Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz

When the sting becomes sweet

Lessons learned from the bee whose honey is a symbol of a sweet new year.

Nitzavim-VaYeilech:

The Torah is a song - Are we listening?

Have we really been listening to the song? Have we allowed the Torah to speak to us again?

Givati APC case

Chief Rabbinate Council Member seeks Rabbinate intervention

Rabbi Eliezer Weisz urges the Chief Rabbinate to intervene after Givati soldiers were punished for refusing to ride in an APC with a female paramedic.

Parashat Ki Tavo:

Two mountains. One altar

A Jew remains responsible for another Jew even when they are not standing on the same mountain.

What should we do to confuse the Satan?

The nisayon changes. The Torah does not.

For Elul:

Before we begin again

Yerach Yamim - A time to bring the past to a close.

Same ma'akeh, different paths:

The forthcoming elections and the unity of Am Yisrael

A house can contain people who are different from one another, each with his own character and his own way, and yet they are all living under the same roof. That is the picture we should have of Am Yisrael.

Lo Titgodedu:

Different political parties, one family

In this election period, we must remember: Jewish life itself is full of debate. The Beit Midrash was built on questions and argument. The real question is: How do we disagree without dividing?

The Shidduch Crisis, part II

Not according to our timetable

For Tu B'Av:

The Shidduch Crisis

Part I: Opening our hearts - the message of Parashat Eikev and Tu B’Av.

Shabbat Nachamu: A New Perspective:

Discovering Hashem’s mercy within exile

The darkness of galut is real, but it is not the final chapter of our story.

The party that destroyed Jerusalem:

The lesson we still refuse to learn

​Jerusalem did not fall because Rome was invincible. It fell because the people inside could not tolerate one another.

Born on Tisha B'Av

Finding hope in the midst of destruction.

An open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury

Jewish identity is not an optional lifestyle choice that can be carved up to suit progressive political tastes.

As summer vacation begins:

“Build for your children first": The foundation of the future

If the next generation is not anchored in Torah and yirat Shamayim, everything else we build is standing on unstable ground. This week's parshiyot teach that to us.

Why the Torah forbids saying Yimach Shemo about a fellow Jew

The target is evil itself, not the human being.

The Break in the Story:

What Pinchas teaches us about Israel's unpopularity

The biggest danger is that we, too, might fall into this exact same trap.

A broken reed vs. Netzach Yisrael

When outside forces try to tie our hands or misread our enemies, our only true defense is our internal clarity, our own independent strength, and our deep faith in Netzach Yisrael.

Lesson from Parashat Balak (Israel):

Political winds change; Netzach Yisrael does not

Political outcomes may appear stable, but in truth they are far more fluid than they seem.

Who is the true Guardian of Israel?

A Rabbinic reflection on Alliances, Appeasement and Bitachon.

Pop Goes the Weasel:

The hidden motive behind the assault on Brit Milah

This is a deliberate strategy designed to make European Jews feel exposed, targeted, and ultimately unwelcome. It says that their most sacred traditions can be criminalized at any moment with the stroke of a pen.

Choosing to be blind: From the spies to modern Antisemitism

The episode of the spies teaches that facts alone do not always determine conclusions. That is why responding to modern anti-Jewish bias with logic, history, or evidence so often proves ineffective.

Drones in the sky, Emunah in the heart

A message of Jewish faith for Parashat Behaalotcha.

For Israel: Behaalotcha

The “Caring" Trap: The danger of well-intentioned talk

Before speaking about another person, we should ask ourselves one honest question: Am I truly going to help this person directly and privately, or am I simply using the language of “concern" to give myself something to discuss?

Rabbi's Letter To Pope:

'Itamar died respecting the sanctity of a church'

Rabbi Eliezer Weisz sent a sharply worded letter to Pope Leo XIV urging the Vatican to explicitly condemn the use of churches and other places of worship for military purposes during armed conflicts.

Before your food shopping:

The Shavuos Dairy Minhag: The message behind the menu

This minhag addresses the biggest psychological hurdle we face in our personal avodah (service of God) and spiritual growth: the trap of an "all-or-nothing" mindset.

A Living Witness to the Summer of 5727 (1967)

From the shadow of death to the light of Jerusalem

In six short days beginning on the 26th of Iyar, darkness gave way to radiant light. The fear of mass graves became songs of salvation and tears of thanksgiving. Everything changed with breathtaking speed, as though Heaven itself had opened before our eyes.

Between “Iron Skies" and the “Iron Dome"-

Between human effort and trust in Hashem

In our generation, “iron" has taken on an entirely new meaning.

Parashat Bechukotai and Yom Yerushalayim

From desolation to defensible borders

We moved from existential fear as described in the parasha to the heights of national renewal, with the climax being the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem, together with the return to Yehudah and Shomron.

A Bridge Too Far:

When the court harms children to punish their parents

In an attempt to settle the debate over conscription, the justices are using small children as a means of punishing their parents.

The Art of Kedusha within the Art of War

In these terrible times of war, in these terrible times of killings and the murder of Jews-times of Acharei Mot-we still remain Kedoshim.

From the Depth of Loss to Atzma'ut:

The "Klal Gadol" binding us together

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.

Parashat Tazria-Metzora/Yom Hashoah;

Responding to suffering without clear answers

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?

Rabbi warns Pope: Neutrality empowers evil

Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz urges Pope Leo XIV to reject moral equivalence between terror and self-defense

The Key to Parnassah:

The secret of the "Schlissel Challah"

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.

From the splitting of Yam Suf to opening the Straits of Hormuz

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.

Chief Rabbinate Interfaith Committee:

Letter to Pope Leo XIV on his Palm Sunday speech

"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."

The Secret of the Two Dippings:

From Yosef’s coat to the bundle of hyssop

Yosef’s coat represented separation. The bundle of hyssop represents humility and unity.

From Pharaoh to Tehran:

The hardened heart of a dying empire

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.

The Nesi'im and the Shidduch Crisis:

Don’t judge a person by a resume

Shidduch lessons from Parashat HaNesi’im can help the shidduch crisis and lead to Nissuin - weddings!

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.

Small letters, Great sacrifices

A Vayikra reflection in a time of War.

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.

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.

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

David, King of Israel, lives and endures.

A message of ה'תשפ"ו (5786) in a year of War

The salvation of Purim began quietly - not with a miracle, not with a battle, but with Shabbat.

A blueprint for Adar:

Be happy - and you'll not worry

Joy acts like a proactive medicine for the mind. Happiness and worry simply cannot live in the same heart at the exact same moment.

Why fighting Antisemitism fails-and what we should do instead

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.

The Day After Is Already Here:

Parashat Mishpatim and what Is expected of us right now

We cannot undo what has been lost. We cannot remove the pain from the bereaved. But we are commanded not to add to it.

Parashat Yitro:

From Sea to Sinai: Inspiration to desperation

The crucial difference between Marah and Sinai.

Tu B'shvat and the tree that sweetened the waters

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.

In this Shabbat's Torah Reading:

Carrying our heroes home

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.

A blueprint of Exile and Redemption:

The Burning Bush of history

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.

October 7 and Parashat Bo:

When leaders sleep and nations fall

Torah is never just history. It is a mirror of today - and a warning for tomorrow.

The danger of refusing to see

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 survives when we are Zaydies and Bubbies

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.

Shemot:

Moshe as a baby

Moshe as a baby, non-supervised milk, and the food that builds a Jew.

Blessing our children:

From generation to generation, we declare Your glory

We are not asking for more. We are asking that the chain remain unbroken.

Different Roles, One Nation:

Lessons from Ephraim and Menashe

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.

Looking Forward:

Vayigash, Vayechi, Yehuda, 10 Tevet - the choice of the future

The temptation to despair is strong. But Torah teaches that we cannot remain there. We must act responsibly, together, and with unity.