יום שלישי, כ״ג חשוון תשפ״זTuesday, November 3, 2026
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In the wake of the October 7 massacre and the ensuing war for survival, she has been creating a series of works on sandpaper, elucidating the physical struggle and frequent discomfort of trying to create order and lasting beauty in a world so inhospitable to Jews and to artists.
I shudder when I see another ugly demonstration on television, with people shouting that Israeli soldiers are Nazis or worse, and the news anchor announces another “chareidi demonstration.”
By Joshua Marks and Amelie Botbol - JNS
The Israeli president called for an “open heart” ahead of consultations with Knesset factions beginning this week.
It’s clear you need a better understanding before telling your parents to avoid annuities altogether. Blanket statements like “annuities are always bad” can lead to poor decisions and may ultimately hurt them.
By Ron Goldman
The history of Mr. Broadway is intertwined with the rich culinary heritage of Jewish New York, dating back to the golden age of vaudeville.
On the surface, this makes no sense. Frogs don’t really think, and if some instinct drove them into the ovens, there’s no reason to believe that it was to obey G-d.
Seeing people is passive. Looking for people is active. When the elders of a city bring a sacrifice to atone for the tragedy of a corpse found near their city, they say, “Our hands have not spilled this blood. We didn’t see anything” (Devarim 21:7).
The Horowitz camp says the founder is irreplaceable. The old Silicon Valley camp says he is the person most likely to be replaced the moment things go well.
By Aryeh Werth
“I will not let Zohran Mamdani make it less safe for people, and I will not tolerate any acts of antisemitism. As governor, if he doesn’t protect New York City, I will.” – Bruce Blakeman
Our ally’s war experiences yield valuable information on our common enemy forces and matériel, enabling the Pentagon and American weapons manufacturers to refine tactics and equipment for future operations. This saves American lives.
Post-election vote count continues
Talk of “shared responsibility” with the Jewish state distracts from the real threat to U.S. Jews from leftists who are motivated by Jew-hatred, not Netanyahu and his allies.
By JNS & JewishPress.com News Desk
Exit polls are often revised as votes are counted, and the final vote tally is expected by Friday.
We, the mothers and fathers of Israel, have learned to contain our tears. We cannot afford to fall apart every time a soldier is blown to bits, every time a terrorist attack claims another life, every time a child is brutally injured by flying shards of glass. We have to go on.
Most of the 38 parties registered this time around have no chance of getting anywhere near the Knesset unless they sign up for a tour of the building.
By Moshe Gantz and Joseph Miller
In its discussion of “Zeh Keili v’anveihu,” beautifying mitzvos, Chazal say that a Sefer Torah should be written with beautiful ink, a beautiful kulmus, and by a skilled scribe.
By Arnold Fine
In our day, who knew from blintzes with fruit filling? We were Litvaks, so in our house Mama made cheese blintzes with pepper and salt in the pot cheese.
For Jewish New Yorkers, the election is a chance to examine what each candidate proposes to do about the issues that affect their families, institutions, and communities.
What Is a Sheep? “If It…Does Not Possess Three Vertebrae” (Bechoros 40b)
Question: I have a number of questions about the Prayer for Rain. Is there really a need for a prayer for rain when rain generally comes in the fall and winter seasons? When is the proper time to begin praying for rain – December 4 or December 5? Also, if one forgets the request, must he repeat the Shemoneh Esrei? Additionally, what if there is a severe need for rain before that time? Sam Cohen Via email
The blessing that we have been given and that will never fade is on two levels – the spiritual and the physical. On the spiritual level, the Torah, which has been given to us, will never become old... And on the physical level, the blessing of prosperity G-d gives will also not become a gift of the past.
Even if we were to argue that your average Jew would find violating a Torah law so disturbing that he could not enjoy the food, why would this apply retroactively?
Ben-Gurion was sixty-one when he declared the State of Israel. At the age most people retire, he started the job he is remembered for.
Upon entering the Land that will be promised to him, Avraham (then still Avram) builds an altar, a mizbe’ach, in the vicinity of Shechem in honor of the Hashem who had appeared to him (Bereisheit 12:7).
Pharaoh’s behavior is all too familiar. It is the quiet entitlement of a man who assumes access, assumes compliance, and assumes that others will adjust around his decisions. He sees Sarai and decides she will be taken.
As we fought a just war against those who attacked us, we faced fierce condemnation and spurious accusations of terrible crimes.
The pressure takes many forms: a venue suddenly becomes unavailable; a school threatens a family; a shadchan refuses to arrange matches; a rabbi is warned to stay silent. At times, even prominent rabbanim are physically attacked, and their homes or institutions vandalized. The message is clear: even attending a private discussion can come at a cost.
Why is there a different starting date for T&M in the Diaspora? Why is the date in Israel on the Jewish calendar and in Chutz LaAretz on the secular one?
Imagine the Almighty looking at Ireland for example. Seeing the Jew hatred of that particular people, it’s easy to imagine Heaven having thoughts about the necessity of them having a reset.
The textual history of the Ramban’s commentary is particularly relevant to the evaluation of this manuscript.
By Marc Gronich
I’ve been involved in many different causes. It was the inspiration of my parents, my wife, my children, my family, because I’m just one person. And if we want to do something strong, we need to do it together,” Pelman, 78, said.
First‑year associates at top firms now start at $235,000. While those are impressive numbers, a big paycheck does not make you wealthy. What you keep, protect, and invest does.
By Mendi Glik
Although the songs are performed by male vocalists, you can easily sense that they were composed by a woman, even without being told. From the first song to the last, the album has a very calm and relaxing ambience.
Whoever briefed the comptroller on Israel’s risk stopped the clock somewhere in 2024.
Behind a revolt characterized by looting, arson, stone-throwing, injuries and the destruction of shops and public institutions lies another reality: the imperative of conquest that Islamism does not conceal as one of its goals.
Real estate can help through rising rents and property values. It is a tangible asset, sensitive to interest rates, but comes with meaningful costs.
By Moshe Gantz and Joseph Miller
If two letters touch, they can remain perfectly readable and still be invalid. The problem is not simply that the reader can no longer tell them apart.
By Justin Engel
It seems so bizarre that we’ve been reduced, in many ways, to clichés and catchphrases: If you see something, say something; trust your gut; better safe than sorry. Yet, here we are, in 2026.
It is not just about the competing dates, but also a more general issue: no clear ritual or symbol has emerged to mark the day.
When you enter shidduchim, you imagine that you are dating with the goal of building a home and starting a life with someone. You never expect to find yourself back at square one, especially after having already stood under the chuppah.
What makes this manuscript particularly significant is the relative rarity of such material in the surviving writings of the Sefas Emes.
As a final note to consider, this kind of loyalty – making peace with who your spouse is and finding and supporting their good qualities – does not have to be limited to women.
Noach expected justice. He walked in tandem with a G-d of justice, Et haElokim. If he obeyed G-d’s command not to steal, he expected to be rewarded with food to eat. That’s justice. If that bargain was broken, he felt he would be justified in stealing.
The Torah describes Noach as a righteous man, perfect in his generations. That description is not only about his personal character – it is about his role.
Humanity is not designed to progress through large leaps – at least not as an expression of our nature.
Evidently, Hashem implanted within the Jewish soul an instinctive attachment to its homeland. He gave us the ability to respond to the pull of land, peoplehood, and historical destiny even without religious commitment or prophetic revelation.
By Ita Yankovich and Ziona Greenwald
Shinkle, a Manhattan native, says she has no choice: “I will not leave the future of the center of Western Civilization, New York City, in the hands of incompetent hacks.”
You might be thinking: “This is all very interesting, but I’ve never gone on Har HaBayis before and I’m not going to start now – why should I?”
Wiesel’s Son and Protégé, Elisha, Speaks Out on the Nobel Committee’s Ignoble Move
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote, “In Israel, and only there, Jews can walk where the prophets walked, climb the mountains Avraham climbed, lift their eyes to the hills that David saw, and continue the story their ancestors began.”
By Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
(Oct. 13, 2026 / JNS) Elazar Yair Wilensky, a ninth-grade student at ORT Ma’alot Yeshiva High School, was identified as the fatality caused on Monday when unexploded ordnance detonated during a school trip in northern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces’ preliminary assessment indicated that the device was likely an unexploded Hezbollah cluster munition left in […]
Whatever one thinks of Nixon's politics, his diagnosis is correct. Endless leisure is not a reward. For most people, it is a slow drain.
Question: Is one obligated to stand while the sheliach tzibbur repeats the Shemoneh Esrei? I have observed that some people stand during the whole repetition of the Amida while others sit most of the time. Menachem Via Email
Every challenger promises to lower taxes and ensure safer streets. Bruce Blakeman has already delivered them in a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by roughly 100,000.
“The power of resistance which has enabled the Jewish people to survive for thousands of years has been based to a large extent on traditions of mutual helpfulness,” Einstein wrote, placing the refugee crisis within the much longer sweep of Jewish history.
By Moshe Gantz and Joseph Miller
Another crucial feature: the writing must endure. The general laws of writing recognize a difference between something that leaves lasting writing and a substance that merely creates a temporary mark.
The modern practice involves clearing the notes twice annually, typically before Passover and before the High Holy Days, a schedule that reflects both practical considerations, including making space for the influx of pilgrims during major festivals, and symbolic ones, as these periods are associated with renewal, repentance, and communal prayer.
The message implicit in the primacy of Rosh Hashanah and of Bereishit is that it is only through the embrace of beginnings – of renewal, of originality – that we can truly embody the G-dly form and consciousness that it is our lot to achieve.
Shabbat B’reishit is always the Shabbat M’vorchim of Marcheshvan. It is the only sedra that is always read on Shabbat M’vorchim.
And yet, we know this moment does not define David's entire life. In time, his circumstances transform completely, and he emerges from hiding to accomplish extraordinary things: composing the Psalms, waging victorious battles against Israel's enemies, unifying the fractured kingdom, and establishing Jerusalem as its center.
Assessing a Newly Presented Argument Introduction "More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews." Ahad Ha'am, a secular Jew, was speaking of Shabbat's role in preserving Jewish life. For those who observe it, that protection is also spiritual: Shabbat gives us time to step back from daily demands and […]
Why is the Torah telling us this? What difference does it make what name G-d gave them? After all, the Torah is not a vocabulary book?
By Marc Gronich
“His pride and joy remain his school, Shabbos House, and the extended Chabad Houses within the Capital District,” Rabbi Bomzer continued. “I have lost a dear confidante, mentor, and friend, and his loss will be felt by all for many years to come.”
By Alan Zeitlin
“When we started, the team wasn’t good, but now we have fans. Hopefully, this game is one of many celebrity games as we continue to get more and more support.” — Nate Fish, CEO of Israel Baseball Americas
My life may not be following the timeline I imagined, but that does not mean it is going in the wrong direction.
In the last three years, Beit Shemesh has lost 31 residents to terrorism: 17 soldiers, 4 people at the Nova festival, and 10 others to missile fire. “I just wanted to do something to be part of it,” Ackerman said.
Walk into any of the thousands of synagogues around the world on the nights of Sukkot today, and you will still find Jews dancing and rejoicing in celebrations bearing the same name.
Even though the fortunes of other nations may be determined by the stars, the fate of G-d’s holy nation is in His hands (33:3). The Jewish nation has earned His protection because they squeezed themselves around the base of Mount Sinai and accepted the yoke of G-d’s Torah (33:3).
But the reason it has no definition, no protest section and no word on the economic targeting of Israel is that each would implicate the mayor.
Rav Sacks taught that Judaism cannot be limited to a private relationship with G-d or protecting one's own community. “The Jewish question is not, ‘What can the world give me?’” he wrote. “It is, ‘What can I give to the world?’ Judaism is G-d’s call to responsibility.”
The two women she connected me with in Lakewood to run the workshops even came to pick up the duffle bags full of cookbooks that came on the plane.
Simchat Torah teaches us that every ending creates the possibility for a new beginning and the same is true in business, where an apparent dead end can sometimes prepare an organization for its next chapter.
The Shela explained that one’s ability to draw close to Hashem and receive messages from Him is correlated to that person’s refinement of his own character to more closely resemble the Divine.
Reading Torah, learning Torah, studying Torah – even living Torah – is not the whole picture. It is the love of Hashem, who gave us the Torah and mitzvot, that completes the picture.
A person's financial life moves through seasons too. The mistake many people make is applying the same strategy to every stage when each season calls for its own priorities.
I would like to share some observations on parts of these dialogues which are relevant in our modern times.
As I am writing this column, the appropriate greeting to offer you is G’mar Chatima Tova. But since you will be reading these words after Yom Kippur, let me use the more common greeting of G’mar Tov. And at the end of the column, I will wish you a Shabbat Shalom and a Chag Samei’ach. […]
Every morning of Sukkos begins with taking the lulav and esrog and shaking them in six directions. The movement is simple, but it carries a weight that feels ancient.
Modern Orthodox Torah study, in too many of its institutional forms, has no clear telos, or purpose, at all. It tries to be both things at once – serious Torah learning and serious general education – and in the attempt it often becomes neither.
Every year as we read Kohelet during Sukkos the same verse stops me in my tracks: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.” It goes on to say that there is a time to plant and a time to reap. A time to weep and a time to […]
I like making lists. I entered Yom Kippur with a list of kabbalos I hoped to undertake, and as the day unfolded, I pared that list down to the few I could realistically maintain.
Some ideas appeal to us because they resemble an etrog: they promise comprehensive solutions. They seem to address several competing concerns at once rather than advancing one narrow interest.
So much of Jewish life happens inside its walls. At its core, though, the shul is where we come together primarily to do two things: to daven and to learn Torah.
By Ben Rothke
Although many of the essays in this volume have appeared previously, readers encountering them for the first time will find Angel to be a writer of considerable depth, sophistication, and clarity.
The illustrations are soaked in traditional Jewish teachings – everything from representing the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden as a type of fig to capturing the ark-riding adventure of Og, King of Bashan.
For seven days a person makes the sukkah his keva and his house arai. Meals move outside. So do learning, conversation, sitting around, and, when weather and circumstances allow, sleeping. That is an unusual form for a mitzvah.
A well-meaning relative may ask, “So, are you dating anyone?” Another guest might follow up with, “Have you tried this shadchan?” Before long, a simple holiday meal can feel like an interview. While these questions are usually asked with good intentions, they can still be uncomfortable.
“You shall take for yourselves (lachem) on the first day…” that on the first day a person cannot fulfill the mitzvah with a borrowed set of four minim, only with a set that is granted to him as a gift (Sukkah 41a-b; O.C. 658:3).
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"What amazes me is that there are also travelers in the middle of their journey who don’t always realize that it’s Sukkot. But the moment they see us and remember, they get excited."
Trends in Ashkenazi naming conventions tell this story of eastward migration, as even when Ashkenazi Jews settled in Eastern Europe (in areas like Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania), their names often point back to their origins in Western Europe – particularly in Germany.
For anyone accustomed to seeing Rashi printed on virtually every page of a modern Chumash, it is difficult to appreciate just how extraordinary these leaves are.
By Adina Broder
Hashem was teaching Yonah that forgiveness is not based on justice, but rather on compassion. Justice looks to what you deserve according to your past actions.
Rambam: “I regret it and I am ashamed of my deeds.” Two verbs, not one. Regret is a judgment about the act. Shame is a feeling about the self.
When you state a person is “born that way,” it reduces moral accountability, which, for whatever reason, is a trend today that is highly destructive.
For those who have climbed the ladder of spirituality and find themselves closer in devotion to heaven than to earth, the harsh word Va’adabera is not an alienating phrase. That the good life as we know it can devolve into a life of misery, if we ignore the Torah, is a fact not a threat.
The Torah is poetically called a shira, a song. In the context of the mitzva to write a Sefer Torah, the word shira refers to the whole Torah.
Mitzmann divides the book into twelve chapters corresponding to the Hebrew months of the year, skillfully weaving together how the spiritual lessons contained within the Jewish holidays helped her radically alter and reestablish her relationship with Hashem and reclaim her mental health.
October 30, 2026 
