Not Where You’re At But Where You’re Coming From
“That is you – had you lived up to your potential, had you become what you were destined to be.”
Parshat Chayei Sarah
In his book, Thirteen Days (1968), Robert Kennedy publicized the inner workings of the Kennedy White House during the terrible days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He described how the President’s special advisory group, known as ExComm, debated the options available to defuse the crisis in light of the intelligence presented to them.
Why Don’t We Recite A Berachah On The Mitzvah Of Zachor?
This column is dedicated to the refuah sheleimah of Shlomo Eliezer ben Chaya Sarah Elka.
This week we read parshas Zachor (Devarim 25:17), which details...
Yehareg V’al Ya’avor
The following is one unique halacha that is associated with arayos (forbidden relationships): Concerning most aveiros, if one is put in a predicament where he must choose between saving his life and fulfilling a mitzvah he must choose to live and transgress the mitzvah. The Gemara says that arayos are one of the three mitzvos that are yehareg v’al ya’avor (one must allow himself to be killed so as not to transgress the mitzvah), along with murder and avodah zarah.
May One Raze A Shul?
Perhaps a careful reading of the pesukim in the parsha will shed light on this dilemma.
Two Days Of Rosh Chodesh
In this week’s parshah the Torah lists the different korbanos that we are to bring on the various different days of the year. In perek 28, pasuk 11 the Torah commands us as to which korbanos we must bring on Rosh Chodesh. In the times of the Beis HaMikdash, Rosh Chodesh was determined by the actual birth of the moon. Witnesses would testify before beis din that they saw the rebirth of the new moon, and beis din would pronounce that that day was Rosh Chodesh.
Parashat Miketz: The Wine-Bearer and the Baker
Was it not obvious that these dreams foretold the wine-bearer’s reinstatement and the baker’s execution?
Reclaiming Our National Dignity
Property ownership is an extremely important and fundamental right and principle according to the Torah.
Monetary Exemptions For The Uncircumcised
According to the Raavad if one who is uncircumcised breaks something he will be exempt from paying for it since he was chayav kares at the same time as he was obligated to repay for the item he broke.
Jewish Leadership: When Leaders Are Human: Parshas Emor
We don't seek leaders who transcend human struggle and temptation, sit on mountaintops meditating on their naval. Our leaders are individuals who embrace the physical, uplift it, and connect it to the infinite.
Shabbos Mevorchim Teves
According to the Sefer Yetzirah, each month is associated with a letter of the aleph-beis. Teves was formed by means of the letter ayin, which has a numerical value of seventy – a number that figures prominently in Judaism.
Why Was Avraham Allowed To Perform Hachnasas Orchim?
At the beginning of this week’s parshah the Torah writes extensively about Avraham Avinu’s act of hachnasas orchim for the three men who were passing by his tent.
My Life For Yours
Even in the most drastic of circumstances, a Jew can never be written off completely and one must even be willing to endure total mesirus nefesh for another’s sake.
The Phantom & The Man
The struggle of living both in the spiritual & physical worlds is our mission & potential greatness
Trust-but Verify
Esau handled the meeting with Jacob far more grace than most people manage an argument with a spouse. Not bad behavior for a person we are taught is one of the most evil biblical characters!
The Knots Of Tefillin
Tosafos there takes issue with Rashi’s view that the letters that are formed in the knots of the tefillin are considered part of the name of Hashem.
Rav Karlitz’s Character
Of Rav Nissim Karlitz,(ZT"L) the Chazon Ish said “One day, the entire world will hear from him.” He was right.
Blood On The Mizbeach
In this week’s parshah the Torah discusses many different halachos that pertain to korbanos. Regarding the korban olah, the pasuk tells us that the entire animal must be brought on the mizbeach and is burned.
Beis HaMikdash – Spiritual Power Source
The Bach seems to be saying that all that was to befall the Jewish people was because we no longer approached the Avodah with the appropriate sense of purpose, and therefore it was taken from us.
Forcing Israeli Athletes To Choose
Sports or Judaism--two top athletes made the right decision
Parshas Shelach: Changers
Change is good; being a "Changer" is better.
Building the Stage
Balaam, the dedicated thespian, could not overpower the prophecy of Moses because Moses was not a performer. Moses saw his role as building the stage on which his people, present and future, would perform.
Through The Eyes Of History
The reason we can’t even see the temptation is that we are judging the generation according to our social climate.
Parshat Kedoshim: The Importance of Permissible Relations
Currently, Jews live in a world which denies many of the Torah’s views about what constitutes proper sexuality. I suspect it has been true more often than we stop to notice—
The Religion Of Evolution
The Jewish nation as a totality was given the mitzvah of appointing judges. These judges were commanded to mediate with righteousness according to the Torah’s laws. One of the rules of a judge is that he may not accept a bribe because a “bribe will blind the eyes of the wise.”
Aleph Beta: Beshalach: Are We An Ungrateful Nation?
In Parshat Beshalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16) we're introduced to a nation of whiners and complainers. After years of slavery, the Israelites are finally a free...
The Rubashkin Saga (Part III)
PETA has a lurid anti-shechita history, They claimed Rubashkin the way the animals were slaughtered at Agri rendered them non-kosher. Rabbinic authorities and major kashruth supervisors deemed Rubashkin to be of the highest kosher standards--yet PETA declared otherwise.
Intoxicated Ruling
Why would it not be sufficient to simply state lehoros from which we derive that in such a state one may not issue any psak?
Man Is Born To Toil
The redemption and salvation are commensurate with the distress and challenges of galus.
Parshat Vayakheil-Pikudei
Before we embark on a major project or make a fateful decision we must get a wide-range of views and perspectives.
