Judaism (Page 8)

Your 15-Step Program toward inner liberation

This year, Let Your Seder Year be Transformative!

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayikra: Maimonides and Korbanot

Why did God command that we bring korbanot (Temple offerings)? What is the purpose of this form of serving God?

Parashat Vayikra:

What are we really asking for?

Korbanot (0fferings), the Mincha, and the Avodah of Vayikra.

Parashat Vayikra:

Kingship

Is there any organic connection between Parashat Vayikra, Nissan, and Purim?

Parashat Vayikra:

The wondrous korbanot

The korbanot in the Bet Mikdash - assuredly they were to unite worlds.

Parashat Vayikra

The silence of the small aleph: A message to the Torah-True Jew

Those who give their lives for the Jewish people-the קדושים-occupy a place in heaven that no other creature can reach.

When sacrifice becomes intimacy

Reflections on the unifying secret of the Jewish people, on the shrunken letter that teaches us humility, and on the heroism that is revealed precisely in the 'valley of the shadow of death.'

End of Days

The judgment of the nations of the world in the days of the Mashiach. Which nations are foremost and in what order?

World Emunah for Rosh Chodesh:

What is the strength of the people of Israel?

How have we managed to transmit our tradition despite endless tribulations?

Parashat Vayikra:

A dependent existence

Realizing that we exist as the handiwork of our Maker must be at the forefront of our consciousness. This awareness keeps us humble and guards us from sin.

Dvar Haftorah

Fear not, O Israel

The covenant endures. The Jewish people may face criticism and reproach, but they are never abandoned.

Rosh Chodesh Nisan:

Finding G-d in the Everyday

G-d wants the real you-because only then can you experience the real G-d.

For Rosh Chodesh Nisan:

Trees in blossom

True, we are only at the beginning of the budding and blossoming of our People in our Land. But the day is not far off when we will merit to see and feel, face to face, the sweet fruits of the People of Israel in the Land of Israel.

Nerves of steel

Be of courage - our country is not received on a silver platter, but rather through war.

The Book of Vayikra and Eretz Yisrael

How does halakha define "the majority of Israel"? The answer will surprise you.

Watch:

Weekly Tanya video/lecture: Igeres Hakodesh -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.

Torah for Noahides:

Why the global conflict of 2026 is written in your Haggadah

Let’s explore how the ancient drama between Ishmael, Isaac, Esau, and Jacob is playing out on the global stage today.

Give honor to the Torah

When the Torah scroll is being carried, and also when it is lifted up, everyone who sees it must stand until the scroll is placed in its place in the ark, or on the bimah.

Small letters, Great sacrifices

A Vayikra reflection in a time of War.

Yearning for salvation

Ask yourself sincerely - how much do you want to make aliyah?

From firebomb attack to halakhic ruling

Samaria Rabbi David Dudkevitch recounts his halakhic question to Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach after a Molotov cocktail struck his car on the road to Shechem.

Office of the UK Chief Rabbi:

The ultimate key for a fulfilling Jewish life

As we finished reading the Book of Exodus, its overall message becomes clear.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Psalm 9: Nations who forget God

The Talmudic Sages' views on Persia.

Adar's promise

Perhaps that is our challenge, right now. To maintain a touch of the angelic, of purity and holiness, in the midst of chaos and destruction.

Every Day Counts for Am Yisrael:

Are we fulfilling our responsibility?

Just as the Mishkan could only stand because every contribution was counted, so too the Jewish people grow strong when each person gives what they can, according to their abilities.

Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei:

Perhaps Tucker Was Right...

Rabbeinu Bachye explains, the very question is the answer-the Beit HaMikdash, and its predecessor, the Mishkan in the desert, was not merely a physical building; it was the repository of the collective psyche and soul of Am Yisrael, which allowed Hashem’s Shechinah to be more manifest in this physical and troubled world.

Parashat Vayakhel-Pikudei:

When the siren sounds, the nation gathers

Gathering together, making sure all are accounted for, and planning ahead: this week's Torah readings parallel Israeli citizenry's response to the ubiquitous sirens that send us all to our shelters.

A cover-up of Biblical proportions

The story presented in the Torah is one of a holistic, pure, and ideal experience. No glitches, no politics, no accusations, no problems; a perfectly smooth ride. The Mdrash tells us the problems. So where is the truth?

Parashat Vayakhel-Pikudei:

You can only give what you have

To host G-d, you must make space in your heart.

Parashat Vayakhel-Pikudei:

'May our Will be the Will of Hashem'

It wasn't just the work itself that was done as Hashem commanded, it was also the way it was done.

When saving a life takes precedence over Shabbat

Shabbat, the Tabernacle, circumcision, and temple service are foundations of holiness-but saving a life takes precedence over them.

Dvar Haftorah: Parashat Hachodesh

A time to cleanse and begin again

Every national future must rest on something deeper than power alone.

Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei and Hachodesh:

The Grand Finale

The Mishkan is here to remind us of that. Hashem has brought presence to Space. Parashat Hachodesh tells us that this presence occurs in time.

VaYakheil-Pekudei

Were the mirrors holy?

The mirrors ussd for the Mishkan had an exotic histtory.

Continuing to erase Amalek

In our present war with Iran we see how Amalek is being destroyed in this period between Purim and Passover.

A post-Purim-pre-Pesach musar shmooze

At my Kiryat Moshe home, on Purim, students wondered why they will say 'next year in Jerusalem' in the Haggadah when they are already there...

A Great Nation

Happy are we, how good is our portion and the lot of our generation that we merited to return to the Land of Israel and to Jerusalem.

The Jews in Curaçao: A remarkable story

A tiny Caribbean island once had more Jews than all thirteen American colonies combined, and quietly saved thousands from the Holocaust.

Personal Growth series:

How to inspire Ahavat Yisrael

Rav Elimelech of Lizensk reminds us that our connection with Hashem hinges upon our relationship with other people and our ability to focus on the good in each of them.

Watch:

Weekly 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 Mitzvah of Mezuzah:

The mezuzah as protection and the Laws of affixing it

The mitzvah of mezuzah grants protection and long life to the homeowners and their children.

The Mount of Olives - sanctifying remembrance

A Parshat Zachor to remember for generations to come.

Rebbetzin Frimit Taub-Housman z"l - in memoriam

A woman of valor whose loss will be keenly felt by family, friends and the Borough Park kehillah she led with her late husband, the Halleiner Rov zts"l.

Hashem gave Moses the Two Tablets of Testimony

How did Moses learn the entire Torah in forty days?

Mi LaHashem Elai:

Answering the call of 'Whoever is for Hashem, come to me'

The fact that Hashem performs miracles does not release us from responsibility. On the contrary, it obligates us even more to act with seriousness and commitment.

Not for your sake, but for My Name

This past Shabbat, we witnessed tens of thousands of reservists across Israel change from their Shabbat clothing into the sacred uniform of the IDF. Fathers of young children heard the reading imploring us to remember the cruelty of Amalek, then left their families to answer the call once again.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Ki Tisa: The Luchot's miraculous letters

What did our Sages mean when they said that the Mem and the Samekh in the Luchot stood miraculously?

Parashat Ki Tisa:

Remaking of the Golden Calf

We must remember the central place that the crime of idol worship occupies in Judaism.

Parshat Ki Tisa:

Dance the Fears Away

What evoked Moshe’s breaking of the Luchot, in fact, was his witnessing the great joy with which the sinners had embraced their mission

Parashat Ki Tisa:

When G-d learned not to take His people for granted

In a daring interpretation, classic to the Chassidic approach toward Judaism, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak becomes the great "advocate" for the Jewish people, as he always was.

Parashat Ki Tissa & Shabbat Parah:

While Purim is still echoing...

This Shabbat is the confluence of three components of our calendar: the aftermath of Purim, Parashat Ki Tissa, and Shabbat Parah.

The Roar of the Lion: Tanakh, Persia-Iran, and today

David, King of Israel, lives and endures.

Dvar Haftorah

Purification by fire: the Red Heifer and Iran

Like the ashes of the red heifer, the destruction of Iran’s instruments of death can become the catalyst for cleansing.

Half-Shekel vs Haman's Shekels

Adv. Shalom Wasserteil explains how the mitzvah of the half-shekel places a world of holiness and charity against the money of Haman, who sought to destroy the Jewish people.

Increasing joy and unity while achieving victory during Adar

We should strive to extend the light of Purim, and the drawing together of hearts, throughout the entire year, but at the same time, we must remember that we are forbidden from being overly merciful toward our enemies.

Of snakes, sirens, and the Megillah

If a siren sounds while we are reading the Megillah and we pause, do we start again or continue from where we left off?