'And Yitschak's eyes dimmed from seeing'
What is the reason God wanted Yitschak to think he was blessing Esav?
Toldot:
A lesson from Yitzchak’s love for his rebellious son
Loving each child unconditionally is a basic tenet of parenthood.
Judaism (Page 20)
Thanksgiving Day:
Time to take an honest look at US Jewry
On this Thanksgiving Day, it looks like American Jewry is not going anywhere.
Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:
Toldot: What was Rivkah thinking?
Even if she could fool Yitzchak, there's no fooling G-d.
Torah Mitzion:
Voice of Jacob, hands of Esau
The focus of the blessing given to Jacob, when disguised as Esau, is materialistic. In contrast, the focus of the blessing given to Jacob at the end of the Parasha is spiritual.
A lecture about Jewish Education by Rabbi Hutner
This lecture was translated into English during the renowned Rabbi's lifetime and is an enlightening read.
How much evil can we put up with?
There is just so much malicious evil that we have to cope with in this country, but we will prevail.
Turkeys, Thanksgiving and Christopher Columbus
Are Jews allowed to celebrate Thanksgiving? Read Rabbi Soloveitchik's answer.
My heart is broken, and my mind feels numb
Does darkness win? It feels that way sometimes. But it doesn’t have to. HIstory shows the resilience of light.
Divination: What’s forbidden, and what’s permitted
One who transgresses the prohibition of divination, nullifies the commandment to act with simplicity before God. It is forbidden to use divination or sorcery even for promoting good purposes.
Eretz Yisrael in the Parsha:
Burial in Eretz Yisrael
Young Religious Zionist Torah scholars connect the Torah Reading with the Land of Israel.
Linking to Sarah
All of Israel emanates from Sarah; likewise all the converts who joined the Nation during every generation, even though they are not directly linked by a biological chain. Every convert is called the son of Sarah.
Rabbi Kook and Hevron:
"I do not shake hands defiled with Jewish blood"
Rav Kook held the acting commissioner responsible for British inaction during the Hevron massacre and refused his outstretched hand.
Chayei Sarah:
Shabbat Hevron
Hevron, where our forefathers are buried, and the Cave which the Zohar says is the entrance to the Garden of Eden.
Thoughts on the "Akeida" and our War
Rabbi Kirsch is serving in Lebanon and sent this thoughtful article and photo.
What comes first: Love or Marriage?
What is unique about the marriage of Rebecca and Isaac? And why is this sort of description never repeated in the Torah?
Le’David Barchi Nafshi:
A woman of virtue who can find? Why Abraham sent Eliezer to Haran
Why not choose a wife for Yitschak from the families in Canaan? At a deeper level, the problem with the people of the land was not that they were idolatrous, but something harder to change.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Chayei Sarah
Did Avraham have a daughter?
If he did, what happened to her?
Chayei Sarah:
The death of Sarah Imenu
Why did the Torah find it necessary to testify that she remained righteous throughout her life, from beginning to end? And why did her end come after the Akeidah?
Chayei Sarah:
The Parsha and Current Events: Four eulogies
On the 34th Yahrzeit (18th of Cheshvan) of my brother Ha’Rav Meir David Kahana z"l
Chayei Sarah:
The sacred body returns to Earth
Are we bodies with souls or souls in bodies? This is not a question about how we will die but about how we live.
A night to remember: The V’haarev Na siyum in Johannesburg
In the years ahead, I know these 28 teenagers will continue to grow, and their passion for Torah will continue to inspire those who were fortunate enough to witness this siyum.
Personal Growth series:
True life
This week's piece is dedicated to the refu'ah of my nephew- Noam Avraham ben Atara Shulamit. May Hashem grant him and all the other chayalim a complete and speedy recovery.
God's justice starts with life
Sacrificing selfishness and embracing selflessness.
To the young: A challenge
For Rabbi Kahane's yahrzeit. 'To the young, I offer a challenge. Be Jewish — totally, fully, completely. Throw yourselves into those waters that nourished and gave life — glorious life and meaning — to mere existence.'
Watch: 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.
Why is there no translation of Rav Yitzchok Hutner's works?
Challenges faced by Rav Yitzchok Hutner zts"l in the translation of his books and thought systems into English.
Matan Emunah Essay:
Marcheshvan: Building new habits like a drop in a bucket
This month's Sara Litton z"l Mid-Monthly Emunah Essay talks about how even a small change in habits can be significant.
Why destroy Sodom, was it the only evil place in the world?
The extreme punishment of the people of Sodom came about not only because of what they did, but because of where they did it.
Say the G-word, Israel!
The void in the world—subsequently filled with so much evil—will not be replaced with goodness and holiness until our leaders begin speaking again about God
For Rav Shlomo's yahrzeit: Inviting people into the tent
A personal memory.
Kite surfing
Apparently, despite the tragedy and sorrow of our lives in this Land, the flow of nature continues, unperturbed. Yes, the sun is still brightly shining, and waves are still rolling in at the seashore. And kite surfers are catching the breeze.
Eretz Yisrael in the Parsha:
The altar that stood from the beginning of time
Young religious Zionist Torah scholars find allusions to Eretz Yisrael in the weekly parsha.
Rabbi Yehoshua Kalish, beloved Five Towns rebbe, passes away
Lawrence Mayor eulogizes the rabbi of the Harborview Beit Medrash congregation in Lawrence, New York and Rosh Mesivta at the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, says 'Rabbi Kalish was not only a teacher but a guide and a friend to all who sought his counsel.'
Why is it called 'the binding of Isaac'?
This episode is counted by our Sages as the final, culminating test with which Hashem tested Avraham. But then why is it named for Isaac?
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
The Akeida was a major misunderstanding
So what was this all about?
Don't run away from your past
Abraham's search for truth was also part of truth.
Le’David Barchi Nafshi: Vayera
That which is most dear to us may be taken and dedicated to God.
Abraham's great test shows that dedication to God must not simply be a result of a Divine decree, but that we must rise to the level of feeling love and great happiness in fulfilling His Word.
Vayera:
Pointers on hospitality
Guests do more for the host than the host does for them. The guests get a meal and a place to sleep while the host derives immense satisfaction and pleasure from providing for them - and merits a mitzva besides.
Parshat Vayeira:
No Prayer is Left Unanswered
The Sefer Tifferet Yehonasan [Bereishit 18’ 33’] offers, that in reality, Avraham’s prayers and efforts to save the wicked people of Sodom did not go unreturned
The Parsha and Current Events:
Virtue and deficiency
A significant portion of the Dutch population remains passive and even hostile towards Jews, maintaining virulent anti-Semitic sentiments. That explains what has occurred on a deeper level.
Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:
The message of the scholars of Yavneh
A message of unity and mutual respect came forth from Yavneh at the dark hour of national crisis after the Second Temple's destruction.
Personal Growth series:
How mitzvot help us
The meforshim present different ways that mitzvah observance helps us.
Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:
Vayera: The first act of the first Jew
Avraham rushed to serve pagan guests.
Torah Mitzion on Vayera
The great moral showdown
Sodom and Amorrah are societies where the people mask their immorality behind the disguise of the values of charity and law.
11th of Cheshvan:
Rachel – Comfort on the way
As long as Rachel is crying for her children, she is alive. And so are we. She suffers over our plight, but she is still very much with us. As long as she responds to our prayers and comforts us, she continues to be.
11th of Cheshvan:
For Mother Rachel's yahrzeit: Jeremiah 31, then and now
Mother Rachel weeps for her children, says Jeremiah, and today she cries for her daughters, those awaiting their soldier husbands, brothers and sons safe return, and those weeping at new and hallowed graves.
Watch: Tanya lecture/video on 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.
Two revelations, two levels
The founders of our nation could not have attained their exalted status without the accompanying nurturing of the Holy Land.
Our Mother Rachel, the warrior
Rachel indeed suffered greatly in her life, but she never gave up.
Revivim:
Believers, Children of Believers
The basic trait of faith exists in all humans; however, among Jews, it appears with enhanced intensity that drives them towards eternal progress, and rectification of the world.
Remembering Kristallnacht: November 9-10, 1938
Kristallnacht marked a dramatic escalation in the Nazi’s treatment of Jews.
Le’David Barchi Nafshi: Lech Lecha
The value of our own efforts
Abraham shows un that one must act to save himself, but also pray for G-d's salvation in case it does not work out.
Lech Lecha:
The ultimate consolation
Much happens in the 24 years that Parashat Lech Lecha spans, and it can be summarised in one sentence: By the end of the Parashah, the Jewish nation had come into existence.
One man heard G-d's call - and the rest is history
Spending a lifetime polishing my coping mechanisms, how do I hear the call?
The first Brit Milah
Why didn't Abraham perform the brit milah before G-d told him to?
Noach leads to Lech Lecha:
The mystery of Shem
It was the task of Avraham and his progeny to pick up where Adam and Noach did not succeed and to lead the world back to Hashem via a restoration of the pristine state of affairs under which the world was created.
Lech Lecha:
Does God care? Finding purpose in difficult times
God participates in our personal and national development, taking pride in our advances forward and supporting us when the journey seems arduous.
Lech Lecha:
The Parsha and Current Events: What Trump could mean for Israel
Beware becoming too intertwined with America.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:
Lech Lecha: Sarah’s miscalculation
Avraham’s spirit elevated Hagar into an entirely different person.