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.
The thread that weaves the various mitzvot in Parashat Re’eh is helping Torah-observant people to recognize their control over the cultural and social norms of their environment, and their own negative natural tendencies.
On discovering God's Presence in every moment. What science sees as “quantum fields” are nothing less than the written blueprints of creation.
For those of us who care deeply about the antisemitism in Australia and the war against Israel (both on the ground in the Middle East and online globally), it is a particularly difficult time. Some tips.
A new way to approach Teshuva through Rabbi Kook's original teachings guiding us on the path to achieve it.
Deep down in our souls, the source of our moral consciousness, we will always know what is truly right. We can relate this Torah message to current events and politics in Australia.
Unlike the weekday Amidah, which contains nineteen blessings, the Amidah for Shabbat contains only seven. Why?
In Jewish law, when we stipulate a payment on the fulfilment of a condition, if the condition is met, the payment is backdated to the day the condition was set. If we learn how to “see” G-d’s love even in prosaic things, G-d will backdate our blessings to this Shabbat
D’var Torah for Re’eh.
A strange Talmudic insight into a Biblical verse captures the sense of Jewish Unity.
An enlightening look at commentators through the centuries on the question of the wording of the verses on the blessings and curses regarding Torah observance.
Why does the Torah specifically become so emphatic and present its message with such urgent animation in this parasha?
Some Torah prohibitions became clear in our time. Only in our generation have we come to see how necessary the simple, literal meaning is: Don’t destroy synagogues, don’t raze Jewish cities, don’t bulldoze Jewish houses - in Israel, “lest the Gentiles hear of it, and destroy the Land of Israel”.
“To His dwelling you shall seek, and there you shall come.” Why not identify the place in the Torah?
No Torah portion is as joyful as Parashat Re’eh.
The quantum state does not reveal a single fixed reality independent of observation, nor do two people involved in the same incident.
True, in the realm of choice, there are those with deficiencies in deeds, in character, and in opinions. But their orientation to Torah will change, and they will return to choose the good, God willing.
Rabbis must make the wonderful mitzvah of Aliyah a constant and central part of Jewish education. And, it goes without saying that they should make Aliyah themselves.
Despite enormous budgets and high-quality manpower at its disposal, the security establishment failed to understand the enemy. Does that justify an increase in wages? And what about the reservists who have been in Gaza for long periods of time?
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 Torah wants Judaism to penetrate our being.
There are material consequences in addition to the spiritual ones that ensue from one’s embrace or rejection of Torah.
Does a person who accepts the yoke of Torah really have other responsibilities removed from him? How?
Word laundering has turned a lethal NYS bill that needs the governor's signature into something that reads like it is a socially acceptable measure. Here is the truth while it can still be stopped.
We made them “princes over us at our head” so now what can we say when that comes back to bite us?
I am. Few peoples have contributed as much to the advancement of human knowledge and ethics as the Jews.
Religious Zionist Torah scholars study the connection between the Bible and the Land of Israel.
Great good awaits those who toil in the ocean of the oral Torah - as well as those who go in the way of עקב: fulfilling all the mitzvot.
Most of us know the famous verse asking that question and the answer that follows it. But what does it mean?
Coming a few weeks after the tragic day of Tisha’a Ba’av, where we recall the destruction of G-d’s holy temples, a small measure of comfort can be gleaned from the above idea
Why would Moshe make money from carving the Second Tablets?
Historically there were two different customs with regard to public Torah reading. Which is best?
Even commandments not dependent on the land, such as tefillin and mezuzah, are primarily for those dwelling in the Land of Israel.
Our Prophets and Sages have already told us that when we return to our Land to fulfill our historical mission of bringing light to the world, the nations will rise against us.
When one requires water in Israel, one looks up. When one needs security, stability, or prosperity in Israel, one also looks up.
Leave out one "dot" of the Torah, one dot of Eretz Yisrael (the Holy Land), and you violate the Covenant.
Davening isn’t about how we feel; it’s about how we’re supposed to think.
Hamas leaders and followers are no better than Ben-Hadad of Aram. They have forfeited any rightto live.
We must never try to predict how God judges His people.
Rav Kook spoke at length about fear of Heaven and did not spare criticism of the mistakes in the meaning of the concept.
Hashem created every one of the world’s eight billion people with a yearning for meaning. Although we all know that we are merely one of billions, we want to feel that our lives matter.
Chaos, Quantum, and the Creator: The unseen Hand that governs all.
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.
In times of turmoil, we turn to ancient words of hope, to visions of a world where peace is not just a fleeting wish but a lived reality.
Moshe's supplications, although rejected, bear a deeper message on how the change in leadership will affect the way the Shechinah is revealed.
You don’t have to listen to me. Listen to Moshe. Listen to the roaring echo of his words, resounding out today over the anti-Semitic prairies and cities of America. Come home and keep the Torah as it should be kept!
This Sin of the Spies continues today on the part of people who spend their days criticizing Israel all over the media. “This is no good, and that’s no good, and this is immoral, and that is unjust, and this is like the Nazis, and that is Messianic, and this is leading the country to destruction…” ad infinitum.
Why did R. Shimon ben Gamliel say that there were no days more joyous than Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur?
This is the time to study - not just read, but to study in depth - the messages of the 9th of Av, of Parashat Va-et’chanan, and of Haftarat Nachamu.
How does prayer work?
Drashot Even Shoiv (Parshas Vaetchanan) states that we should treat Shabbat Nachamu like a Yom Tov, so go out and get special treats!
The Torah says “Do not add to the matter that I command you, and do not detract from it; to guard the commandments of Hashem your G-d that I command you”, so how do we relate to the teachings of our sages?
In this week’s Haftorah of “Nachamu,” the prophet Isaiah sets forth the prophecies of Redemption, may it be soon.
“There were never such good days for Israel as Tu B’Av (the fifteenth of the month of Av) and Yom Kippur” (Ta’anit 26b).
When Ruth walked alone and Reb Leivik danced alone. And in between on the time line, the Pachas-Moab family kept the Temple fires burning.
How are Shabbat Nachamu, Tu B’av, and Parashat Vaetchanan all intertwined?
