Judaism (Page 40)

Prisoner exchanges

If the families of the captives and their supporters had refrained from demonstrations and kept away from the media, the IDF would have already been more successful in breaking the enemy’s spirit.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Acharei Mot: The Ox and the Goat

Constructive and destructive power can both be used for positive purposes.

“After the death of the two sons of Aaron"

An explanation that helps us understand the depths of the Torah’s sensitivity to the human psyche and condition. We are still in the throes of every tragedy that befalls the Jewish People, all the more so today.

Eretz Yisrael Yomi:

Sins that cause exile from the Holy Land

Young Religious Zionist Torah scholars explain connections between the weekly parsha reading and Eretz Yisrael.

The Torah's morality against the flames of child sacrifice

While the practice of Molech is no longer en vogue in today’s world, the metaphoric pillars of fire that youngsters pass would through in worship of this barbaric deity still burn strong in the halls of 'prestigious' universities.

Talking Parsha - Achrei Mot: We can’t eat meat??

Why regulate meat consumption when it's already permitted for Noah and his descendants and will be permitted when entering the Land of Israel?

From the office of the UK Chief Rabbi:

‘After death we say holy things’

The Rambam tells us that the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem is the mitzvah of ‘Kol beit Yisrael’,

Acharei Mot: What does "living" by the commandments really mean?

People display their religiosity in diverse ways, but perhaps the words "live by them" reveal how God wants us to build an observant life.

Rabbi Hirsch on the parsha: Put on your weekday clothes with care

Torah truth must permeate a person’s mundane life.

Acharei Mot: True rebuke is hard to come by

There are two ways to understand this mitzva and both are not easy to perform.

Watch: Tanya/ Iggeres Ha’Kodesh - 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.

Ethics of the Fathers

The foundation(s) of our world

The first Shabbat after Passover we begin reading a chapter a week of Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, a 6-chapter compilation of teachings and wise maxims found in Tractate Nezikin. Introduction and chapter 1.

Zachor - as Holocaust Day approaches and the war continues

Zachor means not to be surprised as the nations of the world – including the Unites States – berate, threaten and abandon us in this just war against archetypal evil.

A communal prayer of thanks

Israel's first chief rabbi explains how sometimes the entire community has to realzie how important it is to give thanks.

Watch: Passover and time

Passover confronts the mystery of time head on.

'In my distress I called upon the Lord'

There is a yearning for peace, for tranquility, for an end to the tension and apprehension of the past months.

Remembering Rabbi Joseph Ber Solovietchik. For his yahrzeit

On the occasion of the 31st Yahrzeit of my beloved rebbe, רבן של ישראל, מו"ר הרה"ג מרן יוסף דוב הלוי סולובייצ'יק זצ"ל.

O Dry Bones, Can you hear the Word of G-d?

The historical and psychological meaning of Ezekiel's vision.

From Ma Nishtana to Ma Nishtanu - We are different!

In what way are the Jews different than Hamas? It seems that many university students and world leaders cannot answer that simple question.

"Speak to the Children of Israel and let them move on!"

What is God telling them to do? If they jump into the Re(e)d Sea, they will most likely drown. And if they don't?

Passover and Hamas college takeovers

We are powerful. We are G-d’s children. We can help ourselves. He does not want us to surrender. Remember, we were freed from Egypt.

Counting the days- the freedom of our time

Follow in the ways of Avraham Avinu - make sure that every day of our sefira, is truly ‘ours’ - that we have given it content, by serving Hashem.

Challenges of War: Making sense of Jewish death and suffering

The Torah and Judaism do not hide from the topic of death and suffering and in fact early on in the Torah lay down the source of the problem in the first place.

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.

The Land of Israel and Pesach

Young Religious Zionist Torah scholars connect the Holy Land and the Passover holiday.

Ruach Se'Arah (Storm Wind) in the thought of Rebbe Nachman

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, quoting Prophets and Psalms as well as the Zohar, explains that the wicked channel their life force from mighty, impure forces that expand outwards for a brief time, following which they are left spent and destroyed.

The four answers

The Haggadah presents four questions that are really answers presented in typical Jewish fashion. Jews often answer a question with a question, don't they?

Beyond memory: The living legacy of the Seder

The experiences and the commitments of thousands of years are etched into our psyche today and are as relevant and binding as they were as the time that they originally happened.

Passover: Because of This

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: " the true goal of the miracles in Egypt goes far beyond the needs of that generation."

The Four Cups of Freedom and the Joy of Redemption

Our Sages instituted the drinking of four cups of wine on the Seder night, so that joy and celebration would accompany all the stages of the Seder.

From the Office of the UK Chief Rabbi

Readings for your Seder table 5784

A series of readings to choose from for your Seder table, offering an opportunity to highlight important themes for Israel and the Jewish people in these challenging times.

The golden flowers of the Jewish Ghetto

"The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind" --Mark Twain.

Why will this Seder night be different than other seder nights?

My annual Pesach essay - always timely - but with a twist for today.

The Promise of Galut haggadah

It is actually called The Promist of Liberty Hagaddah, but it is plagued by erroneous assumptions about Judaism's ethos that make it tailor made for continuing the Diaspora.

The Abolitionist Movement inspired by Passover

The legacy of Moses and the Exodus in the Abolitionist anti-slavery movement. Followed by Passover Guide for the Perplexed.

Seder gems

This Passover, discover your true light. 3333 years later, we still remember.

Laws of preparing for Pesach

Cosmetics, toothpaste, Passover wafers and cookies, eating quinoa - all the things you need to know for the holiday.

The one to whom the house belongs

A collection of commentaries on tsaraat of a house. The Alsheich Hakadosh says: This affliction should be considered by us, as a gift from Hashem. Why?

Finding comfort from Miriam's loss, through Shabbat's holiness

It appears that the ability of the Jews to take the pagan representation of the Egyptian society in full view, and prepare it for sacrifice 4 days later, may have been a greater miracle than anything that had occurred up until that moment.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Sharing isn’t optional

Private property comes with responsibilities – to others.

Talking Parsha - Metzorah & Pesach: What are Nega’im??

What is the significance of the emphasis on curing the tzara'at instead of the person? And how does it connect to the plague of the firstborn, and the seder night itself?

Pesach download to enrich your holiday

Delve into Rabbi Sacks' digital archive packed with articles, videos, broadcasts and shiurim about Pesach.

Bedikat Chametz - what do we really want to find?

What is the purpose of finding chametz that we just hid a few minutes ago? How exactly can we call this procedure a “search for chametz”? The answer is a profound insight into what bedikat chametz really means.

Shabbat Hagadol: Redemption then, redemption now

It is a fundamental component of Pesach that the redemption from Egypt – our first national redemption – is the paradigm for the final redemption,

Shabbat Hagadol: Miracle of Miracles

If, back in 1967, you tried to convince someone that what happened last Saturday night would happen, you would have been committed to an asylum. But it did.

Passover Laws and Customs

Laws about 'matza ashira' and medicines on Passover

Can one eat 'matza ashira,' matza with added ingredients such as fruit juice, on Passover? Can one take his usual medications?

Passover Laws and Customs

Getting your kitchen ready for Pesach

There is a huge difference between cleaning the house for Pesach and cleaning the kitchen for Pesach. Read on.

Individual redemptions: to expedite the redemption process

May we celebrate the individual redemption of each of us, the individual redemption of the hostages and their families, and the collective redemption of the entire People of Israel

SA Chief Rabbi:

Searching for meaning in a post-October 7 Pesach

South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explains how the Pesach seder provides a frame of reference for understanding Iran’s recent attack, October 7, and the vicious antisemitism that has awoken across the globe.

Islam must recognize the State of Israel

A rabbinical message to Islamic scholars: "Islam must recognize the State of Israel as part of the divine commandment anchored in the Koran."

Assymetrical response to Iran: Korban Pesach on the Temple Mount

f the rules of the game have changed, let’s change the rules of the game: Permanently allow Jews the same freedom of worship on the Temple Mount as have other faith groups.

They are a package!

Is Israel's success in thwarting the Iranian attack due to science or G-d?

The real reason we are hated

Every generation has its own reason and some have no reason at all - for hating Jews.

Israel vs Iran – A Halakhic Perspective

The Torah commands us to defend ourselves against those who seek to harm us, and to use force when necessary to ensure our survival.

The Law of Idolatry B’Shituf for non-Jews

Someone who worships idolatry b’shituf (in combination) believes in a Supreme God, but at the same time, also believes in various forces with independent powers. Rabbinic opinions on their being considered idolators are mixed.

Reciting the Psalm of Thanks

The 100th Psalm is part of the morning service most days but is also said when thanking G-d for special salvation. What better time to say it?