Judaism

In the end, justice will be served and all the nations who oppressed Israel will be punished, but Israel will at last be redeemed.

There is a mistaken belief that one should cease reciting Kaddish on the yahrzeit of a parent once fifty years have passed since their death.

While the term amidah is teleologically neutral and simply relays the notion of standing in place, the term nitzav implies standing for a specific purpose.

Most simply don’t have much to say to aveilim and that’s fine; it’s still a great mitzvah to visit with aveilim even for a short time.

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If I had used my electric oven the previous week, after the original test, that leak behind it could have blown up the house and caused me serious injury.

Since the signature of witnesses on a loan document becomes void upon repayment, no inherent testimony remains about the second loan, whereas when the borrower resubmits an IOU to the lender, he obligates himself again, as if signing anew.

Que Sera, Sera? ‘He Daubed Him With Mud’ (Nedarim 89b-90a)

The use of Aharon as a model is illustrative. Pirkei Avot is filled with advice from many Talmudic sages, but most don’t invoke a Biblical precedent to prove their point.

Question: A number of years back, when I was still unmarried, I had yahrzeit, but in the shul where I davened they wouldn’t let me serve as shaliach tzibbur as they had a rule that no one unmarried was allowed to daven from the amud. Obviously, I could still say Kaddish, but I wanted to lead the services for the sake of the neshama. My question is: Did they have the right to deny me what I felt was my yahrzeit obligation to my departed parent? Mark Halberstam Esq. Brooklyn, N.Y. Via email

Axel Pflueger then turned to the head of the committee, acknowledged to be one of the most celebrated medical ethicists in the world, and inquired, What precisely are the criteria to determine one’s quality of life?

When G-d takes something from the body, he gives something else in its place. True, I am physically disabled, but I learn quickly and my memory is very good.

People are often disillusioned by their failures and the strength of their yetzer hara. Instead, we should appreciate how the challenges we overcome add to the value of our successes.

The Alter Rebbe is probably best known for his systematic exposition of Chassidic Jewish philosophy as set forth in the Tanya.

In truth, a more apt name would be “No Yeshiva Week,” as schools and yeshivas close while many students and their families go on pilgrimage to exotic locations,

It is through the story of Israel, as it unfolds throughout time, that humanity sees history as possessing Divine meaning and purpose.

Faith, not logic, freed the Jewish people

Because Pharaoh has set himself up as a god, because he has come to believe that he is the absolute ruler of Mitzrayim, and because the people have accepted this upon themselves, what befalls Pharaoh will affect all of Egypt.

The well-being of the soul is something inward and spiritual, but the well-being of the body requires a strong society and economy, where there is the rule of law, division of labor, and the promotion of trade.

This five-stage pattern exists within every process in life. Everything in this world, even that which appears chaotic, scattered, and disorganized, shares this underlying pattern.

I have not placed reading before praying because I regard it more important, but because, in order to pray aright, we must understand what we are praying for. -Angelina Grimke

Mincha relates to the years of middle-age, and Maariv focuses on one’s golden years. Thus, while davening, it would be proper to focus on one’s children and grandchildren during Shacharis, and upon elderly parents and grandparents during Maariv.

The legitimacy and credence of the person speaking is based on his personal identity and essence.

Consider: Pharaoh is stubborn, cruel, and difficult in every meeting. He claims not to know G-d, he increases the cruelty of his slavery when he is asked for mercy, he ignores the overwhelming and awe-inducing nature of each miraculous event, and he ignores the pleading of his more moderate advisers.

In his commentary to Sanhedrin 67b, however, Rashi says the Talmud holds that lahat is something performed by the practitioner himself, while lat adjures sheidim to act on one’s behalf.

It is explained that the reason one may not leave a sefer lying open is that there is an angel whose name is Sheid – an abbreviation for “shomer dapim” (guardian of [book] pages) – who causes anyone who leaves a sefer open to forget what he has learned.

The concept of both sides being correct flies in the face of the prevailing attitude and mindset of our society.

Our Sages say that the reason we whisper the above blessing in Hebrew is that we do not want to openly flaunt a blessing we “stole” from the angels.

If a person receives a summons to appear before a reputable beit din, it is halachically mandatory to show up. But some people, for various reasons, choose to ignore the summons.

The daily experiences do not, and are not usually earth shattering or traumatic. Any small event or disappointment, aggravations and so on, are sometimes even harder to get up from than from big traumas.