The Torah does not command the blessings over food before eating, only after - so why do we do so?
One who is closer to the Land of Israel, and demonstrates a greater connection to it, comes first for blessing.
The renewal of the Land mirrors the renewal of the nation.
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.
We were chosen, but non-Jews should not believe that they are completely relieved of the responsibility of observing Mitzvot.
Why breaking the Tablets was Moshe's greatest accomplishment.
Why is it important to stress that we were given the land because of our forefathers' merits? Famous commentators give their explanations below.
This week's Torah portion presents the only two blessings that are Biblical commandments.
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.
One of the most exquisite acts in all of biology teaches something profound about prayer.
Not according to our timetable
With the establishment of the State of Israel, we went from destruction to rebirth, ascended from the deepest abyss to the highest heights.
Breaking a contract is an act of non-confidence, but breaking an emotional tie is an act of betrayal.
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.
The gates are open. With a little courage and faith, you too can be here, a free Jew in the Jewish Homeland.
Parshat Eikev reminds us that humility is not the enemy of achievement but its proper companion.
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.
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.
Part I: Opening our hearts - the message of Parashat Eikev and Tu B’Av.
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.
The flames that destroyed the Beit Hamikdash still burn on the streets of Jerusalem.
The first territory a Jew must defend in a crisis is his own consciousness.
What does it mean to love God וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ - "with all your might"?
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.
The word nachamu appears twice because there are two distinct parties in need of comfort.
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.
The darkness of galut is real, but it is not the final chapter of our story.
Great powers compete for influence, and commentators confidently predict how history will unfold. But the Jewish people have heard such predictions before.
Both adding to and subtracting from the Mitzvot fall into the same category of effectuating alterations in the Divine system of commandments.
Abarbanel: The nations, on seeing that the ordnances are just and wise, will deem that so too are the decrees, though the reason for them may have been ‘lost’ to them.’ Commentaries weigh in on Jewish 'wisdom.'
As US-Iran war rages on, Jews in the central synagogue in Iran hold traditional Tisha B'Av mourning prayers, read Lamentations.
The darkness is real. The pain must be felt. But it is not the end of the story.
2,000 years on, we, the Jewish Nation, are still here to commemorate our history; while the mighty empires which defeated us have long centuries since crumbled into the dust of history. Read the story here.
The days of mourning for the destruction are meant for national and individual introspection. Jewish tradition states that anyone who observes them faithfully will merit to witness the return of the rebuilt Temple.
Jerusalem did not fall because Rome was invincible. It fell because the people inside could not tolerate one another.
An interview with Rabbi Reuven Spolter, Director of English Programming at Herzog College on last week's annual Bible Study marathon - and what he hopes the thousands who attended gained from their days of study.
The Arizal taught that just by eating the fruits of Eretz Yisrael, a person’s fear and reverence for G-d is increased. And by living there?
This is the heartbeat of our faith: that destruction is never final, that God is always working behind the scenes, and that hope is stronger than despair.
Our knowledge of Mashiach is largely based on the “Mishna Torah" of the Rambam at the end of the “Laws of Kings and Their Wars."
Though from creation, we have endured rebellion, jealousy, and hate, there are paths to move forward.
The vision of Eternal Peace.
The spies sinned by failing to understand the value of the Land, and by not loving it. Whoever denies the value of the Land of Israel, denies the ability to reveal the word of God in the Land.
When the cracks appear in your life, surrender to the new light.
Finding hope in the midst of destruction.
The Sages knew at what hour one could hear heavenly cries: "Woe to My children! On account of their sins, I have destroyed My House and set fire to My sanctuary and exiled them among the nations of the world." (Berakhot 3a)
The purpose of the Three Weeks is to awaken the yearning for Redemption - and the seven haftorah's following Tisha B'Av are meant to strenghthen that yearning.
After three years of war, Israel’s next friendship will not be with the Senate. It will be covenantal.
An historical-political biblical analysis as a way to heal the divisions of our people
Rashi teaches that the sin of the spies and the contempt for the land are what turned entry into the land into a journey of wars.
We are not suffering the impact of our forefathers' sins, I fear we are perpetuating them.
As we prepare to sit on the floor on Tisha B’Av and mourn the destruction of Jerusalem, we should not view the day merely as a commemoration of ancient tragedy. It is also a summons to action.
The Torah does not necessarily have to remain the exclusive province of the Creator. A miraculous transformation can occur, and it can become the Torah of man.
Why the need to explain it in seventy languages, as Rashi writes, specifically at this time, as they were about to enter the Land? - what is the meaning of: ’he explained it in seventy languages’?
HaRav Tzvi Yehuda would ask his gathered students in the large Beit Midrash of the yeshiva: “What is the very first thing Moshe teaches the Nation, who are all waiting to hear the explanation of the Torah from Moshe himself?
Why is the infamous weeping of the generation of the wilderness called a "baseless weeping"? Because in truth they had no reason to weep.
We have legitimate claims - Biblical and Historical - to these areas since they were part of the tribes of Am Yisrael before our exile.
"Whoever mourns for Jerusalem merits and sees her rejoicing, and whoever does not mourn for Jerusalem does not see her rejoicing."
Long before talking heads on television debated who belongs where, G-d entrusted the Golan and Bashan to the people of Israel.
Jewish identity is not an optional lifestyle choice that can be carved up to suit progressive political tastes.
