יום ראשון, י״ז אלול תשפ״וSunday, August 30, 2026
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Raskin, like the academics who made anti-Zionism (indistinguishable from antisemitism) the new orthodoxy throughout American education and culture, thinks colleges and universities should be free to create hostile environments for Jews on their campuses.
Historically, community leaders and rabbis were appointed locally through an elective process or, quite often, inherited roles. In the Ottoman Empire, however, rabbinic appointments were managed via Istanbul and required the approval of the imperial government.
There is a rabbinic requirement that one must go into Shabbos with the attitude that all his business matters are complete and taken care of (Rashi on Shemos 20:9, quoting Mechilta).
Rav Soloveitchik noted that the number of aliyot relates directly to kedushat hayom – namely, the greater the sanctity of the day, the more aliyot are required.
It is all about giving. G-d is giving you the land and you are giving Him its first fruits. That sets the tone of life, the purpose of creation.
The bikkurim ritual is so central to Jewish spirituality, and the Sages were so concerned about it losing its flavor in exile, that they wrote it into the liturgy of the Pesach Seder.
G-d has repeatedly told us in the Torah what He wants of us. What He requires of us. And that should be enough for us to comply. But obviously, it isn’t enough.
More than a professional rabbinic convention, the two-day gathering became a frank discussion about the challenges of leading a Sephardic community today and how to preserve the Sephardic mesorah as a living tradition.
By Alan Zeitlin
Stoudemire said that his interest in Torah was private for many years. “At the end of it all, I wanted to go back to a place where I had a special connection to. I was learning for 20 years prior – secretly, I was learning Torah,” he said.
In retrospect, it is hard to understand why anyone would think that Israel would not act to derail Turkey’s plans by any means necessary, given that they are so inimical to Israel’s security interests and so provocative.
Someone eats the forbidden cheeseburger and later says, “It was not worth it.” That is something. But what exactly was not worth it? The price? The guilt? The indigestion? The disappointment? If so, then the regret still revolves around the person’s own experience.
Rav Mordechai Eliyahu was born in Jerusalem in 1929, the son of a leading kabbalist. At just 28, he became the youngest member ever to serve as a judge in the Israeli rabbinical courts – an early recognition of his remarkable scholarship.
It is always challenging to assess our own growth. Our evil inclination within us minimizes our accomplishments and highlights our deficiencies, making us feel woefully inadequate and feel like failures.
I’m certainly willing to have the case adjudicated in beis din, Mr. Sorscher said, but I now live in another city. I shouldn’t have to travel back just to explain to you why I don’t have to pay. We can adjudicate in my local beis din.
Belkin did not “found” Yeshiva University in the literal sense – the institution’s roots predated his presidency by decades – but he was the architect of its transformation into a university in the modern sense.
An Israeli artificial intelligence startup that was valued at about $4 billion only three months ago is now reportedly on the verge of being acquired for roughly $7 billion by Anthropic, the American company behind the Claude AI chatbot. The potential acquisition of Decart would be one of the largest-ever purchases of an Israeli technology […]
By Arnold Fine
I’ll never forget how Mama said “Ah broch tsu mir” and clapped her hands to her face when she saw my sister wearing lipstick for the first time. This really seemed like a catastrophe. Who knew where it would lead?
By Mendi Glik
It wasn’t until around age 36 that he decided to pursue a professional music career, spurred on by his older children.
May Hashem protect you, and may your heart rejoice, and may the Satan, Heaven forbid, have no dominion over the works of your hands. May the pleasantness of Hashem be upon you, and may He send your help from the Sanctuary.
Just as Hashem promised never to destroy the world with another flood, so He promised never again to exile Israel after He has returned them.
Each Rosh Hashanah we beseech G-d to show us clemency and not throw the book at us. We will be in a much better position to ask for this treatment from G-d, if we did not throw the book at others.
For families dealing with significant financial pressure from tuition, simchas, or other obligations, a reliable used car purchased with a manageable loan is usually the safest choice while preserving more cash for other priorities.
By Avi Ciment
You met some pretty amazing people in your career. From Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Ed Koch, Simon Wiesenthal, Yitzchak Rabin, Shamir, Ariel Sharon, Menachem Begin, Bibi and Bill Clinton. Who impressed you the most?
By Rabbi Yehuda L. Oppenheimer
None of us has access to the Ribbono Shel Olam’s accounting, and people who confidently assign reasons for suffering generally reveal more about themselves than about the ways of Hashem.
In fact, the mayor’s statement was not only a robotic recitation of political talking points, which it most certainly was, but it also contributed to the problem.
For decades, advocates of the so-called two-state solution have maintained that any new Palestinian state would be demilitarized. The phrase is reassuring – and hollow.
Every speaker, friend, and relative apologized for not having understood how much Will had been suffering, for not having been able to console him or to help him find the help that he needed.
By Jessica Russak-Hoffman and Menachem Wecker - JNS
Muslims are estimated to make up about 1% of Americans, suggesting that in 2025, a Jewish American was about 190% likelier than a Muslim American to be the target of a hate crime.
By Jessica Russak-Hoffman - JNS
“Of all the things left for Shlock Rock to do, this was one of them,” lead singer Lenny Solomon told JNS.
Somehow, American consumer culture, combined with the suburban lifestyle and affordances, has led to a culture of accumulation.
By Jack Simony
Why Jews hear certain political arguments differently and what political leaders can learn from it.
By Yigal Gross
I am a Zionist because I believe history and geography are inextricably linked. Jewish history did not simply happen to occur in the Land of Israel; it unfolded because of it.
Though Lysov faces a stacked draw anchored by international superstars Tokito Oda and Alfie Hewett, his direct qualification underscores his steady rise on the world stage and guarantees a strong Israeli presence in the main draw.
While there are no Israeli players featured on either the Men’s or Women’s entry or qualifying lists this summer, four prominent international players on the official entry lists share Jewish heritage
It will rain in Israel only if we acknowledge the source of rain, like Adam HaRishon who understood that he had to pray for rain before it would come down (Rashi, Bereishis 2:6). The price we pay for rain is adherence to justice.
Led by internationally recognized presenters, participants explored research-based strategies that strengthen thinking, boost problem-solving, and increase cognitive development.
This conflict can only be resolved if the parties directly involved engage in appropriate, honest, and very difficult dialogue, which at the moment doesn’t seem likely.
By Tom Czitron
Global capital that ignored Israel for years is starting to take it seriously as a market, not a charity case. That’s a different kind of commitment than what most of us have given Israel in the past.
For a brief period – a mere 30 days – the King of kings comes out to offer each of us a personal invitation to embark on a new journey together.
It does not reject galus. It recognizes that this particular galus is a constitutional democracy that gives religious minorities lawful tools to protect themselves.
On August 6, one day after Ohel was chosen as the successful bidder, a group of Camp Lavi parents obtained counsel and filed an objection to the sale of the camp to Ohel.
The impetus for the society’s creation reportedly stemmed from both a desire for camaraderie among Jewish officers and the need to foster religious solidarity and mutual support at a time when Jewish law enforcement personnel were a distinct minority in the department.
When large companies approached him with sales opportunities that would have eclipsed his existing business, he turned them down. Selling to them would make him beholden to them, and over time it would cost him his independence; they would become too important to lose.
Financial transparency, whether a couple reviewing their numbers monthly or a family being honest with a tuition committee, is not a secular add-on to Jewish life. It is closer to the Torah's own standard.
The printed volumes that established his reputation, however, present only the public face of the man. This notebook opens an altogether different window, revealing the private workshop of one of nineteenth-century Jewry's greatest scholars.
What G-d gives us will not lead us astray. But what we grab for ourselves might spoil us.
Sefas Emes answers that since Shabbos is enacted by Hashem alone, it has less influence over a person than mitzvos that he partners in.
By Arnold Fine
Can you remember the really big, important “firsts” in your life?
As I am sure most readers know, when we bentch Rosh Chodesh, the molad of the coming month is announced. But how does that work?
One of the great strengths of this series is that it succeeds with very different audiences.
Question:: Why are people allowed to establish a new synagogue when there is already one in operation in a neighborhood, and available funds are already overtaxed? Joel Grosz Via Email
By Marc Gronich
Lawler is in the political battle of his life. And flipping his seat could mean the end of Republican control in the House of Representatives.
If the events in this world emanate from the mazalos, how can we reconcile the fact that they foretold that Avraham would not have children?
By the report’s reckoning, well over two million Israelis live within a single October 7 radius of a military force that isn’t supposed to exist. And that is only the threat on which the report focuses.
What unfolds throughout the correspondence is far more than a simple exchange of ideas. Rather, the letters reveal the extraordinary scholarly discipline with which Rabbi Kahana approached every aspect of the project.
By Moshe Gantz and Joseph Miller
A knowledgeable STaM professional should welcome your questions. They should be happy to explain the ksav, the sofer, the quality of the klaf, the inspection process, and the differences between the various levels of hiddur.
By Mendi Glik
They take the music very seriously, but don’t take themselves too seriously.
From the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, this essay uncovers surprising parallels between America's most beloved fairy tale and the Jewish journey through exile, identity, and redemption.
By Ava Schwartz
The shul mentors are handpicked, trained, and professionally supported so they can accompany and support boys and girls who would otherwise sit alone or simply stay home.
'Do not abandon the Torah of your mother' teaches that alongside striving for lofty ideals, a person must also practice wisdom, balance, and self-care.
By Yigal Gross
We have gotten remarkably good at playing defense. And we have mistaken that skill for advocacy.
The listening we have to do is to the echoes of the footsteps of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, who left their imprint in the sands of time, as recorded in the words of the Torah.
Three thousand years before behavioral economists began publishing papers on sudden wealth syndrome, the Torah was already treating this question as a serious concern.
Israel – a Jewish state standing alone in a sea of nations that would erase it – is not the crime you make it out to be. It is what a people builds when it refuses to disappear.
When Zohran Mamdani won the mayoralty, many New Yorkers who had not voted for him responded with a shrug. He had won – but how much difference could one mayor really make? More than a half-year into his administration, the answer is clear: a great deal. Far from an ideological curiosity confined to City Hall, […]
Stories like that of Yunes remind us that even amid unimaginable evil, even within the story of a murderous rampage, extraordinary goodness still exists.
The race for New York's 12th Congressional District is about more than party politics. It is a choice about whether one of America's largest Jewish communities will have a representative who will stand unequivocally against antisemitism.
The greatest factor affecting long-term growth is not the government's initial $1,000 contribution. It is consistent annual family contributions.
By Aryeh Werth
“[T]his is what happens when the sitting Mayor of New York City actively demonizes Jewish residents and normalizes antisemitism…” – GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bruce Blakeman
By Avi Woolf
Morning prayer services cannot begin until after sunrise, making it impossible for people to attend prayer services and get to work and school on time.
The Jewish holidays – every one of them – are inextricably bound to Jerusalem and its Holy Temple.
People don’t generally erupt in cheers at the end of a brit milah. But after such a long journey, what else could we do other than join in a round of communal elation?
An hour in which nothing has to be managed, where the worst of it can be said out loud and the person hearing it neither flinches nor leaves, does something no technique accounts for.
What do Communists, Nazis, and Islamists have in common?... They agree on almost nothing else. Their creeds of race, religion, and government are mutually exclusive. Yet all three share an aim: Israel's annihilation.
Most of this obscenity has taken place in Labour controlled towns. That party, in thrall to Muslim voters, has been most energetic in trying to cover the evil up.
Other cultures have imitated and adopted versions of circumcision and Sabbath observance. But tefillin have remained exclusive to us, uncopied by any other religion.
By Avi Woolf
I wanted to make the actual Churban relatable to people... We have a G-d who is longing to be home with His children, and He doesn't have a home.
Through Chassidic teachings and timeless wisdom, this essay reveals how even our deepest collective pain can inspire healing, unity, and hope.
By Dr. Jon Lamm
The Nazis fought for total extermination... Therefore, to honor and to remember, to love and nurture, to daven and learn Torah, and to celebrate with Am Yisrael in our very own Eretz Yisrael is the ultimate act of defiance.
By Adina Broder
The antidote to the loneliness of 'Eicha yashva vadad' begins by making certain that no Jew ever feels 'Eicha esa levadi.'
By Alan Zeitlin
Claims that Jews control FIFA all rely on the same idea: that Jewish people are the secret master manipulators of the world.
By Mendi Glik
Borzutzky came to Israel to study at the Rimon School of Music in Israel – where, of all places, he discovered the Jewish spark buried deep within him. Since then, he has made aliyah, fully returned to his roots, and started a family.
The most famous of Rabbi Shimon’s opinions is that he will infer the implied logical reason for a commandment, and then use that reason to allow for exceptions when it runs against the apparent logic.
Ramban acknowledges the practice, but he doesn’t concur that it is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, he states that the idea of escalating difficult matters to higher courts is a praiseworthy practice which confers honor on the law.
Over generations, the demands of the type of crop became the character of the people. Talhelm calls it the rice theory of culture: what people do for a living quietly shapes what a society values. And it persists.
The episode is not an isolated procedural lapse. It reflects a deeper assumption that runs through the National Institutions: that "Diaspora Jewry" holds one set of views, and that the institutions may speak in its name accordingly.
He is also toying with the concept of including an event plan board where users can make checklists and invite others to view their vendors and add their personal notes and comments.
If more experienced rabbis make aliyah, communities and institutions need to invest more seriously in developing the next generation of rabbinic leaders.
By Marc Gronich
New Measures to Address Gun Violence in N.Y. The past several weeks have been particularly busy in government and politics. Two examples: June saw the celebration of Dairy Month and Gun Violence Awareness Month, even though state residents are well aware that gun violence is on the rise in the state. Dairy Month was celebrated […]
A total approaching $5,000 is certainly at the upper end of the spectrum, but it is not unheard of in communities where certain brands and accessories have become an unofficial standard.
This structure shapes the incentives of the Torah heirs. If they accept the distribution outlined in the civil will, the obligation is waived and the estate is divided accordingly.
These days the show regularly traffics in the genocide-hoax. Not by Lehrer himself, who hastens to add that proponents of Israel disagree with that labeling, but by very many of his guests.
Ever since the Hamas-led October 7 terrorist invasion of southern Israel, the use of Holocaust inversion by enemies of Israel went from being used only by pariahs to becoming chic.
When parents seek an intensive Jewish education for their children, we hand them a tuition bill that can exceed the cost of college. Something is wrong with this picture.
By Chaim Saiman
I was initially perplexed as to why the specific location loomed so large; surely Humboldt has many suitable lecture halls. But the significance of Humboldt’s elegant nineteenth-century Senate House became clear as I was being introduced at the event.
By Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” according to his office.
From the land mines and border infiltrations of the 1950s, to the suicide bombings of the 2000s, to the slaughter of October 7, 2023, Palestinian Arab terrorism has made a deliberate science of murdering civilians.
It is impossible to look honestly at such sacrifice and claim that military service and greatness in Torah are incompatible.
Political extremism rarely emerges in a vacuum. People turn to radical solutions after years of watching institutions disappoint them and their economic opportunities grow increasingly out of reach.
Israel already existed when that vote was taken. Not yet as a sovereign state – that would come the following May – but as the living substance of a nation: its land, its cities, its farms, its schools, its university, its courts, and its militia and underground armies.
August 28, 2026 
