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
It is impossible for us to measure the tremendous value of the willingness to sacrifice one’s life for the good of the Jewish People.
People who seek God without anchoring themselves to His people are lost at sea. The way home is through the nation, through its covenant, its language, its pain, and its resilience.
If Judaism is immutable, how can it be relevant?
The worst form of slavery is that of the spirit.
Thus, because the Torah commands us not to veer from the words of our sages, it is inherently considered a command from Hashem to follow the words of our Torah scholars, and therefore, the blessing made on Rabbinic Mitzvot can be considered as commanded by Hashem, by virtue of the fact that Hashem commands us to listen to the Sages!
The Torah does not deal with us in absolute specific terms but rather establishes general parameters of righteous judicial systems and equitable standards of law enforcement.
The two Sifrei Torah represent the two ways of serving Hashem.
‘Yisrael v’oraita chad hu’- the Jewish people and the Torah are one.
Those who rise against Israel are destroyed. Those who still remain shall all meet the same end, may it be soon.
Our suffering is not yet over: that is obvious. We still face genocidal enemies dedicated to our extermination. But Israel is in the process of being redeemed in justice.
If there is a case in which a poor person loses to a significantly wealthy one, the true verdict must be delivered. However, the matter should not end there.
The more difficult it is to do, the more critical it is to jump on it right away. If you must make a call to apologize for being mean to a friend or to ask a debtor for a deferral, don’t push it off. It will only get harder.
The Torah prohibition against owning many horses may be more relevant than we think.
Behold, currently the People of Israel are correcting the sins of surrendering chunks of our Homeland through the decision to settle the area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.
The Torah believes in our ability to repair ourselves as individuals and to repair society as a whole, so why do we need an external force?
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.
On the 90th yahrzeit of the Torah luminary who was the great visionary of Religious Zionism and the first chief rabbi of Israel, read about his final moments.
The commandment of tzitzit applies only during the day, so women are exempt from it Women are also exempt from the commandment of tefillin, since it too is a positive commandment that is time-bound. But are they allowed to don either of them and if yes, do they get a reward for doing so?
A movement is emerging with key Rabbis, counselors and therapist groups paving the way for all who seek traditional marriage.
