Judaism

This lashon hara led to Bnei Yisrael crying over nothing, which in turn resulted in the divine punishment of bechia l’doros, crying throughout the generations over the destruction of two Temples and many other Jewish calamities.

The day after a wedding is not the best day to get a new air conditioning unit as we were still recovering from all of the wedding expenses, predictable and otherwise.

What are you going to do? Rabbi Dayan's son asked him. You're outnumbered, but it seems ridiculous that the ruling should follow two kollel students against you!

Question: The Covid-19 pandemic has put an end to almost all public gatherings; hence, much of Jewish congregational ritual has come to a halt. Is there a way to make up for everything we missed? M. Goldman

I have always believed that the guarantee that G-d presented to Abraham was never said to him directly.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe points out that this powerful exchange between the Jewish people and Hashem emphasizes our extraordinary special relationship with Hashem.

Finite games are played to win. Infinite games are played for their own sake. Finite games are usually performed in front of an audience of some kind. Infinite games are participative.

A Jew has the power to bring merit to all of mankind.

Out On A Limb ‘The Halacha Is One May Reset a Fracture’ (Shabbos 148a)

In Parshat Vaetchanan, we learn that someone who kills another by accident must flee to a city of refuge for protection. The Talmud contains a fascinating addition to this law: If a student is forced into exile, his teacher must go with him.

Dare I say that, the fact that we keep the Temple alive 2000 years after its destruction, continue to connect to God even after the Holocaust, and we pray even on this horrible day, INSPIRES God?

For millennium of exile, Jews always turned toward Jerusalem. What memory were they eager to preserve?

In the City of David, the place where Jerusalem began, the evidence of those periods and their tragic end are being revealed, bringing to light all that was lost and the incredible endeavors to reveal and rebuild our beloved and eternal capital.

Here is a short message as we head towards Tisha B'Av and will be marked in strange and difficult circumstances because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

We are like poor people who do not know they are poor and how rich they could be.

The organizers of these protests, which quickly turn to violent riots, undoubtably seek anarchy, as they openly state.

If a person who is asked about someone remains silent because he doesn’t know with certainty that a certain rumor is true, the questioner understands from his silence that there is room for concern.

Rabbi Pappenheim suggests that “chomah” is related to “milchamah,” as the main purpose of building a city wall is to protect its inhabitants from enemy warfare.

We are taught that only a cry accompanied by joy in our ability to cry to God can open our restraints; The cry must itself be an expression of restrained joy

Is it proper, l’chatchilah, for a young married couple to apply for government welfare programs like food stamps and section 8?

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How is it that Rachel’s tears evoke such a powerful response from God? If we can make sense of this passage, it may be able to shed light on our process of mourning on Tisha B’Av, and help our tears and grief become a catalyst for action.

May we soon celebrate together at a rebuilt Beit HaMikdash.

The Tisha b'Av experience is a spiritual affliction, "Acedia," a "sadness, a disgust with life, which comes from our inability to get along with ourselves, our disunion with God."

Most of Devarim is Moshe’s series of parting lectures to the Jewish people. Two things about them are clearly felt – the first is that they are long, often abstract and sometimes even appear repetitive; and the second is that Moshe accordingly uses diverse tactics to keep the Jews listening.

Being judgmental feeds anxiety and depression, and negatively impacts overall wellbeing.

There is more to be learned from Hashem’s diagnosis. A blessing is critical in helping us properly focus when we do a mitzvah.

Treif Cows Milk? A Toldah of Dash (Shabbos 144a)

In one particular synagogue, however, the shamas would rely on the out-of-town beggars who normally arrived during the night to light up the oven. But many times, the beggars would not show up, and the synagogue would be freezing in the morning. People began to complain.

Some maintain that if the contract can be legally upheld in court, the late payment clause is halachically valid as a kinyan situmta (common commercial practice) and is not considered asmachta; hence, there is no concern of ribbis.