Judaism

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In The Privy 'Rav Quotes Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon' (Zevachim 102b)

The Ari HaKadosh – Rabbi Yitzchak ben Shlomo Luria (1534-1572) – passed away 446 years ago this week. Here is a simple teaching from him.

Shechinta b’galusa." The term is usually translated as "the Divine presence in captivity” – but what does that actually mean?

The great leaders of Israel were the great defenders of Israel, people who saw the good within the not-yet-good. That is why they were listened to when they urged people to change and grow. THat is how it was in the time of Moses; that is how it remains today

Till this day, many Jewish homes continue to observe the tradition of maintaining a half-meter square patch of wall scraped clean of plaster as one enters the house. For how can we complete our houses when G-d's house lays in ruins?

Let us use these Nine Days for self-reflection about the issue that first led to our crying during these days. And let us consider what Shlomo Mula was willing to do to make it to Israel, crossing a desert by foot.

The fifth and final book of the Torah, Dvarim, is filled with history, laws, articles of faith, as well as a vision for the future. Moses describes, among a plethora of items, the creation and comportment of a judiciary.

Most of Devarim consists of Moshe’s final speech to the people. Rashi and Ramban fascinatingly read Moshe as implying he faced MORE difficulties in leading them even than those we know from the text

When one vows to do something, or to refrain from doing something, the Torah views that pledge with tremendous seriousness. Violating one’s word is referred to as a “desecration of one’s word.”

The tribes of Ruben and Gad by being more concerned with their animals than with their own families, doomed themselves, eventually being left with neither. Indeed, the tribes to the east of the Jordan would be the first to be exiled and, seemingly, lost to Jewish history.

Another installment in the ongoing Rubashkin saga

A Saline Solution 'Its Soaking Is Its Laundering' (Zevachim 94b)

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Question: How do we know that there is an olam haba – a world to come? L. Papirmeister

"A qualified expert can annul a vow on his own," replied Rabbi Dayan. "However, no one is an expert nowadays, so that we need a panel of three, like a beis din."

It is difficult to write about such a topic, but from an outsider’s perspective it seems that there are so many ongoing communal machlokesim today.

What disappointment! How he longed for the semi-comfort of being in his childhood surroundings. If he could not have his parents back, at least he could be in familiar territory.

We all try to go on the right path, we all try to set goals and go ahead and achieve them.

The contemporary question,how to balance family and work, is actually a biblical one,addressed by Moses in his subtle rebuke to the tribe of Re'uven.

The Torah is not myth but anti-myth, a deliberate insistence on removing the magical elements from the story and focusing relentlessly on the human drama

When challenged, we have our priorities straight. We admit that spending quality time with the family is crucial. But what do we do in practice? How much time do we devote to insignificant things – things that in the long run make no difference

The two and a half tribes--Rueben, Gad, and part of Menasseh-- listened to the accusations and realized that they were already being forgotten.

The Torah knows that we are likely to understand the journey in the desert as essentially one long trip. And so it tries to make us stop and realize that there were actually two journeys and not just one. The first ended with the death of Aharon; the second began with resistance from the Canaanite king

He chose us as His royal nation and gave us His Torah which brings us even closer to Him.

Shabbos is a window into the euphoric Messianic world when this world will be completely devoted to G-d, on all levels.

A gem from the Or HaChaim, one of the greatest Torah commemorated, whose 275th yahrzeit was last week

The duty of halachic authorities is to solve difficult problems and make Jewish life as easy as possible by advocating lenient rulings. But never at the expense of making life boring. It is their duty to make life enjoyable and uplifting. But that can only come about by making people to live in amazement and wonder.

Question: How do we know that there is an olam haba – a world to come? L. Papirmeister

"You had the home for all of July," reasoned Mr. Wolf. "It's only fair that we should have it for the remainder of August."