Tisha B'Av is not only a day of mourning for what we lost, but rather a reminder of what to expect from ourselves.
Do you know anyone who had enough money and refused to accept more?
From Moses, we see that It is impossible for truths to be described without the personality and subjective view of the person doing so.
Why does the parsha refer to Mount Sinai as 'this mountain' when he orders the Jews to leave?
Most of humanity is comfortable with the world view it knows and the patterns of life it has become accustomed to. Especially today.
I once met a survivor who said that whoever was in Bergen Belsen for 10 minutes, can justifiably say Hallel every day in Medinat Yisrael.
Our relief from exile will come either way, the question is what we will have gained from our time in the darkness.
Leading religious Zionist rabbi responds to Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef's call not to make aliyah to secular communities.
In the book of Dvarim, Moshe reminds the Israelites that they stayed at Mount Sinai for a long time and left it enriched with Torah.
The God of mercy let Job be tested. The prosecuting team reckon he can be brought to the point of no return of cursing God Almighty.
A discussion on mental health with Hagaon Harav Asher Weiss Shlita and Dr Jacob Freedman, including directives for fasting on Tisha B'Av..
Today is the yahrzeit of the revered Kabbalist whose work on the Zohar and spiritual way of life are legendary. How he saw the Holy Land.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
The writer's ideas for getting into physical shape for fasting, starting today. Hopefully, our spiritual shape will make the fast obsolete.
In our generation, in which the commandment to procreate has national importance, families that enhance the mitzvah, merit special blessing.
Read carefully, because we will only do this once!
The Temple Institute's 5781 Nine Days video.
Israel's first Chief Rabbi: 'The two steps in kashering the spoils parallel the two steps in possessing the Land of Israel.'
Such is Torah: One dot missing in a word in Mattot-Masei and Rashi's explanation lead to a vast lesson brought with exquisite subtlety.
When life is lost for whatever reason there must be an accounting. The day after such a tragedy cannot be as if nothing happened.
The laws of vows are there for us to contemplate the awesome power contained in our speech.
The last mission given to Moses is to avenge what Midian did to the People of Israel. Why revenge, and why is this his final mission?
The month of Av becomes the Comforted month of Av, Menachem Av, similar to the term "lenachem aveilim" used during shiva..
Mattot-Maasei Numbers 30:2–36:13: The lure of easy gratification and achievement has dulled our yearning for Hashem’s Temple and redemption.
Those whom the Gemara presents as great lovers of Eretz Yisrael, were not “sabras” born in the Land, but sons who returned to her from afar.
The negotiation between Moses and the 2 tribes in our parsha follows closely the principles arrived at by the Harvard Negotiation Project,
How to keep the laws of shmitta in the coming year while helping Israeli agriculture.
At the moment that we say something, we create a new reality in the world.
When travelling, the most important thing to take with us doesn’t weight anything at all.
There must be a connecting bond, a common denominator that unites these two apparently disparate and different sections of the Torah.
Jewish jokers, like the Joker of Batman fame, make good out of evil, and evil out of good. Israel is not good enough for them.
In a generation where youth are exposed to a plethora of information, it is necessary to develop a dialogue with them on issues of modesty.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
The US government recently announced that it would support a patent waiver for the COVID vaccine. What does the Talmud think of that?
The Jewish people need material as well as spiritual leadership. Can that be found in one person or must we have two? Rav Kook responds.
There will always be some talent, skill, or natural characteristics that I can appreciate in another if I look at him with a favorable eye.
Moshe had saved the nation before with prayer, by reasoning and imploring. Pinchas saved them by acting, violently and definitively.
There is a personal story told by the famed Jerusalem Maggid, Rav Shalom Schwadron, Z”L.
Wy was Pinchas, of all people, rewarded this "Brit Shalom", the covenant of peace?
Being born between the gates empowered Yocheved to feel free. To not allow Egypt to invade her mind, her psyche, her sense of self. And you?
In theory, pacifism is a noble idea, but with the dangerous world human beings live in, we must ensure evil does not triumph. Op-ed.
Is it really true that being Jewish means knowing how to pack quickly? Not in Israel.
Imagine the examples set at home for the children of Korach and for the children of Datan and Aviram.
In this parasha, an invitation arrives from Hashem Himself in order to enable us to have a life changing experience. Be sure to RSVP.
How sensitive to others must we be on social media?
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
Our greatest pleasure comes, not from resting, but from hard work.
Pearls from Rabbi Ze’ev Sultanovich’s annotations to Rabbi Kook’s writings, whose publication was completed this week.
The quality of “Ya’akov” allows Jews to survive in times of suffering while the quality of “Yisrael” symbolizes independence. Op-ed..
What is the mark of a good Jewish society in contrast to a good society of any kind?
Hashem says: "From the day I destroyed My earthly home, I never.. dwelled in My heavenly home, but instead, remained homeless..."
Why do I make such a ridiculous statement? Well, consider the following, and then tell me just how ridiculous it is (or is not…).
Think about how far the world has come, but look around you and think how far it has yet to go.
Questions, stories and points for discussion on the saddest period of the Jewish Year.
Parashat Balak is indisputably the most hilarious parashah in the entire Torah.
Are miracles supernatural events or is their timing the heavenly aspect of natural events?
Once we recognise where we have gone wrong, we can begin to put our national house in order to guarantee a bright and successful future.
This week we find the famous story of Balak calling over Bila'am to curse Am Yisrael, and Bila'am ends up Blessing Am Yisrael instead.
The Parsha in Chesed – Balak: The most famous blessing of Bilaam is: 'How Goodly are Your Tents, Yaakov, Your Dwelling Places Yisrael'
