can that be?
In the Torah, an ish ḥamasim-a man of violence-is a ruthless, merciless person who sees brutality as a legitimate means to achieve his aims. Such is today's Hamas as shown both in its charter and its barbarity, and we must therefore open our eyes to reality.
As the time for Moshiach’s arrival swiftly approaches, one can’t help but notice the utter insanity that surrounds philosophy and what is considered educated thought in today’s world.
Why do the Sages feel compelled to denigrate Noach?
Israel’s wealth is a Divine promise being fulfilled. And the Torah connects the promise of prosperity with God’s love for His people.
Who is greater? Noah or Avraham. Let us compare the two following the example of Chazal..
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak provided a daring translation of Rashi’s comment on why Noah didn't enter the ark until forced to by the rain - and it is a lesson for all of us.
Noah, Daniel and Job saw three worlds. So have we.
Mere mutual interest and collective survival are not sufficient to unite all humanity and safeguard the world
The episode of Noach’s drunkenness is a poignant commentary on the difficulty of beginning again in a universe that has seen death and pain. The haftarah and G-d's words to Noach tell us how to begin again today as well.
“The dove found rest on it (Shabbat), and there the weary will rest,” wrote Yehuda Halevy.
Why does Rashi comment: ’’Noach debased himself’ - he should have first engaged in planting something other than a vineyard."
Shem and Yefet covered their father’s shame; so should we.
On the book that presents intimate descriptions of two giants of Torah and their teachings, set against the dramatic rebirth of the Land of Israel and the Statehood of Israel in our times.
Granted that the world could not have come into being without Him, once created, can it persist on its own, independent of His sustaining Providence?
This is the great contradiction within the human soul - the eternal internal battle we all wage every moment of our lives.
Due to Sukkot, the shloshim for Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer will not take place 30 days after his burial, so we are posting this memorial piece now, a tribute to the brilliant mind, fearless voice, and unbreakable heart of American Orthodoxy's most compelling advocate.
Just as your hand touches no object but feels and experiences the force between electron clouds, so too are we constantly connected to the energy of Holiness that sustains all existence invisibly yet tangibly.
Judaism’s Thirteen Principles of Faith begin with the need to recognize Hashem as the world's Creator.
Even a religious and spiritually righteous person is capable of being afflicted with historical blindness.
