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Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch

News and updates about Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Balak

The “black arts” don’t exist

The Torah only forbids magic because it tries to short-circuit Divine justice.

The “black arts” don’t exist

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Chukat: The women saved the day

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

Chukat: The women saved the day

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Korach: We’re all holy!

Korach confused what we are with what we should be.

Korach: We’re all holy!

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Shlach: With G-d, we’re invincible

The spies misunderstood the nature of their mission.

Shlach: With G-d, we’re invincible

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Beha’alotcha: Where did that come from?

A prophet’s words are not his own.

Beha’alotcha: Where did that come from?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Naso: Is nezirut saintly or sinful?

Abstinence leads to holiness but isn’t holiness itself.

Naso: Is nezirut saintly or sinful?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Bamidbar: No nepotism

Moshe didn't use his position to advance his children’s careers.

Bamidbar: No nepotism

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Behar-Bechukotai

Inner peace

This parsha contains the secret to overcoming anxiety and self-doubt.

Inner peace

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch:

Emor: No disabled people allowed

Judaism is supposed to be a springboard, not a crutch.

Emor: No disabled people allowed

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Achrei Mos-Kedoshim: Which goat are you?

Stubbornness can lead us to, or away from, Hashem.

Achrei Mos-Kedoshim: Which goat are you?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Tazria-Metzora: Birds and hair

A metzora must control his instincts and forswear selfishness.

Tazria-Metzora: Birds and hair

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Shmini: Just obey the Good Book

Judaism calls on us to serve G-d, not our own whims.

Shmini: Just obey the Good Book

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Tzav: Rise and shine

Judaism flourishes in light, not darkness.

Tzav: Rise and shine

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayikra: Are you happy?

A korban shelamim is the quintessential “Jewish” offering.

Vayikra: Are you happy?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Pekudei: Dress up

Clothes have the power to change us.

Pekudei: Dress up

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?

Vayakhel: Single, double, triple pay

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Ki Tisa: Not just for children

Hashem wants mature, robust adults serving Him.

Ki Tisa: Not just for children

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Tetsave

More red than blue

The kohen’s avnet represents the life we should all live.

More red than blue

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Terumah: A team effort

Thinking and acting must always go together.

Terumah: A team effort

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Mishpatim: Watch your diet?

The Torah quickly disabuses us of a popular notion.

Mishpatim: Watch your diet?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Yitro

Rendering yourself non-existent

Don’t smother the unique characteristics with which Hashem blessed you.

Rendering yourself non-existent

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Parashat Bo: How free were we?

Matzah reminds us that we left Egypt thanks to G-d’s grace alone.

Parashat Bo: How free were we?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Vaera

Frogs galore

What exactly were Egypt's magicians up to?

Frogs galore

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Shmot

A most unusual baby

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

A most unusual baby

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha

Vayechi: The road to the heart

Yosef targeted his brothers' feelings by appealing to their minds.

Vayechi: The road to the heart

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayigash: Yaakov's strange answer

G-d wants us to accomplish, not just exist.

Vayigash: Yaakov's strange answer

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Miketz: Rejoicing in another's happiness

Pity comes naturally; sympathy doesn't.

Miketz: Rejoicing in another's happiness

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch: Vayeshev

Why Shechem?

Equality before G-d is supposed to govern human society.

Why Shechem?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayishlach: Won't you be my neighbor?

Esav sought to escape Yaakov's influence.

Vayishlach: Won't you be my neighbor?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayetze: G-d loves, and demands

G-d is our father… and our lawgiver.

Vayetze: G-d loves, and demands

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Toldot: What was Rivkah thinking?

Even if she could fool Yitzchak, there's no fooling G-d.

Toldot: What was Rivkah thinking?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Chayei Sarah

Did Avraham have a daughter?

If he did, what happened to her?

Did Avraham have a daughter?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Vayera: The first act of the first Jew

Avraham rushed to serve pagan guests.

Vayera: The first act of the first Jew

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Lech Lecha: Sarah’s miscalculation

Avraham’s spirit elevated Hagar into an entirely different person.

Lech Lecha: Sarah’s miscalculation

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Noach: Can ‘man’ mean ‘woman’?

A functioning society is impossible without objective language.

Noach: Can ‘man’ mean ‘woman’?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Bereishit: G-d’s ‘personality’

Imparting pure philosophical truth isn’t the Torah’s primary aim.

Bereishit: G-d’s ‘personality’

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

V’zot Habrachah: Exiting the stage

We all have a role to play in the divine plan.

V’zot Habrachah: Exiting the stage

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Haazinu: Looking for an excuse

Denying religious truth is often convenient.

Haazinu: Looking for an excuse

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.

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

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch on Ki Tavo:

You can’t pick and choose

One category of sin isn’t “better” than another.

You can’t pick and choose

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Ki Tetze: Female power

The fate of a nation rests on its mothers.

Ki Tetze: Female power

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Shoftim: What’s wrong with magic?

Our actions – not “black arts” – determine our future.

Shoftim: What’s wrong with magic?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Re’eh: Between the head and the heart

Truth, not feelings, must govern our actions.

Re’eh: Between the head and the heart

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Ekev: G-d provides

Supporting a family is no excuse for violating the Torah’s commands.

Ekev: G-d provides

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Vaetchanan: Black and white

Truth isn’t equivocal, and we dare not present it as such.

Vaetchanan: Black and white

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Devarim: Intelligence is overrated - even in the courts

Just verdicts are primarily the product of character, not IQ.

Devarim: Intelligence is overrated - even in the courts

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Matos-Maasei: Why Is Tumah Bad?

Our body must ultimately succumb to nature; not so our soul.

Matos-Maasei: Why Is Tumah Bad?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Parashat Pinchas: Speak up!

Hashem wants us to defend His honor.

Parashat Pinchas: Speak up!

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Balak: Our moral core

Bilaam couldn’t harm us, but our own misbehavior did.

Balak: Our moral core

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Chukat: A boy can do it

We’re all born with free will to choose right from wrong.

Chukat: A boy can do it

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch:

Shelach: Jewish giants

The physical world may affect our spiritual nature more than we realize.

Shelach: Jewish giants

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch:

Behaalotcha: Patience is a virtue

Our ancestors didn’t know their arrival and departure dates.

Behaalotcha: Patience is a virtue

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Naso: Chinuch and chenek

Why are the Hebrew words for education and strangulation connected?

Naso: Chinuch and chenek

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Bamidbar: She’s family

In Jewish law, a maidservant isn’t a lowly slave.

Bamidbar: She’s family

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:

Bechukotai: Is Jew-hatred immutable?

Hashem promised us three periods of exile – each one better than the next.

Bechukotai: Is Jew-hatred immutable?

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Parshat Behar: Come home

Why did Yericho’s walls crumble to the ground?

Parshat Behar: Come home

Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch:

Parashat Kedoshim: How can you love someone like yourself?

The Torah doesn’t demand the impossible.

Parashat Kedoshim: How can you love someone like yourself?

Rabbi Hirsch on the parsha: Put on your weekday clothes with care

Torah truth must permeate a person’s mundane life.

Rabbi Hirsch on the parsha: Put on your weekday clothes with care

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Sharing isn’t optional

Private property comes with responsibilities – to others.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Sharing isn’t optional

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Tzaraas isn’t leprosy

The laws of tzaraas are incomprehensible if we adopt the general translation.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on the parsha: Tzaraas isn’t leprosy






























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