Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt”l
A memorial to Rav Ovadia Yosef (ZT"l) in his daughters' recollections
Israel’s First Elections – A Remarkable Memory
“After 2,000 or more years of exile, you could say that from the six days of Creation until this day, we have not merited to see a day like this, that we are holding elections in a Jewish state. Shehechiyanu! Blessed is the One that kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this day!" When Torah meets democracy.
This Week’s Main Headlines
Remembering priorities...
No One Can Compete With A Parent
ven with all the news stories about “the best teacher I had” or “the teacher who changed my life,” there is no doubt that the teachers who influence us the most are our parents.
Aphorisms To Live By
Tuesday was the 23rd yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neriah, founder of the Bnei Akiva yeshivot, educator, revolutionary, author, Rabbi Kook's disciple, and Israel Prize laureate. Here are just a few phrases from the great legacy that he left:
The Prince’s Visit
The highlight of Prince William's visit to Israel is he merited to be the first British royal to make an official visit to Israel.
A Culture Of Death
A picture is worth a thousand words...
Tips In His Pocket
An inspired and inspiring list of "SHOULDS" for Elul--and the whole year
People Are More Important
A society in which nobody cares about a person who falls down and dies, but mourns a stone that falls, is a society that has a problem; it cares more about physical progress than human life.
No App Can Compete With Sukkot
The revolutionary sukkah--
Don’t Focus On Yourself
A message both particular and universal...
Never Stop
The Baal Shem Tov told his disciples that all the dozens of journeys detailed in this parshah exist also in each person's life – from the day of his birth to the day he leaves this world. In every journey, one has to move upwards and learn something new.
Forcing Israeli Athletes To Choose
Sports or Judaism--two top athletes made the right decision
There’s Nothing Profound About Melancholy
Rebbetzin Yemima Mizrachi: "We live in a joy-challenged society. Today, joy must be learned. It is precisely joy, which everyone treats lightly, that requires serious consideration on our part."
What Makes A Person Great?
What makes someone great, really great? Many commentators say the answer to this question is hidden in the following verses from this week's parshah
Rav Herzog – On His 60th Yahrzeit
"Starting today, every child to us is like one thousand children." These words were said by Rabbi Herzog to the Pope after the Holocaust when he went out on a journey to find Jewish children who were transferred to convents and monasteries to avoid deportation to Nazi concentration camps, and were baptized to Christianity there. Rav Herzog wound up returning many children to their faith, people, and homeland.
Torah From A TV Anchor
BH Baruch HaShem: B&H is a real Kiddush Hashem
A Sense Of Priorities
The contemporary question,how to balance family and work, is actually a biblical one,addressed by Moses in his subtle rebuke to the tribe of Re'uven.
Criticize or Praise?
It is the easiest to only praise, to be "all smiles and hearts," but if you truly care about someone, you do not flatter him. You help him become better.
‘Tweets’ From The Kotzker
Long before social media posts and tweets, the Kotzker delivered messages in short, bite-size form. Here are just a few of his gems
Tips To Be Miserable
To avoid misery, read the 6-steps to misery--and completely side-step these landmines
Seize The Moment
The story of the Exodus from Egypt teaches us to be alert and attentive to “windows of opportunity” that appear in our lives – so seize them.
Vote For Moshe Rabbeinu
Of course, we do not expect our elected leaders to be Moshe Rabbeinu---but wouldn't it be great if just one were great.
Envy Will Bury You Alive
Parshat Korach reminds us that seeing the good we have, and not coveting the good others have, is more urgent than almost anything else.
I Want It Now!
Tu B'Shevat is a reminder once a year of the most important commodities: patience, continued labor, investment, devotion.
We Are All Missionaries
This week's parshah teaches us that there is almost no such thing as objectivity. We are all subjective. All of us speak from our own world of values.
Sincerity Melts Walls
In Vayigash, Yehudah teaches us what attitude we should have in life: Sincerity
Image Worship
The myth of Narcissus is not a myth at all-127 people have died worshiping their own image.
What Menachen Begin Taught Us
27 years ago, on the 4th day of Adar Sheni, Menachem Begin passed away. Here are 3 enduring messages from his legacy.
Ignorance as Bliss: He Thought The Temple Still Stood
Though I have heard many explanations about the meaning of this day ( Tisha B'Av)– senseless hatred and violence, ignorance and alienation – I had never heard anything like the explanation I received this week:}