Does this commandment have any practical application, as do the other commandments of the parashah?
Should we have fought differentlY?
Thank God, we merit to see more and more people returning to tradition, and the day is not far when the entire people will return to its roots, and through this we will be fruitful and multiply from within - and from without, through a great aliyah.
To recite the Hallel prayer of thanksgiving or not to recite it, that is NOT the question.
To fully grasp the concept of the Return, one must consider it in all its dimensions and at all of its levels.
Speech given at Mizrachi Melbourne this past Shabbat.
Humbling ourselves before G-d means strengthening ourselves before others.
Why does it say ‘they journeyed from Rephidim and arrived in the desert’? After all, we know they were iin Rephidim beforehand from previous verses.
How did Moses first present the Torah and its laws to Israel?
How does the holiness of Sinai shape Jewish life across generations? The special message of an altar built without a sword or pride, and the deep bond between the Mikdash and the justice of the Sanhedrin.
During the days of Shovavim there are two primary actions, explained below.
Seventy-five years since Auschwitz and after two decades of incessant Islamic terrorism, the mountain is hanging over our heads once again. Wiill the world accept "I am the Lord your G-d/You shall not murder"?
Yitro’s positive perspective of the Jewish people was caused by his noticing the tremendous significance that the Jewish nation attached to their heritage
Israel united as one man before the Revelation at Mount Sinai, despite the differences between each tribe and every individual Jew.
We have two different opinions as to when Yitro joined, and Zipporah rejoined, the Children of Israel: shortly before the Giving of the Torah, or shortly after it.
The crucial difference between Marah and Sinai.
G-d will tolerate many things from His servants. Becoming a prosecutor of Israel is not one of them.
The Torah records Yitro’s actions because they contain important lessons for all of us.
One can see in Seudat Yitro, celebrated by Tunisian Jews on the Thursday before Shabbat Parashat Yitro, an invitation to reconsider the boundaries of belonging and the possibility of lending an ear to wisdom that comes from outside.
Jewish life has evolved into a kaleidoscope of concepts, values, commentaries, hopes, halakhic decisions, conflicts, etc., where everyone is so sure of himself, but no one really has it right.
In the book “Eight Journals" Yaacov David Shulman has succeeded in remaining faithful to the Hebrew text while capturing the poetic style of Rabbi Kook’s often intricate prose.
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 Torah commanded every Jew to write a Torah scroll for himself. From the time that it was permitted to write the Oral Torah, the commandment is fulfilled through purchasing the books by means of which one actually studies Torah. Databases do not count as books.
“Rabbi," Rabbi Gold asked of Rav Kook, “why were you so deeply moved by the planting of a single tree?
A person should approach military service with the understanding that it is a mitzva-one that overrides even considerations of danger to life, a mitzva whose value is beyond measure, no matter what his placement is.
The trees, except for the almond, look bare and bleak on Tu B'Shvat, but the sap is already rising inside. An important corollary for our personal and national lives.
Rabbi Abba said: you have no clearer sign of the End than this, as it is said: ‘But you, mountains of Israel, you shall give forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel…
How hard is it to earn a living? As hard as building a marriage?
We only celebrate the Rosh Hashanah of trees, but not of other plants or even tree saplings. Why are trees more important than other vegetation?
Moshe’s retrieving of the body of Yosef would thereby serve as the cog in the wheel that would prepare Am Yisrael’s next leader, Yehoshua, after Moshe’s passing 40 years later.
Why does Jewish Law oppose men listening to a female singer? And why, then, did Miriam and the Israelite women sing at the Red Sea?
Let’s listen to what our children say. Often, they just comment on things. They say sweet nothings. But sometimes there’s something really perceptive. Like Miriam.
The story of the man who led Israel to victory, who defeated the enemy nations who were oppressing us - and never requested recognition.
In the name of all the citizens of the state, we express our gratitude to G-d who gave the government leaders the fortitude to withstand the heavy pressure and well-financed demonstrations and did not agree to endanger civilians in order to free the hostages.
The month of Shevat symbolizes a stage that focuses on the tree itself before the actual growth of the fruits.
The authority responsible for security in our beloved Land is the Israel Defense Forces - and only the IDF. Or the police. No private individual is permitted to take the law into his own hands.
The Prophetess Devora asks the tribes who did not join the fight against Sisera's forces when Israel was under threat, where were you? This is the question that many in Israel must now confront honestly. And it has nothing to do with the fact that the Israelites won without those tribes.
My sense is that many contemporary Jews, especially those who would identify as “liberal," might not be entirely comfortable with Moses' Song of the Sea. It is not in sync with a mindset that views war as an evil that “never solves anything." What is Judaism's view?
You fight-but not with fear. You fight with trust, knowing that the outcome is in His hands alone.
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 Hashem cause the Israelites to worry about lack of water, and - further - bring them to a place of bitter waters?
Excerpt from the book "I will hide My Face from them."
Joseph's bones were taken with the Jews when they left Egypt, the start of a tradition that we do not move on without our heroes. And Ran Gvili, who parallels the martyrs of Beitar, will be buried with dignity.
Tefillin are a sign for Israel-that is, a symbol and marker that expresses their very essence. The passages of the tefillin express the foundations of faith. One of these foundations is the centrality of the Land of Israel, which is mentioned many times in the tefillin.
An innovative grass roots initiative is educating and connecting our youth.
The burning bush is the eternal symbol of Jewish history. The bush is on fire, yet it is not consumed. And the State of Israel is the living proof.
God is looking for something else entirely. Opinion.
G-d's life changing message to Moses as he was afraid to confront Pharaoh.
Some people's life overplays competition and ego, forgetting about need and the most fitting arrangements.
It is not enough to free slaves. They must be trained for independence, courage, and aspiration.
The Exodus and the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea were one and the same thing. One without the other is incomplete. A lesson for Hamas in our time.
Why is this fact of the non-barking dogs significant?
Why is it that God killed all the firstborns in Egypt and didn't suffice with simply killing Pharaoh’s firstborn son? The answer is as applicable today as it was then.
Tzvi LeTzaddik explains that in reality, every Jew during the time of exile suffered doubly-once for their own personal pain and again due to the fact that they witnessed their brethren suffering
Torah is never just history. It is a mirror of today - and a warning for tomorrow.
Jewish existence is not sustained by circumstance, but by promise.
We are in a transitional stage, in a period in which lights and shadows function together.
why did Moshe convey the message “ַכּחצת " “at approximately midnight"?
Rabbi Nebenzahl: Hashem made a mockery of Pharoah and the Egyptians, to obviate any possibility of a mistaken impression that there was that there was a battle between two forces.
