יום ראשון, כ׳ תמוז תשפ״וSunday, July 5, 2026
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Question: I’ve noticed in shul that at the conclusion of Shemoneh Esreh some people take three steps back but do not take three steps forward. Is this practice acceptable? Zelig Aronson
Hashem is more concerned for my good than I am. Hashem looks out for my interests more than I do myself.
According to the opening line of the famous song Shoshanas Yaakov, Klal Yisrael was extremely happy when they saw “techeiles Mordechai.” What is “techeiles Mordechai”?
Jews are commanded by the Torah not to deliver a slave into the hands of his owner, and a very small percentage of these people are, indeed, refugees. Though we are responsible for their lives, we do not have to keep them here forever and we do not have to grant them citizenship.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
One passage in this week’s sedrah shows how differences in interpretation can lead to, or flow from, profound differences in culture. Ironically, the subject concerned – abortion – remains deeply contentious to this day.
By Irwin Cohen
I have many memories of him talking to Ralph Branca, who also pitched for the Tigers in the mid-fifties.
As a result of the Arafat scandal, a congressional committee commissioned a study of the museum’s management.
Levy’s historic seafaring career began rather inauspiciously when, at age 10, he ran away from his Philadelphia home to join the trading ship New Jerusalem as a cabin boy, returning to his family for his bar mitzvah at Mikveh Israel, where he read the Torah.
The notion that Jewish critics of Qatar are the ones who have turned it into an enemy is outrageous.
The point is that we can’t behave right when we don’t feel right. And kids can’t behave right when they don’t feel right.
The evening in Rachail Morowitz’s home was deeply moving and left a lasting impression of hope.
By Yaffa Ganz
Like the threads on a loom, the chagim weave a thick, rich tapestry of faith and kedusha.
I knew that there would be many women at this Chanukah party who, like me, were reeling over the news that a friend of ours had been niftar a couple of days earlier from cancer. We were beyond shocked.
At that point, I think I did go into some kind of emotional depression. I lost the way I connected to God. It’s something I didn’t realize I lost until I found it again, living here in Israel.
Rav Belsky was a once-in-a generation individual; a pioneer and an advocate for the entire Jewish people. One’s background, country of origin, or religious affiliation made no difference. He was there for all of us. We mourn him on this, his second yahrzeit
One of the tasks of great Torah leaders is to inspire their students to go out into the Jewish community and fight for the observance of Torah and mitzvos.
The Rambam describes the history of idolatry as beginning with the adulation of God’s creation and culminating in the erection of monuments to celebrate the heavenly hosts.
More eternal wisdom from Rebbetzin Jungreis, a”h. This week considering how to become an agent of chesed (compassion) and rachamim (mercy)-continued from last week.
Mr. Berger called home to see if he left his wallet there by mistake. "I'll check right away," said his wife. She called back two minutes later that the wallet was on his desk.
Exchanging Land? ‘Nor Shall You Show Them Favor’ (Avodah Zarah 20a)
If we can make Hashem's presence even slightly more real to ourselves, it will be a great accomplishment!
By Allen Fagin
However, beneath the surface, behind that veil of stillness and seeming lifelessness, organisms are thriving, and the natural processes are ongoing that will produce the spring rebirth and the fruit of the coming season.
Question: At work, people sometimes argue that the Torah doesn’t regard women highly, only mentioning them in passing, almost begrudgingly at times. They cite, for example, the Torah’s treatment of Serach bat Asher and Yocheved bat Levi. I would appreciate very much if you could provide me with “ammunition” to refute them. Mrs. C. Grosz
Any defendant who denies a claim in its entirety must take the Shevuat Heiset oath of denial.
I decided to unplug my phone before davening to prevent any distractions. Finally after one on the most intense prayers I have ever experienced I went to plug in the phone. It immediately rang.
During this period, Rabbi Malin became especially close to the Brisker Rav, who took a special liking to him.
Anyone who appreciates a mix of football, unique commercials, and Jewish music will be thrilled with our KHS 2018 presentation.
Hashem created those sacs so that there would be another dimension to our enjoyment. The sensation of eating an orange would be different without this feature.
Very often we experience a moment of hisorerus or inspiration in which we immediately develop aspirations to better ourselves.
For those who still dismiss or downplay reports of abuse and say the abuser made a mistake and should be given another chance because he will do teshuvah – repent – the Nassar case proves otherwise.
In the summer of 1798, Napoleon conquered Egypt and, leading an army through the Sinai Peninsula into Eretz Yisrael, took control of Jaffa and commenced a siege of Acre (1799), hoping to provoke a Syrian insurgence against the Ottomans and threaten British rule in India.
By Baruch Adler
The task of imparting the memory of the Holocaust to the next generation is more important than ever. There is really no time to lose, as it is becoming apparent that people in nearly every nation around the world have already forgotten the Holocaust’s crucial lessons about prejudice, intolerance, and hatred.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
By delegating the judicial function downward, Moses would bring ordinary people – with no special prophetic or legal gifts – into the seats of judgment. Precisely because they lacked Moses’s intuitive knowledge of law and justice, they were able to propose equitable solutions.
What will happen if the enemy captures one of these female combat soldiers, G-d forbid? Why can’t we take action to prevent these things from happening instead of reacting after they happen? Why do we have to live the most fearsome nightmares when they can so easily be avoided? Just because the politicians are embarrassed to tell the truth?
Now, 13 year later, after Mr. Obama’s electoral fortunes are no longer a concern, the photo and news of the meeting have surfaced.
Britain was so undermanned and under-armed at this point that a Jewish army of 50,000-100,000 soldiers could have made a significant military impact.
The more I read, the more confused I became. The sefer followed the same order of the Shulchan Aruch, chapter by chapter, but unlike the Shulchan Aruch’s matter-of-fact approach, this sefer included the reason behind each halacha.
The Jewish people's relationship to trees goes way back as far as the Garden of Eden where man's first mitzvah involved a tree. Maybe that's why Jews are so enthusiastic about tree planting.
We often think of technology as the barrier to mindfulness. Gunatillake argues that we need using technology as a tool for mindfulness can actually be helpful, rather than harmful.
Thank G-d, I was sitting by the window when you came in and I was able to save you from sin.
It sounds incongruous to say that Rav Shteinman who reached the advanced age of 104 was taken too soon but in fact it’s true; he was taken far too soon. That the rav was a great Torah scholar is a given. His true greatness, however, was in the humility, kindness, and understanding that animated his wisdom, guidance, and teaching.
Rav Shevach’s senseless murder will not change anything for Palestinian Arabs, who praised it, other than lead to more death; the terrorist who murdered him has already been found and, in the IDF’s lexicon, “neutralized.” The residents of the Balata refugee camp will continue to be “refugees” under the thumb of the PA with the help of the United Nations.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there could be norms and conventions that protected women from unwanted advances by men – and men from unfair accusations by women? Oh wait, there are-- being Shomer Negiah and Shomer Yichud!
By Libi Astaire
With those two words, Pius X summed up the 1,900-year-old “special” relationship between the Jews and the Catholic Church – a tortuous theological and political relationship that would see tremendous changes before the century’s end.
So why sing it? If the second shirah does not add any new ideas or even words, what was its purpose?
More eternal wisdom from Rebbetzin Jungreis, a”h. This week considering how to become an agent of chesed (compassion) and rachamim (mercy)-continued from last week.
What happens if a Diaspora Jew refuses to appear before a Jewish court of law or refuses to honor its judgment?
The difficulty with this Rashi is that he lists all three reasons in same breath as if they are equal, and clearly they aren’t.
Question: Why do we cover the challah when we make Kiddush? Why don’t we cover any other foods on the table? Zelig Aronson
To Have Or To Hold ‘Renting Is Not Owning’ (Avodah Zara 15a)
Such a defense can only be raised at the end of the day because it is based on a migo. The migo is that if the borrower were lying, he could have come up with a better defense.
"It won't be easy to buy another one," said Mrs. Lieber. "It was an odd sale item I found in an antique store. It's not right to give away what I got special for them."
Of course, in our time Eretz Yisrael has begun producing fruits in an enormous abundance. That it has done so despite it being known as a barren desert for millennia is nothing short of an open miracle.
After being checked by a doctor, my father needed to undergo some minor surgery. It was clear to his two children in Israel that my father could no longer live independently.
Inspiring words from from Vice President Pence’s address to the Knesset earlier this week.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The genius of the biblical narrative of the crossing of the Reed Sea is that it does not resolve the issue of whether it was a miracle or merely natural, one way or another. It gives us both perspectives-you decide
In the midst of his writing, he chanced to look down at the dance floor. He noticed that from afar, it seemed like he was witnessing poetry in motion.
It is a beautiful tribute to his memory that their deepest memories are of him learning and teaching Torah. And that truly was his life.
The fifteenth day of the month of Shevat was designated for calculating the age of trees both for harvesting and tithing purposes, and this “Jewish Arbor Day” was celebrated at least as far back as Talmudic times.
“We know from human history and the latest learning science that success comes from the combination of academic knowledge and the ability to work with others…” – Walter Isaacson The Social Skills – Academics Connection There’s a lot of research on the connection between social skills and academic success. In a report in the […]
When did this helpless feeling change for you?
When he was not yet 10 years old, tragedy struck and he lost both his parents. Alone in the world, he was fortunate to have a cousin, Reb David of Tarnow, who took him in.
By Pnina Baim
Make a list of all the things you must do today, number them in order of how much you detest them, and then do the first one on the list first.
By Chef Shaul
As part of a regular diet, they add many nutrients, including lycopene and lots of flavor.
As many of you know, a pair of thick tights and boots paired with a dress/skirt can keep you warm and comfortable – especially if you choose fleece-lined tights or warm leggings to go with your boots.
Open Orthodoxy should close the door behind itself as it exits the Orthodoz Union.
We must struggle to understand, says the Rambam, the greatness and wisdom in the words of Chazal.
A beautiful and inspiring tribute to the Glick family, in memory of Yaffi Glick (Z"l) left this world on Monday, January 1 at age 51.
By Sara Lehmann
Elior Azaria’s abandonment by his military superiors and by Israel’s president was enough to cause the humiliated soldiers in Nabi Salihsoldier to bear the slaps and kicks of a teenage girl rather than defend himself and the honor of Israel.
Moshe Feiglin, leader of the Zehut party, being his candid self.
Israel proactively preventing individuals and organizations promoting BDS should come as a shock to no one, ESPECIALLY to the groups named.
Someone dialed the police. It was too late, though. The thief had already fled the hall and disappeared into the street.
Even if the Egyptians prided themselves on ingenuity and advancements, they had to know they were most likely wrong when it came to accurately knowing when midnight was.
As we have seen, a debtor is not believed if he says he repaid the loan prior to the maturity date.
Don’t Tread On Me ‘If One Consulted A Sage, He May Not Consult Another’ (Avodah Zarah 7a)
For all the good we hopefully do in the world, we often come up lacking; our prayers are distracted, we're a bit short with the beggar, we sometimes slip with our tongues.
July 3, 2026 
