Last Testament of Rabbi Ben-Zion Uziel: Lessons for Generations
He represented the Torah and all Jewry with honor, great wisdom and modesty.
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Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
News and updates about Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
Community Rabbis without pay, and decent salaries for teachers
A community rabbi should ideally receive a salary, but he can teach Torah and serve free of charge. Kudos for teachers'.salary raise.
Is eating trans-fat prohibited?
Is trans-fat, which has been proven to be harmful and dangerous and has been banned in many countries, prohibited according to halakha?
An alternative Knesset Bill:on Community Rabbinical leadership
Instead of the Minister of Religion appointing raibbis, we suggest a model of local rabbis elected by the public.
How should a Rabbi be chosen?
According to the Torah, the public should have a key part in determining the character of the local judges and rabbis
On controversy, unity, and Tu B’Av
What characterizes a dispute for Heaven’s sake, and why in such a dispute, the position of the opposing party should not be rejected.
Laws of the 10th of Av, and Continuing the Legal Reform
Despite the threats and harsh reactions from the Left, the legal reform legislation should be continued and completed.
Customs of the Nine Days
Update to 2023: Example:During the nine days, it is customary to curtail the purchase of luxury products that evoke joy, even by Internet.
The answer to our enemies – birth and aliyah
As long as there are not enough Jews in the Land of Israel, our enemies continue to live here, and murder us.
Customs of the Three Weeks
Laws for a painful time that keep us focussed on what we lost and what we pray to recover.
Acts of kindness, and revealing the Divine Presence
In acts of kindness to others there is an aspect of revelation of the Shekinah.
'Shemirat Shabbat Ke’Hilchata’ and the controversy it provoked
In his book ‘Shemirat Shabbat Ke’Hilchata’, Rabbi Neuwirth ztz”l, excelled in his precise work, and in consultations with professionals
Avoiding controversy, attitude towards Christians
Evil people tell lies, and see no good in those who disagree with them, encouraging conflict.
The Torah of Eretz Yisrael vs. the Torah of Chutz la’Aretz
The natural environment in the Land of Israel supports the observance of Torah; it does not depend on miracles and overcoming nature.
The true scope of secularism in Israeli religious school alumni
The widely cited figures of graduates of the religious education system who become secular are inflated, and stand at less than 20%.
The Torah – a Global Moral Revolution
The Giving of the Torah to Israel rectified an entire world which was subject to slavery, incest, and injustice in law
Everything there is to know about Shavuot
The entire chapter of Rabbi Eliezer Melamed's Peninei Halakha, the comprehensive compendium of Halakha, on Shavuot.
A natural blessing is preferable to a revealed miracle
As the reliance on miracles rose, calamities approached. Op-
Advocacy instead of coercion
There is an inherent conflict between the liberal and traditional-Jewish camps, between values of freedom, Judaism and conservatism.
The mitzva of IDF military service
What is the status of military service vs. Torah study? Both are essential for the nations' survival.
Zionism strengthened Judaism
The processes of secularization were a result of emancipation, and not of the Zionist movement. Judaism in Israel is much better than abroad
Hallel with a Blessing on Yom Ha’atzmaut
It is a Torah-based mitzvah to celebrate days of salvation when Israel is saved from death,and so it is with Yom Ha'atzmaut .
Temple Mount:
Hundreds of Har Bracha residents visit holy site
Over two thousand Jews have visited the Temple Mount so far this Passover.
Wine's place in Jewish society and a lesson from the Exodus
What to do about the discovery that the elected leadership is stymied by leftist control of the scientific and economic establishment.
The blessing over trees and kashering the kitchen for Pesach
Kabbalists emphasized the importance of the blessing in the month of Nissan specifically. How to kasher the kitchen for the holiday.
Laws of the blessing upon eating bread and mezonot
Bread is a general term for satisfying food, therefore its blessing exempts the rest of the food in a meal.
Consoling stories at the end of the Shiva for Yagel and Hallel
Countless people showered love on the residents of Har Bracha, who live on the front line of the Shomron mountain ridge, this week..
Eulogy for the holy Jews Hallel and Yagel Yaniv Hy"d
We did not return to our Land in order to dispossess Arabs but if they rise against us, we will fight them and win, all within the law.
Op-ed:
Religious coercion and a Halakhic State
Judaism’s opposition to religious coercion is basic, because coercion harms a person’s freedom of choice
Op-ed:
The Judicial System did not protect the rights of nationalists
The judicial system protected the rights of the secular and anti-Zionists but was tyrannical towards traditional and nationalist citizens.
Blessings over enjoyment and gratitude
A person full of gratitude is a happy person whose gaze is focused on the good in his life.
Tu B'shvat and The Song of the Sea
Tu B'Shvat: fruits vs. vegetables .Shirat Hayam (The Song of the Sea) as the basis for saying Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut and Jerusalem Day. .
Build outposts, or invest in planning communities and cities?
Now that we have a government all of whose members support settlement in Judea and Samaria, it should all be done within a State framework
The prohibition of eating meat together with fish
The prohibition is not agreed upon,but since the custom has spread, one should indeed avoid eating both meat and fish together.
The need to reform the legal system
Turning their backs on Torah law, over the years Israeli jurists formulated legal concepts harming the Jewish character of Israel. Op-ed.
From the Torah Teachings of Rabbi Druckman ztz”l
The main point of greatness in the Torah is to understand the important things, as Rabbi Haim ztz”l did.
The Basic Law of Torah Study and Rabbi Haim Druckman ztz”l
The idea of a “Basic Law: Torah Study” was mentioned here for the first time, and thank God, the coalition now intends to enact such a law
The laws of lighting Hanukkah Candles
Where to place the Hanukiya, what to do at large events. what to do at family gatherings - and more.
Gid Hanasheh – The connection between Spirit and Action
The struggle between Jacob and the angel is a struggle between a world of narrow interests and one where faith is the driving force
The character of the Gaon Rabbi Shamai Ginzburg (1905-1997)
Rabbi Shamai Ginzburg, one of the heroes of the Vienna conversion affair, was a Gur Hasid and an avid Zionist.
The end of the Vienna Conversion Affair
Close to the decisive meeting on the issue, Rabbi Unterman was put under tremendous pressure by extremists not to accept the conversions..
The Vienna Conversions – plots and facts
Litvish activists and Chabadniks spread lies and conspiracies surrounding the case of the Vienna converts and the rabbis who converted them.
The Vienna conversion affair
In the year 1969, the Jewish Agency succeeded in rescuing a few Jews from the USSR. Read what happened to them in Vienna.
The vision of the State of Israel
The vision God assigned to the Jews in their land is to bring blessing to all the nations through institutions and self-improvement.
The Legacy of Derech Eretz that Noah endowed
Children must do for their parents everything that a decent person would do within the framework of derech eretz (proper behavior).
Unity on Sukkot
With elections ahead, we must remember on the holiday of Sukkot that 'All of the Jewish people are fit to reside in one sukkah.'
Yom Kippur and reconciliation between man and his fellow man
The Yom Kippur fast is to detach our souls a little from the material shackles, and allow good and true aspirations to be revealed.
Blowing the Shofar and crowning God our King
How fortunate and privileged we are to accept upon ourselves the majesty of the King of kings on Rosh Hashanah
The integration of Torah and science in educational institutions
Studying science is a must both in terms of deepening the understanding of the Torah, and in terms of the ability to make a living
Shmittat Kesafim and Pruzbul
Is the hiddur to give a loan at the end of the Shmitta year in order to release that which he has loaned his neighbor a proper hiddur ?
Early Zionism's educational failures were caused by controversy
Early on, Rabbi Kook saw the poor level of Torah education at the Moshavot..Zealots prevented changing that, and many other things.
The mitzvah regarding which one may test God
Giving ma’aser kesafim, a tenth of one’s income, to charity, is the key to wealth
Blessings over landscapes and animals
Blessings over seeing certain phenomema are said after a lapse of 30 days. One example of the halakhot in the article below.
Tu B'Av and the value of the family
Tu B”Av during the times of the Mishna was a Yom Tov that revolved around starting a family in Israel.
Laws of Tisha B’Av postponed to Sunday
This year the fast is on Sunday although the 9th of Av is on Shabbat. Here is how to keep the laws in this situation.
Laws for the Nine Days
What is permitted, what is forbidden - when and why.
The compromise Rabbi Feinstein accepted
Those who disagreed with Rabbi Feinstein avoided discussing halakha with him, hoping he would retract through threats and boycotts
The controversy over Rabbi Feinstein's heter
In the 1960’s, rabbis of Haredi Judaism ignited controversy against Rabbi Feinstein over his artificial insemination heter,
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed:
Understanding the 'Heter' of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Even after his wife begged him to rescind his halakhic permit of artificial insemination due to the zealots he cared more for barren women.
The lenient opinion on Conversion
In our generation, the fear of assimilation has become an important consideration in accepting converts.