Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch

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:

Noach: Our parents’ flaws

Shem and Yefet covered their father’s shame; so should we.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Bereishit: 1960s Values

Torah Judaism is not progressive liberalism.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

V’zot Habracha: Firing our engines

A full life requires only one ingredient: the Torah.

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 Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Va’etchanan: It’s your tone

Hashem responds to sentiments, not just words.

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 Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Chukat: The women saved the day

With so many men dead, who would tell the youth about yetzias Mitzrayim?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Korach: We’re all holy!

Korach confused what we are with what we should be.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Shlach: With G-d, we’re invincible

The spies misunderstood the nature of their mission.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Beha’alotcha: Where did that come from?

A prophet’s words are not his own.

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:

Tazria-Metzora: Birds and hair

A metzora must control his instincts and forswear selfishness.

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.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Pekudei: Dress up

Clothes have the power to change us.

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:

Ki Tisa: Not just for children

Hashem wants mature, robust adults serving Him.

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.

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Vaera

Frogs galore

What exactly were Egypt's magicians up to?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Shmot

A most unusual baby

Moshe didn't draw attention to himself, even as an infant.

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:

Nitzavim-Vayelech: A tide that doesn’t raise all boats

A Jew can't ride on the coattails of the righteous.

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.