Judaism

Tree planting in the modern state of Israel also embodies and expresses our appreciation of our return to Eretz Yisrael.

What were the necessary steps for Israel to develop a national consciousness ahead of leaving Egypt?

A civilization is destroyed only when its gods are destroyed. -E. M. Cioran

Once the corruption has been removed from the Land and the exiles have been gathered, unified in the service of Hashem and freed from foreign occupation, then Yerushalayim and the other holy places can be rebuilt as they were in ancient times.

That is the context in which we should read the story of Pharaoh and his advisers. This is one of the first recorded instances of the march of folly. How does it happen?

The Shalah says the world’s water was never fully connected at creation, because in potential they would ultimately be separated, while Maharal says they had a natural draw to be connected to each other.

The experience of the generation that came out of Egypt shows us that the clarity we think we so much want from God would actually hurt us more than it would help us.

Throughout Jewish history, Jewish communities have composed texts on behalf of everyone from the King of Spain to the King of England to Napoleon. Depending on how kind the ruler was to the Jews, sometimes the prayer took an ironic turn, asking for protection from the King!

Hashem revealed to Chabakuk the foundation of creation that keeps a person strong in any situation. It is our primary exercise and endeavor in the service of Hashem.

One who has more than one name should recite a verse that corresponds to both names. Others, however, are not particular to do so and suffice with a verse corresponding to one name.

As human beings, we uniquely possess free will. We can know for a fact that something is wrong, and yet choose to do it anyway.

When I reflect on that amazing trip, our visit to Abayei and Rava was unquestionably the greatest highlight of all. Although at the time it didn’t seem so significant, when thinking back to it, it was an extremely emotional moment.

Learning Kabbalah before one is proficient in the basic knowledge of Torah is like learning calculus before one knows basic arithmetic.

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Unlike the Egyptians, who couldn’t see and couldn’t move, for Am Yisrael there was light in their places of dwelling (Shemot 10:23).

And you can’t find a technician in your neighborhood to repair your fridge? Reb Moshe asked. Try to get someone else to come down. I tried! the man protested. I called a few, but no one was available. Look, he said, I need my refrigerator for Shabbos, or my food will go bad. Please! I’ll pay you double!

When someone is niftar and leaves debts or liabilities, what is the halachic liability of the heirs or next of kin to cover them from various assets of the estate – real estate, movable items, forthcoming loans, bank accounts, life insurance proceeds, etc.?

Unkosher Tefillin From A Kosher Animal! ‘Shechita Does Not Permit the Meat’ (Bava Kamma 76b)

Hashem doesn't operate according to human presupposition.

Moshe’s complaint to God is that even though he would have the best human understanding of the Divine will, he had difficulty bringing it down to regular people.

Question: How has it been that in such a world where we are but a very small minority, and after so many generations though the world keeps changing, yet the Jew remains and is the same constant whipping boy? What is the miracle of our survival? Gedalia Estra Via Email

A man of lesser stature as a Talmudist could not have undertaken such a mission, for the opposition included some of the most illustrious scholars of the time.

Happiness is a natural result of living life the way it should be – of being the people we ought to be, following the road map provided by Torah and halacha. It cannot be a destination but is instead a result of the journey of an inspired life process.

We should try, to the best of our human ability, to grasp the essence of Hashem and emulate it.

The ten plagues were part of a deliberate process to educate not only Egypt and Israel but also humanity.

While one may not intend to imbue the secular calendar with any religious significance, the prohibition of Do not follow their statutes (Vayikra 18:3) includes mimicking gentile customs or practices that have no explicit reason, as they may have originated among idolaters (see Rema, Yoreh De’ah 178:1, citing the Maharik).

Rabbi Akiva said: For what reason did the Torah say that a thief who slaughtered or sold a stolen animal pays the fourfold or fivefold payment? It is because he has become entrenched in sin by slaughtering or selling the animal he stole.

I hear my mother’s voice, in the final years of her life, that she sees her childhood visions haunting her. The world is on fire and we are sleeping, she would insist over and over again.

The aspect of G-d that appears in the days of Moses and the Israelites is radically different, and it’s only because we are so used to the story that we find it hard to see how radical it was.

Certainly, Hashem has the power, if He wills it, to bring about redemption in a sudden fashion, as He did in Mitzrayim. However, if after our many centuries of exile we are still not worthy of redemption in our own merit, there are natural processes at work in the universe that will bring it about inevitably.