A seemingly contradicttory account of the creation of vegetation and trees teaches a deep message about our relationship to G-d.
The opening word of the Torah, בְּרֵאשִׁית, “in the beginning”, already encoded all of what was to come, the potential of everything which will ever be.
There is no comfort in this teaching, no way to apply it without heartbreak, but it is filled with long term wisdom.
not only does Parashat BeReishit contain a reference to Eretz Yisrael, we will see below that it completely depends upon it.
If Man was created without the capacity for shame, why would it suddenly emerge as a result of prohibited eating?
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.
When you're holding the four species, when you beat the aravot, do you feel this power?
As we have faced the unspeakable evil of some and the moral confusion of others, we are more fiercely committed than ever to be driven, guided, and uplifted by Hashem and His Torah.
The radical transition from the Yom Kippur solemnity to the Simchat Torah revelry can be dizzying, but it makes sense. Just as our joy at the hostages' return accompanied by sorrow at our losses.. There is a method to the madness.
Sukkot teaches us that just as Hashem encompassed and supernaturally protected B’nei Yisrael in the desert, the Midbar, we too must palpably sense that He surrounds us and intervenes in the world and in our lives.
A full life requires only one ingredient: the Torah.
Your life, even if it is incomplete, even if it is fragile, is still a gift. Notice the openings, the small moments of relief, the return of the hostages.They are part of Hashem’s care, a taste of the greater shalom to come.
This thirst is not intellectual curiosity but existential longing-a hunger that only communion with G-d can satisfy. Opinion.
As we conclude Sukkot 5786, we daven that the hostages all return safely, and we enter Shemini Atzeret hoping to reinforce and strengthen our achdut
Every time the people of Israel neglected the commandment of settling the Land, they paid heavy prices for it.
When the end approaches there will be many troubles growing in strength, a sign of Yisrael’s salvation.
'If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, Infinite' -William Blake.
The Sukkah is temporary just like our stay in this world, but it is a permanent fixture to deliver mitzvot to the next world.
Thoughts from Judaism on the peace plan.
Young religious Zionist Torah scholars connect the Torah readings and holidays tto Eretz Yisrael.
The magnitude of Hashem's voice is perceived in accordance with the spiritual intensity of the respective place and situation.
How to pronounce it and why.
Thoughts on this day, on hearing of an agreement.
Don’t we get a new chance each year? Isn’t that what the High Holy Days are all about—a chance to start again? A Yom Kippur sermon that is relevant every day of the year.
The late Former Chief Rabbi and head of Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, an outstanding Torah luminary, was a kindly, warm man with twinkling eyes. But when it came to Eretz Yisrael, he burned with zeal and there were no compromises.
My love will be stronger than your defiance.
Rabbi Fischer z"l was buried next to his beloved Ellen on Erev Sukkot at the Etz Chayim Cemetery, and eloquently eulogized by Rabbi Steven Pruzansky and Rabbi Pesach Lerner alone, due to the proximity of the holiday. A friend sent added words of remembrance that include excerpts from his articles.
Why does this holiday of rejoicing immediately follow the High Holidays?
Based on the pattern expressed earlier of connecting the ending and beginning of the Torah, we notice that the last letter of the Torah, and the first letter of the Torah, combine to form the word “Le”v”--the Hebrew word for Heart! Undoubtedly, the Torah is expressing that the foundation that circulates lifeblood to the Jewish people is the Torah, the very essence of our existence.
A well loved Israeli children's song for Sukkot is "Shlomit builds a sukkah of peace." That is not what the sukkah is really about.
The aravah receives the pinnacle of honor among the Arba’at Haminim of Sukkot. What does that signify?
On Sukkot, we demonstrate that we are in love with life in this world; with our whole being, we immerse ourselves in the mitzvah
Just as Redemption preceded the world and is essential to it, so too did repentance.
The walls define the space, the sechach fills that space with holiness and warmth. And we need to respect the walls.
The four species which we are commanded to take for ourselves on the Festival of Sukkot are indigenous to Eretz Yisrael, just as the Torah is indigenous to Eretz Yisrael, and the Jewish People are indigenous to Eretz Yisrael.
The lessons of the last two years remind us that although our enemies in every generation devise elaborate plans to destroy us, Hashem ensures our survival.
Our prayer to G-d during the Ten Days of Repentance is analyzed here in tribute to the victims of the Manchester terror attack.
Modern assumptions about G-d have proven to be premature.
The Song of Ha'azinu is a testament of Jewish Destiny.
Jewish history isn’t random happenstance; Israel’s reconstituted national sovereign independence in the Land of Israel within living memory is woven into the very fabric of G-d’s Creation; our continued sovereignty in Israel depends not on the prowess of our military, on economics, on politics, but on our connection with G-d, His Torah, and His Mitzvot.
The safety and continuity of our people depend on vigilance, action, and adherence to the eternal covenant. Learn from history to build a stronger, safer Jewish future.
"...With this background in mind, the Rambam’s comments in Chapt. 7 Halachah 1 [Laws of Repentance] are all the more remarkable. Rambam writes: “Since free choice is granted to all men as explained, a person should always strive to do Teshuvah."
It's never all or nothing. G-d is the ultimate loving parent. When he sees that a Jew makes even the slightest movement of Teshuva, regardless of how much he has left to go, G-d immediately embraces this movement.
On a day that we're purified before G-d (Vayikra 16:30) and thrust into the holy of holies, we must contemplate our overall duty of devotion, because “in the times of Mashiach, there is only One to rely on, our G-d in Heavens.”
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov said, “If you believe that it is possible to make mistakes, then you can believe that it is also possible to make amends.”
What should be done when around the world Jewish communities are facing such challenging times?
It is the last night of the Ten Days of Repentance - use the time well.
In an interview on his 80th birthday, Carl Jung said, "But do you know who anticipated my entire psychology in the eighteenth century? The Hassidic Rabbi Ber from Mezritch, whom they called the Great Maggid. He was a most impressive man."
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.
We must strive to uphold our commitment to the Torah and to Am Yisrael, even as we recognize our own shortcomings and moments of faltering.
The number of a verse, its numerology - all point to the past but also to today in this week's parasha.
The significance of hakhel goes beyond the reading itself.
The answer is found here: Why do I say the two magic words?
The Fast of Gedaliah, held to mark the tragic assassination of the governor of Judea after the destruction of the First Holy Temple, is today. But the way to renewal is open before us.
A leader’s job is to preserve authentic Judaism come what may.
Does your soul dance with love and passion since the holy days of Rosh Hashanah? If not, Yom Kippur is another chance.
The mitzvah of Hakhel: A national gathering with larger dimensions.
A positive look at the new year
These are the three tools which G-d gives us to transform His judgment from bad to good: repentance, prayer, and charity. Delving into that prayer and Mussaf.
