Seesaw of Nations: Yerushalayim Drains the Power of Evil
Our ancient family tree has two significant offshoots: Yishma’el and Eisav. Both were sons of the avos and both were rejected as the principal heir in favor of their younger brothers. Both were promised powerful descendants who would rise to great worldly influence. Yet, one key distinction separates between these two estranged sons. Yishma’el’s physical […]
Explore more
Holy Competition? Rav Kook’s Warning from the Chevron-Yerushalayim Dispute
In 1906, a dispute arose between the communal leaders of Yerushalayim and Chevron concerning the distribution of tzedakah funds collected from Jews in Chutz La’aretz. The leaders of Chevron were dissatisfied with the existing arrangement and sought to establish an independent fund for their ancient community, advancing several arguments that highlighted Chevron’s spiritual distinction and […]
Explore more
This Is How We Answer Mamdani
After Zohran Mamdani’s win in NYC, the world has woken up to a new reality. In the city with the largest population of Jews in the diaspora, the mayor-elect is an anti-Israel and anti-American communist. Many New Yorkers, especially Jewish New Yorkers, are preparing to flee the Big Apple. So what is the answer to […]
Explore more
The Great Altar: Sanctifying a Renewed World
After surviving the Flood, the first act of humanity was not to build or plant, but to sacrifice. Upon exiting the teivah, Noach immediately picks from among the pure species of animal he preserved and brings them as korbanot to Hashem (Bereishit 8:20). According to Chazal, Noach traveled all the way from Har Ararat to […]
Explore more
See How Beloved You Are Before Hashem
The Gemara Yoma (21a), citing the Mishna in Avot, lists ten miracles that occurred for our ancestors in the Beit HaMikdash and Yerushalayim. For example, the sanctified sacrificial meats never rotted, and no flies were ever seen in the slaughtering areas despite the abundance of raw meat. One miracle is strikingly absent from the list. […]
Explore more
The Betulah of Israel: Yerushalayim’s Loyal Love
In this week’s haftorah, the Navi Yishayahu (62) passionately describes the restoration of Tzion and Yerushalayim. No longer will the holy city lie desolate; Yerushalayim – and the land of Israel that draws kedushah from her – will be resettled and renewed. Yishayahu compares this reunion between Am Yisrael and Yerushalayim to the consummation of […]
Explore more
A Tale of Two Kings: Who Truly Sanctified Yerushalayim?
Yerushalayim is the center of so much in Judaism, yet its origins are shrouded in mystery. Long after Yehoshua’s initial conquest, this vital city ironically remained unconquered and bereft of the sanctifying presence of the Jewish people. Who was the first to invest kedushah into the city of Jerusalem? At first glance, it seems that […]
Explore more
More Than Food: Bread, Jerusalem, and the Essence of a Yehudi
As Klal Yisrael prepares for entry into Eretz Yisrael, Moshe Rabbeinu introduces a crucial, unique mitzvah: Birkat HaMazon. “And you will eat and be sated, and you shall bless Hashem, your God, on the good land He has given you.” After consuming bread, we fulfill this mitzvah by blessing Hashem in thanks for our satiation. […]
Explore more
The Mountain and the Cedar: Transcending Sin and Weakness
In Moshe’s famous final prayer, his last-ditch effort to gain entry to Eretz Yisrael, he begs the Ribbono Shel Olam to let him cross over the Yarden. However, the formulation of his request seems quite cryptic: “Please let me cross over and see the good land that is on the other side of the Yarden, […]
Explore more
Yehoshua’s Ascendant Subservience
As Moshe Rabbeinu realized that his life was drawing to a close, he immediately, in his inimitable selfless fashion, thought of Klal Yisrael. Who would lead the people after his passing? He asked HaKadosh Baruch Hu to appoint a leader capable of guiding Bnei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. To his great satisfaction, Hashem informs him […]
Explore more