Ancient Connection – Modern Pioneers
“Dear and beloved people, it is with sorrow that I inform you that my dear and beloved son Roy has passed away. My hero, Roy, chose a command path. He commanded as a platoon leader in the Tomer Company of the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion. The soldiers in the company come from religious homes. They […]
As a Jew who recently made aliyah from America thinking that he understood the country he was leaving, I am astounded. The White House’s political betrayal of Israel reveals a disturbing reality in which Israel cannot depend on anyone. Whether the current policies will correct themselves in the near future, or whether they (G-d forbid) […]
After the terrorist attacks in Neve Yaakov and the Shiloach over last Shabbat, what lessons can we learn about how to move forward as a nation. It is key to see that the terrorists are seeking to break our rightful hold over our eternal capital – Jerusalem. This is why the importance of returning to […]
One section of this week’s parsha that is particularly resonant this year is the commandment of Hakhel. During the Sukkot immediately following the shemitah year the Jewish people are to gather in “the place that God will choose” to hear the king read from the Torah. On a basic level, this ritual is a form […]
This week is known is Shabbat Nachamu, when we read the beautiful haftorah of consolation. As usual, it is also parshat Va’etchanan. In what way is this week’s Torah portion connected with the theme of consolation and redemption? Rabbi Pinchas Friedman offers the following explanation. A highlight of the parsha is the foundational verse: “Hear […]
There is a good reason why it says in our prayers – from Chapter 92 in Tehillim (Psalms): “5 How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!. 6 Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand. 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.” Let’s take for example the return of the indigenous […]
All of us yearn, desire, and strive to connect to Redemption. The Rabbis teach that the Divine Presence will not return to the Jerusalem of above until it returns to the Jerusalem of below. What they are saying is that our disconnection from our own inner Jerusalem, which our own inner connection to the Divine, […]
Towards the end of this weeks parsha Moshe follows Hashem’s orders and approaches Paraoh with a message that he should free the Jewish people. Unfortunately, things do not turn out as Moshe plans and Paraohs’ response is to make the people work harder by not giving them straw. It is only the next time that […]
