Tzvi Fishman

The era of Mashiach is now!

Whether you are following the war on Fox News or on INN, you are watching the “salvation of Hashem!”

The Great Call:

Hashem hates the Exile

Read Rabbi Kook's proclamation to Diaspora Jewry.

The pathway to Hashem and the chain of transmission

A talk with Rabbi David Samson about his new English series of commentaries on the meditative path of the Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Abulafia. "It’s as if Rav Kook bequeathed to us the map of the territory, and Rabbi Abulafia handed me the compass and walking stick."

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai:

Bigger bombs aren’t the answer

The full solution is in the parsha this week.

For Lag Ba'Omer:

Eretz Yisrael and the Secrets of Torah: Introduction to the Zohar

The Talmud teaches that it is impossible to come to the Land of Israel without difficulties and suffering. Learning the secrets of Torah is the remedy. Read

One Homeland, not two

We are talking about the situation of entire Jewish communities ensconced in the darkness of exile, believing that it is perfectly OK to live in Gentile countries. But it is not OK.

Joy and sorrow in war

The joy doesn’t come from the war itself, which is an evil matter, abounding in personal suffering and pain. The joy comes from the great Kiddush Hashem which fills our emotions and longings,

Memorial and Independence Day in Israel:

Thank you, Hashem!

Memorial Day and Independence Day are the times I thank God that instead of growing up being American kids who are Jewish, my offspring are Children of Israel, just as we are called in the Bible.

Not everyone loves a parade

The Palestinian Arabs are, as usual, fighting the upcoming Jerusalem Day parade. Op-ed.

The secret of Sefirat HaOmer

The revealed side of the Torah is the foundation for this deeper learning, but the revealed side is not the Torah’s end.

For the holiday of freedom:

Interview with former Prisoner of Zion, Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich

‘We didn’t know you people have such unbreakable spirit and resolve,’ the KGB commander said.

True Jewish freedom

Rabbi Kook teaches that we are called upon to remove the “chametz” of foreign cultures and foreign idolatries from our hearts and be free of their influence.

In light of revealed ISA prejudice:

It is time for a review of the Duma arson trial

It is entirely possible that an objective review of the case would free Amiram Ben Uliel from a life in prison. That makes such a review imperative and now is the time. Opinion.

Pekudei:

The Temple codes

The Kohanim possessed the codes which bring the light and blessing of Hashem to all humanity and to every created thing on Earth. Without the Beit HaMikdash, however, all of humanity is like an orphan.

A Purim spiel

With all the serious analyses of President Trump's pro-Israel attitude, and the Houthis sharpening their spears, perhaps it is time for a little old-fashioned fun. A former Hollywood screenwriter has done this for us. Better late than never, no?

Yahrzeit on Adar 14:

Who was Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook-Father of the "Settlement Movement"?

Interview with a rabbi who studied with him for twelve years: "HaRav Tzvi Yehuda vehemently maintained that no handful of Israeli soil, however small, is allowed to be transferred to foreign control."

No, Netanyahu is not the villain

Wherever Netanyahu turns, his hands are tied. Whatever he wants to do, he is stifled. Our Sages teach us not to judge our fellow man until we have stood in his place, so let us try to do that before we pass judgment. Opinion.

Aging parents and aliyah

Snce this week marks my mother’s yahrtzeit, may her memory be a blessing, I will use my personal experience to demonstrate that bringing one’s aging parents to Israel is the very best thing a child could do for them.

If Moses came to Diaspora Jewry,...

“What is he screaming about?” they would ask hearing Moses call out “Let My people go!”

The Burning Brush

As we read about the burning bush in this coming Shabbat's Torah reading, perhaps we should look for a message in the tragic devastation in Los Angeles.

Two Mashiachs - Rabbi Kook's speech memorializing Herzl

Our Sages explain that the rivalry and reunion of Judah and Joseph is the basis of the concept that there are two Mashiachs, not one – Mashiach Ben Yosef and Mashiach Ben David.

Hanukkah – The Movie

As a legendary actor of Hollywood teaches: “When you have to shoot – shoot.”

Thanksgiving Day:

Time to take an honest look at US Jewry

On this Thanksgiving Day, it looks like American Jewry is not going anywhere.

Haredi enlistment is not the question

Why does Netanyahu, a decorated IDF hero, go along with the haredi exemption national shame? Why is he working on an Enlistment Law that perpetuates the haredi exemptions?

Teshuva:

Hollywood to the Holy Land

Tzvi Fishman's miracle-filled journey to Jerusalem.

The spirit of Mashiach wafts over Lebanon skies and Gazan tunnels

Hashem and His Nation Israel have taken the world's front stage, weeding out the poisonous thorns that would destroy G-d's people of Israel. Watch out, Tehran!

A new light on Zion - Rabbi Kook's outlook on the Jewish People

In its military prowess, in the building of Medinat Yisrael, and in the full content of its national life, as well as in the life of each and every individual, Am Yisrael realizes the potential of the unified soul of the Jewish People as a whole.

In memory of Cherna z"l

Cherna Moskowitz z"l was laid to rest today, next to her late husband, Irving, on the Mount of Olives, a few meters from the grave of Rav Avraham HaCohen Kook. A tribute to a woman of valor and builder of Israel.

Ekev:

The Alcatraz Syndrome

Yes, freedom and change can be difficult and challenging, but millions of former prisoners have escaped their former prisons and found a wonderful new life in Israel.

Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook:

Judaism is a code of life highlighted by action

While Judaism has philosophical and even meditative aspects, it is first and foremost a clear and precise code of commandments and the action necessary to observe them - as opposed to Buddhism and other religions.

Jews of America, why wait?

Why do we in Israel see the danger so clearly while the Jews of America and their Jewish leadership seem not to feel it? Op-ed.

What short memories Jews have! The state of French Jewry

We must act quickly and call out to all the Jews of France – ‘Don't delay. The situation throughout Europe is rapidly deteriorating. You have an historic opportunity to immigrate to Israel and to be a part of the generation returning to Zion after 2000 years of exile."

A letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Diaspora youth

Wherever Jews live throughout the world, we are one united nation and everyone has the responsibility (and privilege) to share the burden and great merit of military service in defense of our cherished Homeland. Op-ed.

Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, of Blessed Memory

Two stories. For his yahrzeit: "Tell me, will you? How does this Rabbi do these things?”

HaRav Shmuel Eliahu's call for Aliyah

So all-encompassing is this commandment that a person performs it even while he sleeps!

Diaspora Jews to the rescue!

When the State of Israel is hard-pressed to defend itself from savage enemies on two fronts, from the north and the south, where are the young Jews of America? Why don’t they come to the rescue?

State of Israel, wake up!

The State of Israel must urgently develop a practical contingency plan for the absorption of European Jewry into Israel.

If the Rebbe were alive today

What would the Rebbe tell his followers to do in the face of growing antisemitism in the West if he were with us today?

'Let my people stay' - in the Diaspora?

Instead of reading the handwriting on the wall, Diaspora Jews are begging Gentile governments for the chance to stay where they are. For Theodore Herzl's birthday.

The failure of Diaspora leadership

Why is it that a notable number of Jewish American youth feel not just an estrangement towards Zionism, but also antipathy? How did Diaspora leaders let this happen?

The Band-Aid Aliyah conception

Unfortunately we are indeed a stubborn people. Without getting repeatedly hit on the head we don’t internalize the message. Must we wait until blood flows on college campuses in America and on the streets of Lakewood and Monsey, New York?

President Herzog – It isn’t enough to say “We Hear You.”

Caring about the worsening situation in America won’t help the beleaguered Jews there. We have to act!!

Aliyah is now an emergency - act on it

Israel was caught off guard and unprepared on October 7th. Is it prepared to facilitate the mass wave of Aliyah that may be coming?

Change the aliyah focus now!

There is a better approach to aliyah than spending fortunes to bring Jews from Western countries. Opinion

Should you be angry at Ezekiel for this week's Haftorah?

The problem isn’t the Jews in Israel. The problem is the Jews outside of it.

A Purim Spiel

Dramatic announcement of the DOA.

It’s just the beginning

Rabbi Kook sought to explain how an enlightened, industrialized, and cultured Europe could unleash such destructive barbaric forces that brought the world to a cataclysmic and death-filled war. Nothing has changed.

The bombshell

Rabbi Yitschak Yossef's statements must be understood in the context of how the issue of haredi draft is being used for politial ends. In truth, for the IDF, the enlistment of ten-thousand Haredim would be more of a headache than a salvation.

Rav Tzvi Yehuda on IDF service of Yeshiva students

Heaven forbid that every yeshiva student go into the army! And Heaven forbid that none of them go!

“Jewish Tradition” – A monumental new book

“Jewish Tradition” is for everyone. For secular Jews, new baalei tshuva, and would-be converts, the book is like a mini encyclopedia. For others, it is enlightening because it explains Torat Eretz Yisrael.

If you really want to come closer to God...

If you want to get close to Hashem the place to do it is in the Land of Israel.

To bomb or not to bomb? A fantasy

The five members of the Israeli war cabinet assembled in the special underground bunker situated on the outskirts of Jerusalem and then fantasy took over. A short story.

Setbacks and Redemption in writings of Rav Druckman

Setbacks, he reminds us, occur not only if we are caught unprepared by an enemy attack – setbacks can occur when the unity of the nation is weakened from fraternal turmoil.

The first Tu B’Shvat in Shilo

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook planted a sapling in Shilo on the first Tu B'shvat celebrated there. His stirring words continue tol inspire and a reserve soldier has written a timely addtion to them.

Setbacks and Israel’s Redemption

“A woman’s birthing pains are very painful,” Rabbi Druckman explains. “The same holds true for the birth pangs of Mashiach."

Tzv Fishman

Setbacks and Israel’s Redemption – Part 1

A yerida (descent) can be a springboard for an even greater Aliyah (ascent).

Make no mistake – the Exile is a curse

The conception that is perfectly OK to live in gentile countries must be erased.

Room with a view, Jerusalem

On a clear day, between the buildings you can see the Knesset, which has been enveloped in a fog of confusion during this war.Op-ed.

Is there no Torah in Exile?

How can our Sages say that there is no Torah in the Diaspora? The Jews continued learning Torah all over the world.

Why Diaspora Jews don’t understand that they belong in Israel

The spark of love in their souls for the Land of Israel, a part of our genetic inheritance from our holy forefathers, needs to be lit