On Yom HaZikaron, as we stand in the depth of loss, we see what Rabbi Akiva shouted: We are one family. The soldiers currently on the front lines and those who have fallen do not check who is "religious enough" or "political enough.
We remember a world that was destroyed, we look at the threats we face right now, and we are left with that same unanswered question: Why?
Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz urges Pope Leo XIV to reject moral equivalence between terror and self-defense
Ultimately, the Schlissel Challah is meant to focus our perspective. After a week of Matzah-the bread of humility-returning to regular bread represents a return to action.
Then, the waters became the undoing of a mighty empire. Today, the waters have become a channel through which a dangerous power is being weakened and held back.
"At this time, the State of Israel is not engaged in a war of choice. It is confronting an existential threat. The sweeping condemnation you made of 'those who wage war,' without distinction between aggressor and defender, risks creating a profound moral confusion."
Yosef’s coat represented separation. The bundle of hyssop represents humility and unity.
The world today finds itself in a fog of confusion. Why would a regime, already weakened and under immense strain, choose to double down? Look back to the Exodus to understand. And note how Pharaoh 'kept his word' when negotiating.
Shidduch lessons from Parashat HaNesi’im can help the shidduch crisis and lead to Nissuin - weddings!
Those who give their lives for the Jewish people-the קדושים-occupy a place in heaven that no other creature can reach.
A Vayikra reflection in a time of War.
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.
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.
David, King of Israel, lives and endures.
The salvation of Purim began quietly - not with a miracle, not with a battle, but with Shabbat.
Joy acts like a proactive medicine for the mind. Happiness and worry simply cannot live in the same heart at the exact same moment.
The ultimate goal of Jewish life isn't to be well-integrated or liked by our neighbors. It is for Judaism to be the centering fact of your life.
We cannot undo what has been lost. We cannot remove the pain from the bereaved. But we are commanded not to add to it.
The crucial difference between Marah and Sinai.
The trees, except for the almond, look bare and bleak on Tu B'Shvat, but the sap is already rising inside. An important corollary for our personal and national lives.
Joseph's bones were taken with the Jews when they left Egypt, the start of a tradition that we do not move on without our heroes. And Ran Gvili, who parallels the martyrs of Beitar, will be buried with dignity.
The burning bush is the eternal symbol of Jewish history. The bush is on fire, yet it is not consumed. And the State of Israel is the living proof.
Torah is never just history. It is a mirror of today - and a warning for tomorrow.
When people refuse to see what is happening-when they ignore tension, brush away pain, deny blame, or pretend problems will vanish-the damage grows quietly until it is too late.
Klal Yisrael is built in living rooms, at Shabbos tables, in bedtime Shema, in stories told on a grandparent’s knee. The chain rests with us.
Moshe as a baby, non-supervised milk, and the food that builds a Jew.
We are not asking for more. We are asking that the chain remain unbroken.
Hashem gives each person a role, a mission, a contribution. Ephraim receives leadership; Menashe receives honor. One is not at the expense of the other.
The temptation to despair is strong. But Torah teaches that we cannot remain there. We must act responsibly, together, and with unity.
Hanukkah does not offer simple answers, nor does it lessen the pain. It asks something deeper of us: to hold on to faith even when matters are unclear and the Hand of G-d seems concealed.
When darkness strikes one corner of the Jewish world, the shadows are felt in the heart of every single Jew globally. Your pain is deeply, personally our pain.
The eternal challenge of Jewish leadership is knowing when to stand firm and when to acknowledge reality, when to pursue the ideal and when compromise is necessary.
A disagreement does not undo our connection. A quarrel cannot touch the neshamah within.
Look at Joseph and his brothers as a model. The spark of holiness within every Jewish soul can bring people back together no matter what their differences.
We know the problems. We can preach. We can wish for solutions. But none of that brings change. Each of us must take initiative. Start where we can. Do what we can.
In the harsh reality he faced, Yehudah did the best he could, say some commentators. At the very least, he saved Yosef from death. Yehudah is praised for recognizing what was achievable. But others criticize him and feel he could have achieved more.
When hatred becomes normal, when lies replace truth, and when the “faces” around us change, the Torah teaches us to recognize it. That is what Yaakov saw before he returned to Eretz Yisrael.
Yaakov Avinu reminds us that wherever a Jew may be, his inner compass must point to Eretz Yisrael.
This parasha teaches us that even when the chances of success seem slim, a person must make an effort, do his part, and leave the rest in Hashem’s hands.
The three great dangers that have always confronted Am Yisrael, in days of yore and today.
The duty of Jews everywhere is to face the nisyonot of our generation with the same firmness that Avraham Avinu showed.
Lot’s story is a warning for every generation: chesed without understanding deceives the heart and misleads the hand. We see it clearly today.
Every star in the heavens matters - and so does every Jew on earth. We are brothers and sisters.
In the Torah, an ish ḥamasim-a man of violence-is a ruthless, merciless person who sees brutality as a legitimate means to achieve his aims. Such is today's Hamas as shown both in its charter and its barbarity, and we must therefore open our eyes to reality.
“The dove found rest on it (Shabbat), and there the weary will rest,” wrote Yehuda Halevy.
Even a match decreed in Heaven must be built on earth. Every marriage requires avodah - work, patience, understanding, forgiveness, and joy in each other’s growth.
Your life, even if it is incomplete, even if it is fragile, is still a gift. Notice the openings, the small moments of relief, the return of the hostages.They are part of Hashem’s care, a taste of the greater shalom to come.
Thoughts on this day, on hearing of an agreement.
The aravah receives the pinnacle of honor among the Arba’at Haminim of Sukkot. What does that signify?
The safety and continuity of our people depend on vigilance, action, and adherence to the eternal covenant. Learn from history to build a stronger, safer Jewish future.
A message of Pride, Faith, and Survival for our children and our people.
