Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz

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.

For the 7th day of Hanukkah:

Hidden Light: Yosef, the dreidel, the sufganiyah, and faith

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.

From the Israeli Chief Rabbinate Council:

The unbroken light of Am Yisrael - a message to world Jewry

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.

Draft Law or Pardon:

When to stand firm and when to yield - Yehudah’s lesson

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.

We are still brothers - even when divided

A disagreement does not undo our connection. A quarrel cannot touch the neshamah within.

We are still brothers - even when divided

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.

Parashat Vayishlach:

'Gid nanasheh' and personal initiative

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.

Lessons from Yehudah for today:

Knowing when to compromise and when to stand firm

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.

Lessons from Yaakov and Lavan:

How you know it's time to go home

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.

A message from Yaakov Avinu to us today:

Staying home, coming home

Yaakov Avinu reminds us that wherever a Jew may be, his inner compass must point to Eretz Yisrael.

Toldot: The Power of Hishtadlut:

Yaakov, Rivka, Yehudit Berl, and effort in shidduchim

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.

In those days...and today

The three great dangers that have always confronted Am Yisrael, in days of yore and today.

Avraham Avinu’s Test: Lessons for Jews in Israel and abroad

The duty of Jews everywhere is to face the nisyonot of our generation with the same firmness that Avraham Avinu showed.

The Lot Syndrome:

How misplaced chesed harms Israel today

Lot’s story is a warning for every generation: chesed without understanding deceives the heart and misleads the hand. We see it clearly today.

Stars among us:

A reflection on the value of every Jewish life.

Every star in the heavens matters - and so does every Jew on earth. We are brothers and sisters.

Parashat Noach:

Hamas in the Torah and in the Hamas Charter

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.

Parashat Noach:

Yonah Matzah Vo Manoach - Finding menuchah in a time of war

“The dove found rest on it (Shabbat), and there the weary will rest,” wrote Yehuda Halevy.

Thoughts on Parashat Bereishit:

Finding your 'ezer kenegdo'

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.

Reflections on the hostages' return:

The fragile sukkah - lessons of hope and protection

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.

Sukkat Shalom:

A Glimmer of Geulah (redemption)

Thoughts on this day, on hearing of an agreement.

The silent hero of Sukkot: The aravah

The aravah receives the pinnacle of honor among the Arba’at Haminim of Sukkot. What does that signify?

Rabbi Eliezer Weisz:

Ha’azinu and the Manchester Massacre - Lessons for Today

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.

Standing proud:

Ivri Anochi! “I am a Hebrew, and I serve the Almighty God!”

A message of Pride, Faith, and Survival for our children and our people.