This coming Shabbat is Yom Kippur! Instead of enjoying the traditional Shabbat dinner with our families with all their requisite delicacies and treats, we will instead be in shul, praying and fasting for forgiveness for our sins. Indeed, Yom Kippur…
Tomorrow night, Wednesday, October 2nd at sundown, Rosh Hashana 5785 will begin. Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur comprise ten days which are called עשרת ימי תשובה - The Ten Days of Teshuva. Maimonides writes: (The Laws of Teshuva Chapter 3)based…
When the Torah commands us to observe the festival of Pesach, it tells us clearly that it celebrates our freedom from slavery in Egypt. When the Torah commands us to observe the festival of Sukkot, it clearly tells us that…
In the glorious days of the Holy Temple, every week, in cities all over the Land of Israel, one of the 24 families of Cohanim (and the Levites assigned to them), would meet to travel together to Yerushalayim. There were…
In this week’s portion, the Torah commands us (Deuteronomy 22:8): (ח) כִּי תִבְנֶה בַּיִת חָדָשׁ וְעָשִׂיתָ מַעֲקֶה לְגַגֶּךָ וְלֹא תָשִׂים דָּמִים בְּבֵיתֶךָ כִּי יִפֹּל הַנֹּפֵל מִמֶּנּוּ 8) If you build a new house, you shall make a fence for your…
If statistics are correct, Jews comprise .02% of the world’s population: There are over 2.5 billion Christians, almost 2 billion Muslims, and billions more people in many other religions, including non-believers. Interestingly, the Torah instructs us to follow the majority…
This week’s portionראה starts with a bang. Moshe tells the Jewish people in the name of Hashem (Deuteronomy 11:26): כו) רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה 26) Look! I am placing before you today blessing and curse! Rabbi Ovadia…
This week’s portion contains, the only Torah-mandated ברכה - blessing, according to all opinions, namely, ברכת המזון - Birkat Hamazon, the Grace after meals, which is derived from the verse in (Deuteronomy 8:10): י) וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת יְדֹוָד אֱלֹקֶיךָ…
Yesterday, was Rosh Chodesh Av, the first day of the month of Av. The Code of Jewish Law (551:1) teaches us: א) משנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה; ובר ישראל דאית ליה דינא בהדי כותי, לישתמיט מיניה דריע מזליה 1)…
In this week’s double portion, (depending on the year and on what days the holidays fall out, sometimes two weekly portions are read together) Hashem charges Moshe with his final task: retaliate against the Midianites for the catastrophe that…