Judaism

Peshat vs. Drash

When man ate from the tree of knowledge of good and bad, he realized his full potential to pursue sin. This choice damaged both him and the world.

The Aish Kodesh says we read this parsha every year before the giving of the first mitzvah on Parshat HaChodesh because first we must give ourselves over entirely to obedience to Hashem.

Miracles that are revealed are intended to inspire a person to change his life for the better. However, when a person becomes accustomed to miracles as such they no longer affect him. A miracle that happens often and becomes nature may cause him to err in his thinking and stray.

The Gemara in Pesachim teaches us that leaven is a symbol for the evil inclination: Just as yeast agitates the dough, so too the yeitzer hara agitates the soul of man trying to get him to sin.

In her mind, all of her ancestors are swaying with her and she hears Baruch Levine singing harmony as she recites the timeless prayer for her children to be scholars and illuminators of the world. And in the middle of the spiritual euphoria (if she is lucky enough to get so far) she feels a tug on her leg. Mommy, can I have apple juice? Mommy, it’s not fair…

The carpenter was shocked! If only he had known he was building his own house, he would have invested so much more effort.

There is some fascinating research that seems to show that there is a social function for sarcasm, which actually can aid learning and creativity, notwithstanding the more frequent toxic effects of hostility and passive aggressiveness.

.

Why the different types of matzah and their symbolism? Each had to be offered for a different reason.

My good friend knew all the above already, as a good friend does, but she listened anyway.

The Majority Rule “If The Majority Are Israelites…” (Bava Metzia 24a-b)

The Rambam is referring to us.

Why does the Jewish leap year always consist of two Adars? Why specifically Adar? Menachem via email

I saw in the eyes of the mourners how Jerusalem consoles. One of the grieving fathers left the Kotel tunnels in tears and said: I connected with all of our past and all of our future and to the historic task of our family within all of this.

Even when he was already advanced in years, Reb Zalman himself, with his flowing beard and joyful, shining face, would rush around the fields like a young man, with scythe in hand. His simcha carried him.

When you buy a raffle for another, even with your own money, you acquire it for him as his agent, replied Rabbi Dayan. All the more so if he asked you to lend him the money (C.M. 183:4; Divrei Chaim C.M. 2:21).

How many times do we stick to our guns because we are too proud to admit we are wrong, doubling down and doubling the damage?

Though there would always be antisemites, we were confident that the educated and tolerant mainstream had learned the lesson of the Holocaust. We assumed we would never again be hypocritically singled out. We were wrong.

The myriad Jews doing so much for Am Yisrael – such as going on missions, attending rallies, donating funds, advocating on social media, picking vegetables, returning to serve in the army, sending gear, making tzitzit, purchasing tefillin, and saying Tehillim – all serve as the glue that is bonding and unifying us in these challenging times.

I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man's being unable to sit still in a room. -Blaise Pascal

The power of Amalek is not limited to the physical destruction they seek to bring upon Israel. Amalek’s chief ambition is to destroy Israel morally and spiritually.

Regardless of guilt and responsibility, if we commit a sin we have transgressed a boundary.

We sometimes cry such tears, not realizing that we have the choice to change our situation. Instead of bemoaning our bitter lot, we should get up and try to do something about it.

The great Rav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch, zt”l, zy”a, wrote in his ethical will that the only thing he asks from his righteous children is that if one of them is hurt by another sibling, they should forgive and make up, and that will bring the truest pleasure to their parents in the next world.

Can one simultaneously discharge the mitzvot of mishlo'ach manot and matanot la'evyonim by giving a poor person a generous food package on Purim?

Amalek rejects Hashem’s connection to this world or any connection between the spiritual and the physical. Essentially, Amalek denies Hashem’s control of this world and the ability for man to uplift himself to the level of the spiritual.

Forget about five-year-old kids; most adults are not overly attracted to Sefer Vayikra, with all its gore.

In honor of Purim, we open up the archives and bring to you some of the classic sheilos rabbanim have been asked this year…

As an aside, especially in our day and age, I think some careful thinking about one’s drinking is warranted. We live in a time of such excess and such abundance that unfortunately there are very many situations where people find themselves with serious drinking problems.