B’ha-alo-t’cha And A Little-Known Fast
In our time, back in 1982, the costliest battle of the war in Lebanon claimed the lives of about 30 IDF soldiers on this date. Thus, the 20th of Sivan is indeed a tragic day. You can find Selichot written for the day in some siddurim.
Our Family and Friends
Many prefer death over loneliness.
What’s In A Parsha?
The sedra has 2,264 words and 8,632 letters. Even though Naso’s pesukim are well below average in length (in number of words or letters), it still ranks #1 in all categories.
From Genetics to Genesis: Discovering the Divine Signature in Creation
Just as Hashem spoke the world into being, perhaps He wrote His will into our very cells.
Counting Heads & Counting Up
To deserve the name Numbers, this week’s sedra contains numbers galore – starting with a count of the adult male population of each of the 12 tribes, with a total of 603,550 men age 20 and up.
How To Be More Than The Average Joe
Shouldn’t Shavuot’s commemoration of Matan Torah mandate a spiritual celebration?
Yom Yerushalayim: Our Gratitude and Prayers
In a city torn by conflict, we remember: Yerushalayim is meant to unite us – with each other, and with Hashem.
Parsha Pairs
With the third double sedra in four weeks, it’s a good time to take a closer look at the double sedra story.
Creation Appreciation
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.
Lag B’Omer & Emor
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.
Food For Thought
When we are tired and hungry, we are anxious to revive and sustain ourselves. This anxiety can cause us to lose sight of our life’s bigger picture and purpose, and eat like animals rather than human beings.
Stepping Up
While our primary obligation is to ourselves, Hillel reminds us of our obligation to the broader community and the world.
From Strength To Strength: Israel’s ‘Oz’ Birthday
Of course, Hashem wants us to fight for ourselves and blesses us with the physical strength and heavenly assistance we need. We see this at the end of Parshat Beshalach in the wake of Amalek’s attack.
Essentials Of Judaism: The Essence Of Pirkei Avot
Often, people use hashkafa to refer to what distinguishes between different hashkafot (Litvish, chassidishe, modern Orthodox, religious Zionist, etc.). People are eager to understand and appreciate their unique approach. That said, most hashkafic issues, including most central ones, are things all Torah Jews agree upon.
How We Ought to Care For Others
The servitude we experienced in Mitzrayim should sensitize us to human suffering. We know what being a foreigner feels like and should thus care for those in similar situations.
When We Are Good
The first generations of men made such sinful choices. Eventually, their sins corrupted the entire world. When man lost his way, other creatures followed suit. This man-induced reality caused Hashem to wash away all living beings.
The Faith Of Righteous Women
The righteous women not only saved Moshe; they also inspired him. And they inspired many others as well – including their own husbands.
Why Tefillah Is So Important
Tefillah is central to our identity. It is an essential reflection of the human soul and part of what characterizes man as distinct from animal. Hashem provides for the whole world; only man appreciates and prays for it.
My Heart Is Broken!
Israel’s mourning is not just for Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri – it is for every victim of terror, every life that was cut short in the name of hate and destruction.
Why We Call It Megillat Esther
If Esther failed to act, Hashem would find another way to save the Jews, but she and her family line would be lost.
The Power Of Our Words
When G-d created the world, He did it with words. Every action of creation was accomplished using words. And G-d said, Let there be light. And G-d said, Let us create man. Creation is realized by G-d using words.
The Miracles Of Jewish History: Our Return And Revival
Over the past century, the desert has become an oasis, and the desolation a blessing. Israel has developed innovative agricultural expertise and water conservation technologies and has planted over 250 million trees. Eretz Yisrael is the only country that entered the twenty-first century with more trees than the century before.
The Miracles Of Jewish History: Survival
We have spent most of our history as oppressed people. For almost two thousand years, we were scattered across the world; in over one hundred countries. Despite all this, we survived and continue to identify with our people and heritage.
Charity, Justice, And Morality
The failure to observe the agricultural laws such as tithes, challah, and the Sabbatical year reflects an unbridled acquisitive drive and a failure to care for the poor and needy. G-d provides the antidote to this disease of greed through the laws of charity.
Tu B’Shvat 5785: Celebrating Productivity And Resilience
The Jewish people possess unique resilience. While all nations experience decline, Jews are distinguished by their ability to recover and rebuild. Unlike other civilizations that fade after their historical peaks, the Jewish people have consistently risen after setbacks.
Culpability Should Be On Hamas! Not Israel!
It is critical to understand that Israel did not seek out this conflict... The objective has always been clear: a stable, peaceful region where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side, with dignity and security.
Works In Progress
Wisdom is not conceptualized here in any form of abstract internal intellect. Everything revolves around active listening, relevant and organized speech, and intellectual humility.
How The World Connects Us To Our Creator
The universe is impressive on two levels: the macro and the micro. Its sheer size, even of the relatively small amount we know, is massive. Within just our planet, the number and diversity of creations and creatures are incredible.
A Brief History Of The World
While the commentaries analyze each miracle on its own, the overall thrust of the presentation seems to be that G-d showed an added level of care for the continual functioning of the Temple.
Hamas: The Essence Of Darkness In The World
The entirety of the Gaza population, under Hamas’s rule, has become part of this deadly philosophy. One cannot ignore the reality that Hamas, as the governing body, has indoctrinated its people with a worldview that is grounded in violence.
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