Our tradition demands that we give greater priority to regular over irregular.
A selection of concepts concerning the Jewish New Year that begins tonight.
International law permits a state to wage war in order to defend itself. For generations the West has been steeped in antisemitism and the claim that we are committing “genocide” and “war crimes” is a distinctly antisemitic claim, while it is true that much of the Arab enemy's civilian population are full partners in the war against us.
During the prayers of Rosh Hashanah - in Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot - we are to concentrate on victory in the war. And it is obligatory to have that intention (kavanah) during the shofar blasts as the obligation to blow at a time of war.
Victorious we shall be! However, the essential condition that determines the degree of our victory is the spiritual level of the Jewish nation.
This year a cloak of whiteness covers the month of Elul, the entrance to the High Holidays. Is it the cloak of purity, or of numbness?
Acts of Chessed are especially important during the season of Rosh Hashanah, the holiday commemorating Creation, the greatest act of initial Chessed by God.
Returning and renewing the Jewish presence in Judea, Samaria and Yerushalayim b’simcha with Nachala, The Gush Katif Forum and Ateret Cohanim.
Resolve to give a nickel to tzedakah every morning, resolve to put on tefillin every day, resolve to light candles before every Shabbat. Even if your heart isn’t in it, it is a good beginning.
The relationship between Yehuda and Yosef is a microcosm of the relationship between the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel (which was founded and led by kings descending from Yosef).
The Talmud teaches us that repentance (teshuvah) transforms deliberate sins into either mistakes or merits. Based on the teachings of Reish Lakish, the Maharsha, and Rav Kook, we show how repentance from love elevates wrongdoing into a catalyst for growth, deepening love of good, hatred of evil, and spiritual transformation.
One Hebrew, one Arabic - two words that sound similar but are worlds apart.
Reliving he moment when Rav Soloveitchik's face became a living commentary on the verse his son was chanting, and a living embodiment of a plea to Hashem sung by legendary Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt.
After the mourning comes the rejoicing, after the exile comes the return home, after the destruction comes the renaissance. The Redemption is swiftly approaching, and Hashem brooks no delay in its implementation.
Saying: “May the year end with its curses, may the year begin with its blessings,” is not enough - we must also act and do,
The internet poses challenges, but we can overcome them as long as we don't blame the mouse...and that's a message for all of life's challenges.
A Torah-true life doesn’t allow for half-hearted commitments.
What did Moshe seek to convey by telling us that the Torah is “not in heaven” or “on the other side of the sea”?
Genuine happiness stems from discipline, which involves protecting the mind from negativity, focusing on meaningful engagement, and allowing spiritual practice to shape daily routines.
The most famous "seruvnik" - fighter for freedom for Soviet Jews - spent 11 years imprisoned in Siberia for his Zionism. He stayed true to his beliefs and his people. Lessons for today.
Thrust aside all accountings and return in haste to the Land of Hashem, the Land of Israel, our one and only home.
May you ascend, step by step, from one level of Teshuva to the next.
If one is forced to choose between death and violating one of these prohibitions — even in private — one should (generally) choose death. These prohibitions are that severe.
Just as we were entering into the Holy Land, stones had a position of prominence.
To withdraw into solitude, imagining that this leads to closeness with God, is foreign to the Torah’s vision.
The shofar of Zechariah sounds in a great voice in our days. This is a blast that began from the time the ingathering of exiles began. Also liberation from bondage of kingdoms. Also ascent to the Land. Also heroism. Also eradication of the enemies.
Before I Confess My Sins, I Must Confess My Greatness.
Chid”a explains, however, that a gift that is accepted by Hashem Himself is, in reality, a source of pride and joy for the giver; thus Hashem’s accepting of the offering serves as the greatest pleasure for the benefactor, and therefore they are considered a “taker” in this scenario.
We comprise many groups and individuals, yet we are one people; much like a body has many organs but is a single organism.
‘Do not think that these oaths are imposed on you alone- as if, but for this, you would not serve Hashem.'
Just as more than two-and-three-quarters-centuries ago Hassidism burst onto Jewish history changing it forever, so too a century-and-a-half ago political Zionism - that led to anti-Zionism - burst onto Jewish history changing it forever. Who will win?
It is to my religious brothers and sisters who are still stuck in the galut that I dedicate the following article.
An abundance of food is the effect - not the cause - of human flourishing.
The commandment of bringing the bikkurim is a tangible and concrete expression that we are not ingrates.
Only Hashem could have authored a book that accurately foretold the future course of Jewish existence.
Only in our connection to the light of the national soul can we begin to examine our own lives and our connection to Hashem.
Is this the Redemption?
Mathematics and numbers are not just abstract ideas, but, as our sages tell us in so many places, they are essential to the very structure and identity of reality, revealing an inherent design where spiritual concepts and physical phenomena are deeply intertwined. The sun, for example.
We are invited not just to remember that God created the world—but that He is still creating it, and us, every day.
Dealing with children who put you through the wringer.
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 new Humash makes his teachings “more accessible than ever, ensuring his voice continues to guide future generations.”
D’var Torah for Parshat Ki Teitzei
Should we try to understand the true reasons for the Torah’s commandments?
Keeping the mitzvot protects the Jew from external enemies, from natural disasters, and from becoming the agent through which G-d brings punishment into the world.
Ramban explains that the Ben Sorer Umoreh’s actions violate the fundamental backbone and spirit of the entirety of the Torah - 'Kedoshim ti’yhu - You shall be a holy people.'
Almost 700 days later, that morning still lives inside me. Op-ed.
The moment we are on our own, we become vulnerable to Amalek.
The wisest of men King Solomon - exclaimed (Mishlei 11:1): "Deceitful weights are an abomination of the Lord, but a perfect weight is His Will."
I heard from my father and teacher the late Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l, that the Torah hints at the proper way to conduct war.
We must know that our war today is a war of the Children of Light against the Beasts of Darkness.
"He who walks with the wise will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm”.
We do not rely on miracles; instead, the miracle relies on us. God brings greatness through our hands and from within us, through our efforts.
The mitzvah of shaatnez teaches us to live for nobler purposes.
What is the reason for the harsh limitation on Ammonites and Moabites?
The place of the challenges Olim face based on the thoughts of Rabbi Tzvi Yisrael Tau.
This is the time for more haredim to move to our biblical heartland, fulfilling a mitzva while enjoying a higher standard of living, taking advantage of the present government's willingness to encourage and help.
Rabbi Kook explained in the essay ‘Ha’Dor’ (‘The Generation’) that those who abandon Torah in the new generation believe in the values of truth and goodness. Therefore, one must turn to the people of the new generation with appreciation for their aspirations and desires.
Atomic structure, Kabbalah, and the Divine blueprint
