Pioneers of the Periphery: Olim of the South Got that pioneering spirit? You’re invited to help build Israel’s periphery by planting roots in southern soil with Nefesh B’Nefesh.
Visiting Residents: the Daily Plea of Elul
Posted on: August 30th, 2012
JudaismAs the year is coming to an end, with endless days filled with doing the very same commandments, we besiege G-d on each remaining day, asking for one vital ingredient for the one yet to come: May we never get used to our routine.
Posted on: August 29th, 2012
Judaism → Halacha & HashkafaA Two Way Street? ‘Joining Geulah To Tefillah Is Preferable’ (Berachos 30a)
Posted on: August 29th, 2012
Judaism → ParshaThe Talmud asserts that the rebellious son of the verse below never existed and never will. Nonetheless, the Torah relates this law to advise parents in the most difficult of issues – raising children. To Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l, the law and its lessons help reveal Israel's greatness.
Divorce And Monetary Documents
Posted on: August 29th, 2012
Judaism → ParshaThe pasuk from which most of the halachos of gittin (divorce) are derived is in this week’s parshah. The pasuk says: “Ki yikach ish isha… vechasav lah sefer kerisus v’nasan b’yadah veshilchah mi’beiso – If a man marries a woman … and he wrote her a bill of divorce and placed it in her hand and sent her from his house” (Devarim 24:1).
Q & A: Chazzan And Congregation (Part XIV)
Posted on: August 29th, 2012
Judaism → Ask the RabbiQuestion: What should the chazzan do when he reaches Kedushah and Modim? Some chazzanim say every word of Kedushah out loud and some only say the last part of the middle two phrases out loud. As far as the congregation is concerned, some congregants say every word of Kedushah and some say only the last part. Finally, some chazzanim and congregants say Modim during chazaras hashatz out loud and some say it quietly. What is the source for these various practices? A Devoted Reader (Via E-Mail)
Posted on: August 29th, 2012
Judaism → Rebbetzin's ViewpointOver the past several weeks I have featured tragic stories of family disintegration. Some of you might protest that “tragic” is a rather extreme word and that “sad” or “painful” would be more appropriate, but once again I emphasize tragic.
Living With The Past, Not In It
Posted on: August 29th, 2012
Judaism → Parsha“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness...” (Dr. Martin Luther King).
Posted on: August 29th, 2012
Judaism → Columns → Lessons In EmunahI felt ill at ease in a strange way when our daughter drove off in our old Dodge Caravan to pick up my son from yeshiva. She was new at the wheel, and there was plenty of traffic to maneuver around in Lakewood on Friday afternoons. An innocent, precious neshamah in my eyes who didn’t belong on the busy roads, she wanted to help out. So when I was called later to the scene of the accident, the One Above seemed to confirm that my assessment had been totally accurate.
The Mouse Is Smarter Than Me: Preparing For Rosh Hashanah
Posted on: August 23rd, 2012
Judaism → TorahIt is hard to believe that Elul is upon us and that the Day of Judgment is only one month away. In a short 30 days we must face our Creator and have our deeds evaluated in the hopes of a receiving a merciful blessing for a good and healthy year. We spend the month of Elul focused on repentance, and we learn the holy books of mussar to inspire us to grow and change.
Posted on: August 23rd, 2012
Judaism → Halacha & HashkafaMr. Morris was home one evening, when an acquaintance, Mr. Roth, knocked at his door. "May I have a word with you?" Mr. Roth asked. "Certainly, come in," Mr. Morris said, welcoming him into the living room. "Perhaps you've forgotten," Mr. Roth began, "but last year I lent you $500, which you never repaid." Mr. Morris scratched his head and thought for a moment. "I never borrowed from you," he replied.
Posted on: August 23rd, 2012
Judaism → Halacha & HashkafaNo Cell Phones Please! ‘A Kerchief That One Designated For Storing Tefillin’ (Berachos 23)
Q & A: Chazzan And Congregation (Part XIII)
Posted on: August 23rd, 2012
Judaism → Ask the RabbiQuestion: I understand that at a minyan, the chazzan is required to repeat Shemoneh Esreh out loud so that people who may not know how to daven can fulfill their obligation to daven with the chazzan’s repetition. What, however, should the chazzan do when he reaches Kedushah and Modim? I hear some chazzanim say every word of Kedushah out loud and some only say the last part of the middle two phrases out loud. As far as the congregation is concerned, I hear some congregants say every word of Kedushah and some say only the last part. Finally, some chazzanim and congregants say Modim during chazaras hashatz out loud and some say it quietly. What is the source for these various practices? A Devoted Reader (Via E-Mail)
Eidim Zomimim: Conspiring Witnesses
Posted on: August 23rd, 2012
Judaism → ParshaIn this week’s parshah the Torah discusses the halachos of eidim zomimim. The Gemara in Makkos 2a explains that eidim zomimim is when one set of two or more witnesses testifies against someone, and another set of witnesses testifies that the first set of witnesses was with them and therefore could not have known their testimony. The Torah says that the later set of witnesses is believed and the testimony of the first set of witnesses is disqualified.
Posted on: August 22nd, 2012
Judaism → ParshaThere is a fascinating detail in the passage about the king in this week’s parshah. The text says that, “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he must write for himself a copy of this Torah on a scroll before the levitical priests” (Deuteronomy 17:18). He must “read it all the days of his life” so that he will be God-fearing and never break Torah law. But there is also another reason: so that he will “not begin to feel superior to his brethren” (Kaplan translation), “so that his heart be not haughty over his brothers” (Robert Alter). The king had to have humility. The highest in the land should not feel that he is the highest in the land.
Posted on: August 22nd, 2012
Judaism → Rebbetzin's ViewpointFor the past several weeks this column has featured letters from parents who have experienced rejection and hatred from their children – as well as my suggestions on how to cope with such situations. This week I would like to share a letter that adds another dimension to the breakdown of so many families in our community. In this instance it’s not the children who have rejected the parents but a parent who has rejected her child.
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Posted on: August 22nd, 2012
Judaism → Columns → Lessons In EmunahThe other night, after having a truly bad day where nothing seemed to go right, I jokingly changed my Facebook status to “I have had one of those awful, miserable, terrible days! And there is NO chocolate in the house!”
FF Syndrome: Frequent = Forgotten
Posted on: August 21st, 2012
JudaismI'd like to submit that anything Frequent in our life tends be Forgotten! Something we see every day does not rank high on our list of concerns, and therefore, we just naturally forget about it.
Posted on: August 17th, 2012
Judaism → Halacha & HashkafaPrayer is always an avenue to God. But in the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year, and during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, God lends a particularly sympathetic ear.
1Printed from: http://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/jewish-columns/lessons-in-emunah/the-heavenly-shadchan/2013/02/20/
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Yishai Broadcasts Light From Boston
