Judaism

Rav Soloveitchik on Shomer Pri:

The fruit that never falls alone

The shomer, Rabbi Soloveitchik posited, offers a way of understanding those who guard a human being through the stages of life: a parent, a rebbe, and ultimately the Ribbono Shel Olam.

When the sting becomes sweet

Lessons learned from the bee whose honey is a symbol of a sweet new year.

For the week of his yahrzeit:

The Chofetz Chaim on modest dress

While many Torah educators of his time believed that the subject of modesty should not be spoken about in an open public forum, the Chofetz Chaim stridently disagreed. The letter he wrote on the issue is below.

Rosh Hashana with Rav Yitzchok Hutner:

Memories from the past in Rabbi Chaim Berlin Yeshiva, Brooklyn

Rav Hutner would say that there is no such thing as "Minhag HaMakom" (local custom) in America, unlike in Europe where each community had Minhagim (customs) that went back hundreds of years. So that in America one may take on new Minhagim (customs).

Revivim:

Establishing regular times for Torah Study

The Torah’s guidance for the Jewish people as a whole is to work most of the day during the six weekdays, and establish regular times for Torah study in the morning and evening. A guide.

Uman:

What you need to know about the City of Souls

What is the history behind this magnetic Ukrainian city that draws tens of thousands of Jews every year?

No Elections Needed:

Moses' last day

On his final day, Moses does not look back - he prepares Israel for the future, passes the mantle to Joshua, and leaves behind a timeless lesson in leadership, humility and faith.

Torah for Noahides:

The people who pray for the whole world

What is the purpose of the Hebrew Nation?

Personal Growth series:

How to live a good and desirable life

Self-esteem and self-image, as well as beliefs about personal capability, are crucial determinants of success

How to learn optimism from Selichot

It would be totally understandable if we were filled with anxiety and dread. But...

Forget the Rabbi

The Cantor, the lion, and the fox

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

Foundation of repentance

It is supremely relevant that our national return to our homeland causes such paroxysms of fury among the nations of the world - and tragically among certain of our own people - who hate being confronted with the truth of the Torah’s decrees.

Dvar Haftorah: Nitzavim-Vayelech

Standing firm, 25 years after September 11

Survival is not enough. There is also an obligation to preserve the truth about what happened.

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

The Torah is a song - Are we listening?

Have we really been listening to the song? Have we allowed the Torah to speak to us again?

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

Call of the Shofar

All the prophecies of the prophets are written in condensed form in this Torah portion. All the descriptions in the portion are, in fact, descriptions of the Mashiach.

Matan Emunah Essay:

The letter Yud

The yud represents the divine spark of a yid, of every Jew - It represents our holy soul, eternally, silently, and valiantly reaching upwards.

A New Year message from the OU:

Praying for you in the month of Elul

May this be a year in which our 'ani' expands until another Jew’s hopes become our hopes, another Jew’s pain becomes our pain, and another Jew’s joy becomes our joy.

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

Coming home is only the beginning

Nitzavim promises that G-d will bring us back. VaYelech tells Yehoshua that he must lead the people in taking possession of the Land - and that is in our hands.

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

All for one and one for all

Upon entering the Land of Israel, we rose to a higher level. We went from a level in which every Jew is judged individually for his thoughts and actions to a level in which the individual takes responsibility for all of Israel.

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

Never lose hope

“Even if a person has been a sinner all his life and does Teshuva at the end, it is effective." (Rambam, Hilchot Teshuva 2:1)

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

The Covenant of guarantee-ship

Since Hashem already entered into a covenant with them at Har Sinai, what need was there to enter into a further covenant with them, here?

Watch:

Weekly Tanya video/lecture: 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 Tipping Point:

When one becomes enough

We may never know how close the balance is to its tipping point, or the deed that changes everything. But that uncertainty is precisely what gives every choice its urgency.

Revivim:

The purpose of Tithes

Ma’aser Kesafim (tithing money) is the modern equivalent of the tithes, priestly gifts, and gifts to the poor that were given from the produce of the fields and from livestock and its primary purpose today is to support teachers of Torah in Israel and help the poor.

Rosh Hashanah in the Land of Israel

One who observes carefully can see that God’s Kingship is being revealed more and more in our time.

For Elul:

Hashivenu

It is Elul. And the voice of prayer merges with the early morning sound of a shofar, echoes in the sound of the bird singing on my porch rail this morning.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Ki Tavo: Tithing in the proper order

When we rush to address problems before their time, even good intentions can produce harmful results and prevent much good.

Parashat Ki Tavo:

Two mountains. One altar

A Jew remains responsible for another Jew even when they are not standing on the same mountain.

Who do you think you are?

The one thing new money cannot buy is old money, so the people at an 1897 gala rented someone else’s past for the evening. It was ancestry as wishful thinking. Which brings me to the opening of Parshat Ki Tavo - the exact opposite.

Dvar Haftorah:

Mashiach can come today

The past tells us only how long we have already waited. It cannot tell us how quickly things may change.

Rabbi YY Jacobson:

Do I have to tell Him?

When G-d wants you to compliment yourself

First fruits and the Torah’s lesson of gratitude

The mitzvah of bringing the first fruits teaches that true gratitude is more than a feeling - it requires memory, recognition, and action.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi:

Parashat Ki Tavo: Life in the world to come

Good people leave behind an outstanding legacy through others, and future generations benefit from the example that has been set.

Wisdom and desire

Which rules your life?

Thanking G-d

We must not ignore the goodness, kindnesses, miracles, and wonders that the Lord, Blessed be He, performs for us day after day.

Parashat Ki Tavo:

They hate us for good reason

I know the title of this article will trigger almost every Jew and please every antisemite. But I say to both of you, don’t judge an article by its title. Read on and see what I mean.

What should we do to confuse the Satan?

The nisayon changes. The Torah does not.

Parashat Ki Tavo:

Gratitude has a memory

The farmer does not simply bring his fruit to Jerusalem. He tells a story.

Parashat Ki Tavo:

The fifth 'language of Redemption'

There are four languages of the redemption promised by Hashem, - for which, the four glasses of wine are drunk at the Seder - but there is a fifth promise as well. Which promise is that?

Parashat Ki Tavo:

Telling G-d what to do

We are not the givers, but are merely transferring what Hashem has allotted. Happy is the one who has the merit to serve as Hashem’s delivery person.

Revivim: For the new school year

The great mission of Torah teachers

The study of Torah, through which the spiritual world is sustained, is carried out by Torah scholars and by all Jews who set aside regular times for Torah study.

Personal and national teshuva

While Rabbi Kook emphasizes that the teshuva of the Jewish People and a return to the Torah go hand-in-hand, he indicates that a preliminary stage of national revival will begin this spiritual awakening.

The Illusion of the jungle:

The quantum physics of Hasidic Oneness

Modern culture remains trapped in a paradigm of conflict, viewing human interaction as a zero-sum struggle driven by isolation and survival. This essay demonstrates that physical separation is an illusion, offering a scientific and spiritual framework for radical empathy and personal transformation.

For Elul:

Before we begin again

Yerach Yamim - A time to bring the past to a close.

Dvar Torah for Noahides:

Forty-four years and one verse

An experience is also a picture. You stand before it and gaze back at it, and the date is in the past.

Personal Growth series:

The model and first principle for character development

How are we to determine the ideal forms of behavior?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Ki Teitzei: Drafting Yeshiva students

My father, the Rav HaNazir, and Rav Tzvi Yehudah were of the opinion that everyone is obligated to go out and fight. This was a milhemet mitzvah, a compulsory war, in which all are expected to participate.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi:

Don’t be like an Ammonite or a Moabite:

What was wrong with the Moabites and the Ammonites?

Dvar Haftorah - Parashat Ki Teitze

The answer to destruction

Isaiah’s message was one of consolation, but also of responsibility.

Parashat Ki Teitze:

A nation of one

We are not just a united nation. We are a nation of one, so interconnected that we are like a single person. A look at the parasha's topics shows it.

Confronting the pain:

Can you forgive your child?

Dealing with children who derail your life.

Parashat Ki Teitze:

The yetse hara conundrum

The manner in which we confront the wiles of the yetser ha’ra in its efforts to subvert our avodat Hashem, is the true measure of our service of our Creator.

A Jewish soul's journey from in the army to at home

From war and the struggle with the enemy to marriage, education and mutual responsibility: a journey through the three circles of the Jewish soul.

Parashat Ki Teitze:

When peace breeds complacency

The Torah's lesson is one Israel learned tragically on October 7: Do not mistake quiet for a permanent change in the intentions of those who wish us harm.

A Wake-Up Call:

Rethinking the Western Wall

Where is the real Western Wall?

Parashat Ki Teitze:

All in the Family

Because of the closeness to his family, a person ometimes allows himself to speak ill of his wife, husband, children, uncles, and other relatives. This is an unfortunate error.