The Farhud
These anti-British forces formed a pro-German government, winning the support of the Iraqi Army and administration. They had hoped that an Axis victory in the war would facilitate independence for Iraq.
The Architecture Of Holiness
The famous Butterfly Effect – the beating of a butterfly’s wing somewhere may cause a tsunami elsewhere, thousands of miles away – tells us that small actions can have large consequences. That is the message the Tabernacle was intended to convey.
The Status Of A Fetus In Halacha (Part XII)
As we have previously mentioned, Rav Moshe Feinstein holds that a fetus is a full nefesh, and even though one is not chayiv missah for aborting a fetus, it still violates the issur of retzicha.
How To Taste The Sweetness Of Torah Study
It is a known fact that the yetzer hara, the evil inclination, is selective about which areas he strives to get us to stray. For example, the relationship he tries the hardest to wreck is the one we have with our spouse.
Fantasy Or Reality: The Ultimate Challenge
When you wake up each morning, the day holds infinite potential. You have the time to do anything, go anywhere, meet anyone, etc. But that’s only potential, for in reality, you haven’t done anything yet, and in reality, you can’t do everything, only something.
My Father
Several minutes after entering the hospital room, my father gave a tremor that sent them running for help from the nurse's station. The nurse called the doctor. The doctor told them that my father's systems were closing down, hinting that perhaps the respirator plug should already be pulled.
Airplane Mode While on the Ground
While the proliferation of technology and the distraction that comes with it is fairly recent, the struggle with being fully present is not a new phenomenon. Ask HaShem
COVENANT & CONVERSATION: The Slow End of Slavery
So slavery is to be abolished, but it is a fundamental principle of God’s relationship with us that he does not force us to change faster than is possible of our own freewill.
Shabbos: A Taste Of The World To Come
When we consider whether or not someone is an observant Jew, we usually ask whether he or she is shomer Shabbos. Why is this the defining feature of religious observance? What makes Shabbos a root mitzvah, why is its punishment so severe, and why do we see it as the measuring stick for all of Torah observance? What is the secret of Shabbos?
Acronyms As Surnames
Just as acronyms serve modern convenience, they also hold a unique place in Jewish history and culture, where many family names actually derive from meaningful acronyms. These surnames serve as more than mere identifiers.
Seltzer And Sensible Shoes
When walking down a sunny Jerusalem street with my father, he would attach clip-on sunglasses to his bifocals. When we would walk into an office or store, he would just flip them up so that he could let in the light. Perfectly practical and reasonable.
The Status Of A Fetus In Halacha (Part XI)
Why should the fact that the rodef is liable to be killed during his act of attempted murder affect whether or not he is chayiv to pay back the monetary damage he caused?
The Custom That Refused To Die
The custom of including the Ten Commandments as part of the Shema was once widespread, but from a certain point in time it was systematically opposed by the Sages. Why did they object to it?
A Tzaddik Falls Seven Times And Rises
Most of humanity lies somewhere along the middle of the spectrum. Our point of free will is located in the decision sphere of whether or not to gossip, to hit snooze, to give charity, to smile, to eat right, etc. These are the battles of inches; sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose.
Sparkling Floors
I was fed up. I had this useless machine taking up space for no reason. I had an ultimatum in my mind that if by chodesh Elul there was no solution, I would bring the machine to my daughter’s house and it could take up space in their home.
Covenant & Conversation: Parshat Beshallach: Music, Language of the Soul
What is the place of song in Judaism?
The Status Of A Fetus in Halacha (Part X)
There is a general principle that when one sees someone in the act of violating an aveirah, the witness should warn them before the aveirah takes place. Why then, in the case of rodef, does the Gemara say that hasra’ah is not required?
Flying To Falling: The Raging Battle Within Us All
Cheit ha’egel, the sin of the golden calf, is perhaps the most infamous event in the Torah, a sin compared to the original sin of Adam HaRishon and one that has repercussions throughout Jewish history. Yet, what is most striking about this sin is not the act itself but its timing.
Rebuilding from the Ruins
Israel was on the brink of war and Yehudit served in the Haganah as a medic. She would have liked to have become a nurse but that was impossible in her circumstances.
A Tragic East Side Story
According to the Museum of the City of New York, a garment worker in 1905 was expected to sew at a rate twice that of her 1900 counterpart. The factories had scant safety or fire protection, mandated a 65-hour work week, and expected workers to provide their own basic materials such as needles and thread.
The Necessity of Asking Questions
Judaism is not a religion of blind obedience. Indeed, astonishingly in a religion of 613 commandments, there is no Hebrew word that means to obey.
Why Strive For Greatness? (Part II)
Had Hashem created us in Olam Haba, the goodness we would have received would have been free, unearned. This is the type of perfection that malachim enjoy. However, this is not the ultimate enjoyment.
Grandfather Knows Best
The turmoil called everyday life whisked me along and before I knew it my children’s children were in that unrelenting ride of shidduchim. It was time for us to take a step back and allow our children to move into the driver seat, but once having driven down the road one’s antennas are ever sensitive for signs of new possibilities.
The Status Of A Fetus In Halacha (Part IX)
Even a katan has enough da'as to qualify as a rodef; by engaging in this type of act, the katan shows that he has at least some form of da'as.
Freedom And Truth
Outside the promised land Jews in the biblical age are in danger if they tell the truth. They are at constant risk of being killed or at best enslaved.
Why Strive For Greatness?
Hashem was internally good, but He was not actively expressing this goodness by giving or doing good unto others. Hashem chose to express His capacity for doing good unto others by creating man, upon whom Hashem would bestow the ultimate goodness.
When You Think You Are Alone – You Are Not
I was terrified of the fall that seemed inevitable. Suddenly I felt my hands holding onto a handle which I had not seen before. Now holding onto the handle I was able to steady myself. The crisis was over. Days later I thought that Hashem put my hands on that handle.
The Status Of A Fetus In Halacha (Part VIII)
Another fundamental nafka minah is whether one needs to have kavanah (intent) in order to be categorized as a rodef.
Who Am I?
Consider, now, the choices Moses faced in his life. On the one hand he could have lived as a prince of Egypt, in luxury and at ease. That might have been his fate had he not intervened.
From Loneliness To Oneness: The Endless Expansion Of Self
The Torah describes the voluntary gifts that the Jewish people donate toward the building of the Mishkan, the place where Hashem was most potently manifest in the physical world. The emphasis of these donations is their voluntary nature – Hashem commands Moshe to collect from Klal Yisrael whatever their hearts inspire them to give.
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