Judaism

Army Service as the Antidote to the Mourning of the Omer

Judaism Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander

The light of togetherness, commitment and Torah in action will help us move toward the receiving of the Torah that Jews commemorate on Shavuot.

Positive Words, Positive Worlds

In Print Talya Gross

The front of the car where the engine was had burnt to a crisp, and all the windows were shattered.

Consumer Price Index

In Print Rabbi Meir Orlian

I don’t see why this should be ribbis. I’m not gaining anything; I’m just recouping my loss...

Daf Yomi

In Print Rabbi Yaakov Klass

K’vod HaBriyos – Human Dignity ‘… Excluding Where He Was Preoccupied’ (Shavuos 18b-19a)

Lag B’Omer: A Time of Joy, Resilience and Hope for the Future

Holidays Dr. Chaim Botwinick

Have an enjoyable Lag B’Omer, beautiful Shabbat and a joyous and safe Chag Shavuot.

Q & A: A Sefirah Dilemma – Conclusion

In Print Rabbi Yaakov Klass

Question: Were these individuals allowed to lead the congregation in counting sefirah? I also wonder, in general, if everyone may be trusted to lead the counting. What if someone forgot to count on one of the previous nights but does not inform anyone of this? Name withheld Via E-mail

Creation Appreciation

In Print Rabbi Reuven Taragin

One who truly loves Hashem, loves everything He creates. By loving and showing respect to His creations, we, in essence, show respect to Hashem Himself.

To Live Is To Know

In Print Avraham Levitt

As we exist in the world and interact with it, we receive input and understand our surroundings by means of the data we collect, chiefly by way of our senses. But because we also have the ability to communicate with one another, we learn much useful information about the world from each another.

Eretz Yisrael and the Secrets of Torah

Judaism Tzvi Fishman

The bonfires of Lag B’Omer symbolize the secrets of Torah which Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai revealed.

By Appointment of the King

In Print Raphael Grunfeld

When Yosef related his dreams to his brothers and to his father, his brothers became jealous of him. Not his father. His father shamar es ha’davar, kept it in mind and looked forward to the time when Yosef’s dreams would come true (Rashi to Bereishis 37:11).

The Logic of Tumah: Eternity in a Mortal World

In Print Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l

The holy spaces had to be kept free of conditions that bespoke mortality.

TORAH SHORTS: Parshat Emor: Meat, Wine and Divine Intentions

Parsha Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz

Joy in Judaism is not hedonic; it is redemptive, cathartic, and spiritual.— Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Celebration in the Shadow of Death

Redeeming Relevance / Rabbi Francis Nataf Rabbi Francis Nataf

Rebbe Akiva. He is the Jewish hero par excellence, which means that, on some level, his life story encapsulates the values and ideals of the Jewish people. And yet, perhaps not coincidentally, he lived in the shadow of death.

Lag B’Omer & Emor

In Print Phil Chernofsky

In Pirkei Avot, we find the statement, Schar mitzvah, mitzvah – the reward for doing a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself. Or perhaps it means that the reward for doing a mitzvah is another mitzvah to do.

Street Cleaners

In Print Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser

Based on one’s Torah stature in the community [one] must conduct himself beyond the measure of the law.

The Harsh Lesson of the Death of the 24,000 Talmidei Rebbi Akiva

In Print Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss

We must know that the mitzvah of kavod haTorah is even greater than learning Torah. As the Gemara in Masechtas Megilla in the first perek states categorically that while learning Torah does not supersede the hearing of the megillah, giving honor to the Torah does.

Kayin And Hevel: Not What You Learned in Cheder

In Print Rabbi Simcha Feuerman

Both Kayin and Hevel are flawed in this narrative. Kayin, consumed by lust and evil, has will and determination. Hevel, free of evil, lacks drive or purpose.

Mother, May I? Maya and Maia

Names and Numen Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

The name Maya ranked as the fifth most popular name for Jewish girls born in Israel in 2023.

Sefiras HaOmer: Achieving The Impossible

In Print Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

How do we, as physical and limited beings, transcend our finite dimensions? How do we relate to the abstract, to the infinite, to the spiritual?

Purim Bread?

In Print Eliezer Meir Saidel

One might say that the menorah and the ketoret were temidin, while the lechem hapanim was only switched once a week, on Shabbat. However, although it was only switched once a week, the lechem hapanim was on the shulchan every day, a korban in itself, a repeating miracle that occurred each day anew.

Enduring Flames

In Print Rabbi Dani Staum

The common thread between those who persevere beyond all odds and accomplish incredible things is that they have an unyielding sense of mission and responsibility. They aren’t merely doing what they want to do; they are striving to accomplish what they feel needs to be done. They feel the weight upon their shoulders.

Parshas Emor

In Print Rabbi Yaakov Klass

Defective Dress

In Print Rabbi Meir Orlian

Shulchan Aruch (C.M. 232:4) rules that when merchandise is defective, the sale can be voided entirely, replied Rabbi Dayan. Even if the depreciation is small and the seller is willing to refund the differential, the buyer can return the item and claim that he wants an intact item.

Daf Yomi

In Print Rabbi Yaakov Klass

Siddurim On A Bimah ‘The Heart Of Beth Din Provides For It’ (Shavuos 11a)

Q & A: A Sefirah Dilemma (Part II)

In Print Rabbi Yaakov Klass

Question: On occasion it has happened that a recent bar mitzvah boy was the one to do so. I’ve also had an occasion when a recent ger (convert) led the service. In both those events, how would they be allowed to lead in the counting of the sefirah if they did not start doing so at the outset? No Name Via E-mail