Fifteen teachers from Jewish schools around the world came to Israel in July for an intensive 2.5-week study program and shared their common experiences of antisemitism in their communities.
Judaism has always felt that concepts and ideas are not enough – they must be accompanied by action.
A remarkable story.
Menashe did not ask to settle on the eastern bank, why were they included in those who settled there? And why only half the tribe?
If you don’t go to war alongside your brothers, the war will come to you in one form of suffering or another. In the US, the protests brought this home to every city, university, and water cooler.
The cause and instigator of the sin were the Midianites, and therefore, as the impetus for the sin, they faced more blame than the people of Moab, and G-d’s wrath was directed at them.
The only Yartzeit mentioned in the Torah is Aaron’s. Why?
In this week's parsha, we’re introduced to the laws discussing vows and promises – and the supreme importance of keeping them.
Could there be a wrong greater than that from an ethical, moral or religious point of view?
Our body must ultimately succumb to nature; not so our soul.
Could there be a greater act of mesirut nefesh, than Moshe’s decision to depart this life, so as to not to delay the vengeance of Hashem, and of Bnei Israel?! Read how the commentaries on this week's parsha see it.
The conclusion of Bamidbar ends the chapter of the trials of the desert generation, and now they enter a land flowing with milk and honey. Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchazek.
They need peace and quiet, but Moshe insists that they continue fighting until the land is fully conquered.
A prayerful commentary based on the thought of Rav A. Kook and Rav Soloveitchik.
I suggest that each and every one take upon themselves today, bli neder, a specific commitment. To fight evil and to do more good.
The Torah is our guide through our journeys in the world, and its 42-line pages remind us that just as God led us to 42 stops as we went forward in the desert, God leads us along all our journeys.
Everyone makes mistakes. The difference between the Tzaddik and the Rasha lies in their response.
Why did the Torah require the division of the Land of Israel to be done specifically by a lottery?
Their love for the land was palpable. Even their timing was perfect. A look at the different ways our commentators described the daughters' viewpoint.
These days are days of mourning over the destruction of the Temple and there are laws and customs for emphasizing that mourning.
A prayer decrying slanderers and heretics touches upon powerful emotions of hostility and anger, while prayer is intended to be a medium of peace and love.
'Moshe and the elders could not recall the proper response to the display of immoral conduct; his great-nephew Pinchas was able to clarify the issue, and speared both Zimri and Kozbi as befitting those who blatantly defame G-d's Name with extreme displays of lewdness.'
Hashem wants us to defend His honor.
Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira differed in their views of who could have bequeathed such a passionate love of the Land of Israel to his daughters.
Pinchas understood that fighting to eradicate evil is the only path to real and lasting peace and security.
"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." The verse that says it all.
We can find the proper way to serve God through this parsha, which includes wording that can lead one to believe mistakenly that the Torah has been changed on account of this appeal of the daughters of Tzelafchad.
Parshat Pinchas reminds us that leaders can – and must – put their nations’ interests above their own.
When is the moment that can be pinpointed as the beginning of one’s death process?
The question is how did Pinchas’ act of violence restore peace?
Though humility is an important character trait, when applied in excess, it leads to sin.
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.
Most of the time, we do not see the wicked getting punished for their oppression and lies, but there are exceptions in our lifetime.
Although a terrible event, there were also good things that occurred as a result of the breaking of the Tablets - and in the last ten months.
This reading contains the message which we so desperately need in our times of disaster - the times of disaster which begin with the 17th of Tammuz.
Unity or division - which will it be?
There are people who have special spiritual abilities to see and sense beyond the norm.
Tammuz is a time of brokenness. It’s a month where the luchot habrit were broken. The walls of Jerusalem were broken.
Humans are the only ones who believe that their lives are supposed to matter and, thus, the only ones who become depressed when they feel they are not impactful.
“May the words of my mouth... be acceptable” are words of deep significance. Where is the best place to say them in the prayer service?
97 years later: Who won?
The donkey, Joshua, and King David all see the sword שְׁלוּפָה (unsheathed) in the angel’s hand. Bil’am, too, sees the sword שְׁלֻפָה (unsheathed) in the angel’s hand.
Religious Zionist Torah scholars find the connections between each Torah portion read on Shabbat and the Land of Israel.
Parts Vand VI. Links to previous parts are below.
That he couldn’t win the war was irrelevant to Bilaam; what was relevant was that he could keep the game going, gaining more money, fame and honor as it progressed. Like Arafat and Sinwar did.
The Hebrew words for “A Nation that dwells apart” numerically result in the value of 420, which is the same value as the Hebrew phrase for “The days of Messiah"
Hamas, Hezbollah, and all the others that claim to be connected to Yishmael are demanding the land of Yisrael in contradiction to the fact that Yishmael severed all ties with Avraham, including any rights to the holy land. Read how this occurred.
The opening of the donkey's mouth teaches us the basic lesson of the entire story.
Our tribulations bring our people to the requisite question: Why have we endured so much suffering? What is the central reason we have experienced so much pain?
Bilaam couldn’t harm us, but our own misbehavior did.
In ancient times, all doctors believed that amulets could aid in healing, The Sages of Israel did not dispute this, and permitted their use, provided they did not contain anything forbidden, As for protection, what about soldiers today?
An essay on the foundations of Judaism in six parts. This is Part IV - links to previous parts are below.
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.
Irresistible force hits an immovable object as service in the IDF becomes a flashpoint in the confrontation between secular liberal society in Israel and the refusal of the traditionalist Haredim to comply.
Imagine where Israel would be now had world Jewry opted out of Museums for dead Jews and opted for investment in living Jews, opting out of institutions and into growing the Heartland of Shomron and Yehudah.
Perhaps today. Perhaps tonight.
An essay on the foundations of Judaism in six parts. This is Part III - links to parts I and II below.
Why did the rabbis emphasize Torah study in every situation, even on one’s deathbed?
We’re all born with free will to choose right from wrong.
