Dr. Elliot Resnick

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Toldot: Opposites attract

Yitzchak and Rivkah loved what they lacked.

President Trump: The anwer Is no

The building of an American army base on the Gazan border would be nigh irreversible. Why we must not let it happen. Opinion.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Parashat Chayei Sarah: No man is an island

Family ties form the basis of our service of Hashem.

Vayera: Looking down one’s nose

Avraham and Isaac didn’t let their greatness get to their head.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Lech Lecha: Avraham’s plan

Sarah didn’t think she was beautiful; Avraham knew better.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Bereishit: 1960s Values

Torah Judaism is not progressive liberalism.

Why I consider this a terrible deal

In their eyes, because this deal ends the war now, they won. They slaughtered 1,200 Jews on October 7, killed 500 IDF soldiers in the two years since then, and will now receive 2,000 of their own from Israeli custody. Opinion.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Ha’azinu: Not so fast

Modern assumptions about G-d have proven to be premature.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Vayelech: Don’t “help” G-d

A leader’s job is to preserve authentic Judaism come what may.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Nitzavim: A leap into another dimension

A Torah-true life doesn’t allow for half-hearted commitments.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Ki Tavo: City life

An abundance of food is the effect - not the cause - of human flourishing.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Ki Teitze: Rise higher

The mitzvah of shaatnez teaches us to live for nobler purposes.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Shoftim: Are we too reliant on America?

The Torah prohibition against owning many horses may be more relevant than we think.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Re’eh: Room and board

The Torah wants Judaism to penetrate our being.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Parashat Eikev: Why do we need a siddur?

Davening isn’t about how we feel; it’s about how we’re supposed to think.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Va’etchanan: It’s your tone

Hashem responds to sentiments, not just words.

The Hamas videos:

We need outrage, not pain

“But what should we do?” people ask. Ask the Druze what they would do. Ask the mafia. Use your imagination. We need them back no matter what price the Gazans, not the Jews, have to pay. Opinion.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Devarim: Have no fear

Every nation receives its inheritance - no matter the military odds.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Matot-Maasei: Our problems lie within

Moving from place to place won’t solve anything.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Pinchas

We’ll never be closer to Hashem

Judaism focuses primarily on this world, not the next one.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Balak

The “black arts” don’t exist

The Torah only forbids magic because it tries to short-circuit Divine justice.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Korach: We’re all holy!

Korach confused what we are with what we should be.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Naso: Is nezirut saintly or sinful?

Abstinence leads to holiness but isn’t holiness itself.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Bamidbar: No nepotism

Moshe didn't use his position to advance his children’s careers.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Behar-Bechukotai

Inner peace

This parsha contains the secret to overcoming anxiety and self-doubt.

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch:

Emor: No disabled people allowed

Judaism is supposed to be a springboard, not a crutch.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Achrei Mos-Kedoshim: Which goat are you?

Stubbornness can lead us to, or away from, Hashem.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Shmini: Just obey the Good Book

Judaism calls on us to serve G-d, not our own whims.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Tzav: Rise and shine

Judaism flourishes in light, not darkness.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayikra: Are you happy?

A korban shelamim is the quintessential “Jewish” offering.

Yeshiva University’s inexcusable surrender

The prohibition against the homosexual act is clearly stated in the Torah. While that does not mandate ostracizing anyone, allowing an LGBT club is tantamount to approval of a way of life that is forbidden. Opinion..

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Vayakhel: Single, double, triple pay

"Ain;t gonna work on Saturday" is a much loved children's song . But why does the Torah forbid some non-strenuous activities on Shabbat?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Tetsave

More red than blue

The kohen’s avnet represents the life we should all live.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Terumah: A team effort

Thinking and acting must always go together.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Mishpatim: Watch your diet?

The Torah quickly disabuses us of a popular notion.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Yitro

Rendering yourself non-existent

Don’t smother the unique characteristics with which Hashem blessed you.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Parashat Bo: How free were we?

Matzah reminds us that we left Egypt thanks to G-d’s grace alone.

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha

Vayechi: The road to the heart

Yosef targeted his brothers' feelings by appealing to their minds.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayigash: Yaakov's strange answer

G-d wants us to accomplish, not just exist.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Miketz: Rejoicing in another's happiness

Pity comes naturally; sympathy doesn't.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Vayeshev

Why Shechem?

Equality before G-d is supposed to govern human society.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayishlach: Won't you be my neighbor?

Esav sought to escape Yaakov's influence.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayetze: G-d loves, and demands

G-d is our father… and our lawgiver.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Toldot: What was Rivkah thinking?

Even if she could fool Yitzchak, there's no fooling G-d.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Chayei Sarah

Did Avraham have a daughter?

If he did, what happened to her?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayera: The first act of the first Jew

Avraham rushed to serve pagan guests.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Lech Lecha: Sarah’s miscalculation

Avraham’s spirit elevated Hagar into an entirely different person.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Noach: Can ‘man’ mean ‘woman’?

A functioning society is impossible without objective language.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Bereishit: G-d’s ‘personality’

Imparting pure philosophical truth isn’t the Torah’s primary aim.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

V’zot Habrachah: Exiting the stage

We all have a role to play in the divine plan.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Haazinu: Looking for an excuse

Denying religious truth is often convenient.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch on Ki Tavo:

You can’t pick and choose

One category of sin isn’t “better” than another.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Ki Tetze: Female power

The fate of a nation rests on its mothers.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Shoftim: What’s wrong with magic?

Our actions – not “black arts” – determine our future.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Re’eh: Between the head and the heart

Truth, not feelings, must govern our actions.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Ekev: G-d provides

Supporting a family is no excuse for violating the Torah’s commands.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Vaetchanan: Black and white

Truth isn’t equivocal, and we dare not present it as such.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Matos-Maasei: Why Is Tumah Bad?

Our body must ultimately succumb to nature; not so our soul.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Parashat Pinchas: Speak up!

Hashem wants us to defend His honor.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Balak: Our moral core

Bilaam couldn’t harm us, but our own misbehavior did.