Judaism

Rachel, our loving mother, still lays buried near Bethlehem. Though she was buried along the road, today her grave is included in the city proper, yet it is still far from the grave of her husband Yaakov Avinu.

In addition to analyzing the origins of a secular holiday, it is equally important to address the nature of its festivities.

As Avraham and Yitzchak went to the ‘Akedah, we admire their fortitude, not their faith, their having found the will to carry through on an enormously difficult task. Humans want to live; we all the more so want our children to live, especially a child who is the long-awaited answer to prayers, the one Hashem had promised would continue this parent’s ethical and religious revolution.

Sometimes we think we have more power than we actually do. Sometimes we think we have more knowledge than we actually do.

If we want to achieve personal greatness, we have to hold onto our goals and dreams.

A memorial to Rav Ovadia Yosef (ZT"l) in his daughters' recollections

We don’t realize how often non-Jews sense something unique about us.

Hashem’s Holy Name ‘A Gentile May Bring Either Votive Or Freewill Offerings…’ (Menachos 73b)

Rather than just encourage aliyah for the young, Israel and professional Zionists in the exile, must make a concerted effort to encourage aliyah for the elderly. It will be the renewal of their lives, and that will be good for them, and for the Jewish people.

Rav Kviat asks what is meant by “sisu v’simchu b’Simchas Torah – rejoice and be joyous on Simchas Torah.” Why “sisu” and “simchu”?

An outsider might expect that we would have moved out long ago, but we had put down roots there. We were educating our children there and it was where we intended to remain.

How can we even expect that our actions will reach those of our great ancestors?

"Still, at the time of the loan and the subsequent meeting, both were associated with the institution," objected Mr. Gold.

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God just promised Abraham the land. Why is it that, though God keeps reassuring that this land is his, he refuses to settle down?

Abraham gave birth to a new nation whose greatness consisted precisely in the ability to live by that voice and create something new in the history of mankind. “Go for yourself ” – believe in what you can become.

When a child is born and we give them a name, we really have no idea how this child will develop and in which way this little neshama will grow.

Listening to your biblical partner's voice

“I liked Israel, and felt good being Jewish for the first time in my life.”

A society in which nobody cares about a person who falls down and dies, but mourns a stone that falls, is a society that has a problem; it cares more about physical progress than human life.

Instead of belonging to the "Ayeka" club – deflecting blame – why not join the "Hineni" group? Instead of blaming our surrounding, why not ask ourselves what part we played in creating the existing situation? Instead of expecting change from someone else, why not offer something different?

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Question: After the shliach tzibbur says “Barchu,” should he then say “Baruch Hashem Hamevorach…” in unison with the congregation or wait for the congregation to say it and then repeat it? Zelig Aronson

Hopefully this story will also strengthen our motivation to try to be mikarev a fellow Jew – even if it seems on the outside like it's a lost cause and there's no use in even trying.

Shortchanged? ‘You Shall Count 50 Days’ (Menachos 65b)

"We never promised you a position," replied Mr. Hauser. "Also, you gained knowledge from the course."

The Democrats and liberals set the corrupt agenda, and the media broadcasts it to society.

Why is there is no mention of dinosaurs, and other prehistoric animals, in the Torah?

Recently, an entirely new scientific basis has been given to morality from two surprising directions: neo-Darwinism and the branch of mathematics known as Games theory. As we will see, the discovery is intimately related to the story of Noah and the covenant made between G-d and humanity after the Flood.

Does G-d answer our prayers? Definitely! Sometimes the answer is "Yes" and sometimes it's "No." And whatever God's answer, it's always what's best for us.