Sivan Rahav-Meir

Each tent faced a different direction so that no one could see into the tent of anyone else.

Korach was the hero of the hour. His ratings and the spirit of the times were on his side.

The nation had nothing to do. There was no mission to accomplish, no sense of urgency, and about this our sages wrote: "Idleness leads to boredeom and boredom leads to sin."

Sometimes we set up camp for a short period of time and other times for a much longer period.

The Torah offers us something new: learning for the sake of learning. In the world of competition this is something exceptional.

We did not huddle together because of Pharaoh or the Egyptians or the Nazis or any other threat.

Each individual felt less responsibility for completing the minyan, felt someone else would take his place, and simply excused himself from showing up.

Most of us don’t understand the Torah of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at all, but we understand that there is something there, that there is a greater unseen depth to life.

Our children have learned how to maintain a connection with grandma and grandpa without hugs, how to manage with their brothers and sisters when cooped up in isolation, and how to follow new rules that changed their lives.

The high priest is alone. It is forbidden for anyone to be with him, but it is precisely because of this restriction that his power is so great.

So what are we getting out of Pesach this year? Pesach itself. In this strange and difficult time, we are left with Pesach itself. With the festival of freedom.

The lecturer said he understood her message to him – that in her classes the objective was not to demonstrate how much she knew (and she knew a lot), but to teach the public.

It appears that our mission this Shabbat is to bring the holiness of the synagogue - now standing empty - into the living room and the kitchen.

coronavirus has given all of us homework

“All of us are presently learning a course in ‘How to live with uncertainty.’ From my experience, to succeed in this course you need to open your heart to embrace the unexpected.

Defined by our choices

Humanity today has received an abundance of life and health as an incredible gift. But does it properly take advantage of this blessing?

“We cannot keep the thunder and lightning of Sinai with us, but we can take the spirit of Sinai and incorporate it into mitzvoth – whether we are at the market, at home, in the bank or the car.

Only Yisro went deeper into what this all meant to him. He didn’t just hear – he changed.

Shabbat Shalom

“The Torah, though, is not just telling us about Pharaoh; it’s also telling us about ourselves. In every one of us, a little Pharaoh is hiding who knows exactly what needs to be done but doesn’t do it.

"Moshe's life is inspiring and reassuring to children with learning disabilities and to their parents

We do not expect those elected to be Moshe Rabbeinu. Still, the parshi’ot that will accompany the election campaign in the weeks ahead should remind us of how, ideally, those in leadership roles should conduct themselves.

It’s difficult to describe an event of this magnitude in words. But I’ll share a few highlights...

Is it better to complain, seek revenge, and hold a grudge? Or is it better to find a blessing within the curse?

In overcoming our impatience on the road, we perform a truly heroic act.

Here are three crucial truths from Tanya, the fundamental text that Chabad chassidim study in its entirety every year, concluding it on the 19th of Kislev:

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz emphasized again and again when he taught this parshah that Yaakov moving the massive stone from the well was not a miracle. Yet, it was not a matter of physical strength either. It was a matter of heart and faith.

Rachel only related to one purpose, that of giving birth, and ignored the second purpose – to learn, to become worldly wise and pious and, in the process, to bring more goodness into the world.

Rabbeinu Yonah, who passed away 756 years ago this week, wrote prolifically from the city of Girona, in medieval Spain, about repentance and self-improvement.