יום רביעי, ט׳ תמוז תשפ״וWednesday, June 24, 2026
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Lag B’Omer is a remarkable enigma which presents a remarkable opportunity
What Tony Robbins is teaching in the 21st century, Judaism has taught since its inception thousands of years ago.
Wishing everyone a joyous Purim!
Mordechai understood the antidote: To stand firm, to stand strong, and to stand as a proud Jew, a Torah Jew. BE AN ISH YEHUDI, A PROUD JEW!
I am front and center for better or worse. And although I am naturally more comfortable sitting in the crowd than being up front, such is the role Hashem gave me, for better or worse. However, at the aufruf, wedding, and Sheva Brachos, I found myself primarily in a new role.
A bottle of wine is big and heavy, and when you give dozens of mishloach manos to friends and relatives, it can get quite expensive and tedious. Thankfully, the selection of smaller wine bottles and cans has grown tremendously.
By Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit
Why 127 provinces? Well, that’s because Hashem wants to give us all the support and merit we can get. Sarah Emainu lived 127 years and Hashem wanted the merit of Sarah to bolster the efforts of Esther HaMalka who was queen over 127 provinces.
A great thing creates great strengths, however great strengths sometimes create confusion
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
If we continue to live as though God had only commanded us to subdue the Earth, we must be prepared for our children to inherit a seriously degraded planet, with the future of human civilisation put into question.
Asara B’Teves, the 10th of Teves, commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar that ultimately culminated with the First Temple’s destruction on the 9th of Av the following year.
On this day we learn to not only look at tragic events, but also on what led up to them. This is all the more important when talking about the Holocaust
In a sense, then, both Sephardim and Ashkenazim may be said to be following the Rambam.
We as Jews make sure to dream, but also help others dream! We care about the light, but we also care to shine for others!
Ari Fuld uncovers and explores the real miracle and lessons of Chanukah.
Ideally,nthe physical wisdom of the Greeks and Yefes are to reside within the tent of Shem, for science and the wisdom of the world to be in harmony with Torah. The problem occurred when the Greeks tried to destroy the Torah, which contradicted their ideology, and the Jews were forced to fight for their beliefs. This was the battle of Chanukah.
So many of us are caught in the hamster wheel of life--just get off for an instant to savor the moment
The same is true for all spiritual circles. The ideal is not to transcend the circular system, but to uplift it, to transform the circle into a spiral, to find innovative ways of creating newness within the circular system, not beyond it.
As we approach the winter, God wants us to be aware just how temporary our livelihood and security really are, or can become.
For that one day we step out of ourselves and have an “out-of-body experience.” We are no longer part of this world as we know it.
Yom Kippur is considered to be a Super Sabbath (Shabbat Shabbaton in Hebrew) – a soul-searching opportunity for pious and evil people alike.
Our goal as humans is not to escape the physical, but to use it as a means of connecting to the transcendent.
Although one might think that the solution to this problem is to allow one’s child to recite the blessing on one’s lulav with the explicit condition that the child does not acquire the lulav, this is incorrect.
Almost always, the reason we are not willing to forgive offenses against us has almost nothing to do with the offense, and everything to do with it being done to us. Once we can internalize this, we can move to a God’s-eye perspective and forgive others more easily.
The Torah is a song? Torah certainly doesn’t feel like a song. We think of songs as relaxing, easy, accessible. Torah can certainly be that, but Torah is also so much more.
Wishing you a healthy, challenging and rewarding year
May this Shemita year hasten the coming of the Mashiach.; Shana Tova U’Mevurechet
The act of listening is a two-way street. There is the speaker – trying to communicate an emotion or problem – and the listener. What is the role of the listener?
Elul and Rosh Hashanah center around the concept of teshuva, and Parshas Nitzavim is clearly linked to this theme as well. The pesukim in Nitzavim discuss the theme of teshuva, the importance of choosing life - choosing what is right, and connecting ourselves back to Hashem. As Parshas Nitzavim is connected to the transition from Elul into Rosh Hashanah, let us delve into the idea of teshuva.
"The more you draw yourself to G-d, the more you must realize how far you are from Him. When a person believes that he has succeeded in achieving closeness to G-d and understanding of Him, it is a sign that he does not know anything at all." (Likutey Moharan I, 63)
Sometimes “tomorrow” never comes. Sometimes it is too late, but it is never “too soon,” never too early to own up to one’s failings and errors.
The second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred, represented by the fox, which the sages saw emerging from the ruins. With the cunning and guile of a fox, the evil inclination instigates and stimulates baseless hatred, dissent, and strife.
The elites – the Kohanim in the Beit HaMikdash and too many others – in their zealous self-righteousness, religious coercion, and insensitivity to the way they were being perceived by others, contributed to a terrible culture of animosity and hatred.
No laundries, no showers, no swimming, and no pastrami sandwiches. It seems like the big expression during the Nine Days is: "Just say no!" Please allow me, therefore, to change things up a bit. Here is a list of things you can say "yes" to during this period.
By J.D. Gershan
Suggestion: Along with not eating and drinking let us "fast" today from other indulgences...
Ari talks about the holidays of Shavuot and Yom Kippur, the Shofar that connects the two holidays, and the indigenous people of the Land of Israel.
I’m planning to learn and teach the commentary of the Alshich HaKadosh to Megillas Rus. — Rabbi YY Rubinstein, noted author and lecturer
To be honest, I have never met a cheesecake I didn’t like, but over the last few years, I have replaced the vanilla in my cheesecake with bourbon, with fantastic results. It’s a subtle change, but a good one! — Sandy Eller, Monsey, NY
Lag BaOmer marks the date of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's death. So why is it such a celebration?
By Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
Nearly every page of the Torah bursts with passionate descriptions about the beauty of the land.
The author of the book Ronit Treatman, the daughter of Israeli diplomats who speaks several languages and lives in Philadelphia, was inspired to write the book after she became involved with the Bnei Anousim, the tens of millions of people around the world descended from forcibly converted Spanish and Portuguese Jews through the organization Reconectar.
The fact that we can taste something as bitter is an affirmation of how sweet our lives generally are.
Rabbeinu Tam has an ingenious solution for how to have Seudah Shlishit on Erev Pesach: eat matzah ashirah [egg matzah].
The Shulchan Aruch does not even mention the opinion of the Rif and Rambam and states explicitly that the requirement of guarding applies only to the matzah used for the Seder.
The Purim Edition 2021
Purim will essentially mark a full year of living through a pandemic that has radically changed our lives. While we are beyond grateful for the progress with treatments and vaccinations, the return to some sense of normalcy doesn’t seem imminent.
In Mishnaic times, the Megillah was read as early as the 11th of Adar in some towns.
By Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
One can only marvel at the transformation of the landscape described by Mark Twain to that of today and look forward to a future when the native forest species described in the Bible dominate the landscape.
By Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
From almond trees and veganism to ancient languages and Middle Ages sources, Tu B’Shevat is one fascinating festival.
On this day we learn to not only look at tragic events, but also on what led up to them. This is all the more important when talking about the Holocaust
All agree that the Chanukah candles represent insights
By dvora
On December 11, the second day of Chanukah, British troops marched into Jerusalem. British commander and chief, General Edmund Allenby respectfully entered its walls by foot through the Jaffa gate as the city’s thirty-fourth conqueror.
A concise, comprehensive guide to the holiday of Hanukkah.
Through this pleasant and special light, may we merit to continue to illuminate and enlighten ourselves and others, long after Channukah is over
In the past, a question came to mind that had been bothering me regarding Succos. My difficulty was with respect to the Succah itself. I have found that, on the one hand, the Succah has the status of Galus (exile) and Chutz La'eretz (any place outside the Land of Israel), whereas on the other hand the […]
On Sukkot we are told to be joyful, but why should we be more joyful on Sukkot than any other holiday, and what is the message for us today?
Since a sukkah is a diras aray, a temporary structure, we don’t need a reminder of the dwelling place being temporary compared to Olam Habah.
It seems unlikely that even the stringent opinion requires that sukkah walls be completely motionless when a wind blows.
Wishing all a healthy and festive Sukkot
Fascinating insights into Yom Kippur
All of our good deeds should be rooted in this truth that Hashem commanded us and that is why we are doing the mitzvos.
Rosh Hashanah is a seemingly a "deprived holiday." Almost nothing is written about this festival in the Torah, certainly less than about any other festival. Even the shofar is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah in the context of Rosh Hashanah. All that is mentioned is that Rosh Hashana is Yom Teruah - “a day of blasting”, or Zichron Teruah - “a remembrance of blasting”, but nothing more.
May you all have a very Good Shabbos, a Kesiva V’chasima Tova
The Maharil explains that the custom of Tashlich – like many other Rosh Hashanah minhagim – is intended to evoke G-d’s mercy by recalling Akeidat Yitzchak.
Six events occurred on Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av, making it a festive day in the Jewish calendar.
Dare I say that, the fact that we keep the Temple alive 2000 years after its destruction, continue to connect to God even after the Holocaust, and we pray even on this horrible day, INSPIRES God?
In the City of David, the place where Jerusalem began, the evidence of those periods and their tragic end are being revealed, bringing to light all that was lost and the incredible endeavors to reveal and rebuild our beloved and eternal capital.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Here is a short message as we head towards Tisha B'Av and will be marked in strange and difficult circumstances because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
We are taught that only a cry accompanied by joy in our ability to cry to God can open our restraints; The cry must itself be an expression of restrained joy
By Izzy Broker
May we soon celebrate together at a rebuilt Beit HaMikdash.
By Rabbi Ron Yitzchok Eisenman
I daven that this will be the last Shavuos we will be forced to be socially distant from each other. Missing you all and pining to get back home.
Ari talks about the holidays of Shavuot and Yom Kippur, the Shofar that connects the two holidays, and the indigenous people of the Land of Israel.
Our mission is to make this Shavuos the next step in our evolutionary spiral through time. We must not only re-accept what we have already accepted, we must take it to the next level,
Numbers don't tell the full the story
By Guest Author
This year more than ever, the spiritual teachings of Lag B’Omer and unity take on a new relevance when the physical health of our community depends on each other as well. As we dance together but apart this Lag B’Omer
When people asked Rav Goren why he recited Shehecheyanu, he replied with typical sarcasm: "Don't worry, I have a new tie."
By David Suissa
As sundown falls on the holiday of Passover, Sephardic Jews everywhere will celebrate the centuries-old tradition of Mimouna—but this year, things won’t be the same.
By Sandy Eller
I polled my kids to find out what stood out in their minds, hoping that their recollections went beyond a cranky mommy who wasn’t always at her best.
The sign above the doorpost
The Seder celebrates freedom by emphasizing ideas I am not sure we remember, chief among them some unusually relevant this year
I’ll miss my mother’s cooking and my dad’s historical commentary that accompanies reading the Haggadah at the seders.
[Originally posted on RabbiDunner.com] Questions and answers with Rav Hershel Schachter shlit”a, regarding situations arising from the coronavirus crisis. Transcribed by Rabbi Pini Dunner (assisted by Michael Bernstein). This transcript has been approved by Rav Hershel Schachter. With many thanks to Rabbi Marc Dratch of the RCA, who posed the questions to Rav Schachter, and to Rabbi Aryeh Richter for adding the footnotes (see PDF […]
Although righteous women have been accustomed to devoting all their energy to preparing the house for Passover, this year must be different.
Our Purim Supplement for 2020
Rules, halachot, laws and history for Purim. Have a Happy Purim!
Purim is about recognizing the miracles in everyday life and not being afraid to do the right thing.
June 19, 2026 
