יום שבת, ו׳ חשוון תשפ״זSaturday, October 17, 2026
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The question still remains on how to reconcile all of the different drashos that are derived from this pasuk.
The multitudes among them experienced a desire for meat and wept.
By Naama Klein
Our son-in-law e-mailed tickets for us to print out and bring along to allow us admittance. Simple enough.
Question: A number of synagogues feature bar mitzvah celebrations for elderly Jews. Is this proper?
One who loves can buy a factory-made knick-knack for his partner, but a personal hand-made gift is infinitely more precious.
Life is what you make of it. And if our lives are defined by Torah, then these weeks of Sefira are all about making the most of it.
The 49 days between Passover and Shavou'ot are dedicated to enhancing one's behavior, following in the footsteps of the Jews, who forged/enhanced their own national character during the 40 years in the desert.
The Shulchan Aruch notes that a priest who is in mourning for one of the seven close relatives does not bless the people during the Shiva period.
Generally there is an issur de’oraisa to erase Hashem’s name, but here the Torah explicitly permits it.
Question: I recently returned from a trip abroad and wanted to say HaGomel. When I mentioned this to the officers of my synagogue, however, they told me – as per the instructions of the synagogue’s rabbi – that I would have to wait until Shabbos to do so. I was not given any reason for this and did not wish to display my ignorance, so I quietly acquiesced. Can you please explain why I had to wait? Name Withheld (Via E-Mail)
"I have no doubt you should pay the full value of the repair," replied Zvi, "but I'm willing to ask Rabbi Dayan how much you owe."
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Sanctified For Now And Thereafter ‘In Front of the Sun or Behind It?’ (Rosh Hashana 23b)
Why can’t a man just admit it is wrong to steal but he wants to do it anyway?
Is parsha Naso teaching us how we should treat our children?
From this decree on, the two days of Rosh Hashanah, unlike the two days of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, were no longer celebrated out of doubt but out of certainty.
Hashem understood their complaint and therefore selected the ritual mitzvah of sukkah to test them.
By dvora
“Daddy,” I exclaimed, “Is this how you daven?” Daddy’s response was a hearty laugh. I felt so proud of myself.
May we feel the pain of what is happening in Israel not merely as members of the Jewish nation but as members of our own family.
Saying “thank you” to people to whom we are indebted is humbling – especially if we’ve been raised in a culture of entitlement.
By Rachel Weiss
The girl who had remarkably survived the accident had previously not led a religious lifestyle - which unsurprisingly changed after this event.
Separating fun from happiness can liberate, regarding (a) time, (b) money and (c) jealousy.
Why did we merit exiting the gas chamber alive when so many others did not?
Question: Why is Shavuot celebrated as a two-day Yom Tov?
Only mitzvos that are clearly stated in the pasuk may be counted as one of the 613 mitzvos.
One of the quirks of human nature is that the average person assumes he is smarter than the average person.
"Why are we allowed to read the magazine without paying for it?" asked Mr. Schreiber. "Shouldn't there be at least a mitzvah of hashavat aveidah?"
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
An Art Collector’s Dilemma! ‘Rabban Gamaliel Had The Form Of Various Moon Shapes…’ (Rosh Hashanah 24a)
Question: I recently returned from a trip abroad and wanted to say HaGomel. When I mentioned this to the officers of my synagogue, however, they told me that I would have to wait until Shabbos to do so. I was not given any reason for this and did not wish to display my ignorance, so I quietly acquiesced. Can you please explain why I had to wait? Name Withheld (Via E-Mail)
Without Joseph laying the foundation for them in Egypt, they never would have survived the exile spiritually intact.
Rabbi Fohrman gives us insight into what it truly means to be a teacher.
To his very last day he struggled to transcend his pain so that he might impart Torah to all who visited him.
Evaluating forces us to consider the gift of every moment we have.
The question begs: how in the world can we accept that Bnei Yisrael en masse did not ever keep the mitzvah of shemittah?
"Hillel's name was omitted from the raffle," Mr. Simon said to Rabbi Dayan. "The winner is willing to settle with him, but another participant wants to invalidate the lottery entirely. Must it be redone?"
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Appreciating His Infinite Mercy ‘I Am He Before The Person Sins…’ (Rosh Hashanah 17b)
When Hashem created man, He took these two diverse segments and mixed them together, creating a new synthesis called man.
Question: I have two questions regarding Pirkei Avot. First, is there a specific reason that the last chapter is read on the Sabbath before Shavuot, or is this just a quirk of the calendar? Second, in that last chapter we find a list of qualities that enable one to acquire Torah knowledge, including anavah, humility. I find this difficult to believe in light of the Gemara in Gittin that chastises one of the scholars for his anavah, saying that it ultimately caused the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. Zvi Kirschner (Via E-Mail)
Why distinguish between parts of the Torah to say that this part came from pi Hagevurah while the other part came from pi Moshe?
G-d gave us our ammunition. Torah, prayer, and loving kindness are our most powerful weapons.
In this week's parsha a stark choice is presented: follow God and live, or abandon Him and die.
We should remember not only the difficult moments of life but also the blessings we too often take for granted.
Question: Can one fulfill the mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer via shome’a k’oneh (listening to someone else say the necessary words without saying anything oneself)?
By dvora
She always had a smile, and put her best foot forward – as hard as that might have been.
And yet, the Gemara in Megillah clearly states that the halacha about the tochacha only applies to the tochacha in Vayikra, not to the tochacha in Devarim.
It is one thing to do a chesed for someone one time or when it is convenient. But for a person to go a few hours out of his way every year for a stranger demonstrates incredible selflessness.
Eretz Yisroel's resting during the shmittah year proclaims Hashem as the Creator of the world just as Shabbos does, for the init of time - seven - is solely connected to the creation of the world.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Hillel’s Innovation ‘The Second Month Of Solomon’s Rule’ (Rosh Hashanah 2b)
Question: I have two questions regarding Pirkei Avot. First, is there a specific reason that the last chapter is read on the Sabbath before Shavuot, or is this just a quirk of the calendar? Second, in that last chapter we find a list of qualities that enable one to acquire Torah knowledge, including anavah, humility. I find this difficult to believe in light of the Gemara in Gittin that chastises one of the scholars for his anavah, saying that it ultimately caused the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. Zvi Kirschner (Via E-Mail)
Sometimes, we even force people not to act this way but to let others benefit.
The Torah is teaching us that even a mature adult faced with a difficult trial will be greatly influenced by what others are doing.
By Naama Klein
In fact, if the Mother of the Year Award featured a category for best worrier, I would be a major contender.
The Minchas Chinuch first suggests that the obligation to be mafkir one’s produce may not be a time-sensitive mitzvah.
What does it mean, conceptually, to see Shabbat in different worlds?
Painful stories of non-observant Jews mocking and attacking their religion and their religious brethren were all too commonplace.
Let us resolve to connect ourselves powerfully to Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem.
The more we are aware of Hashem's involvement in our lives, the more we will act accordingly.
Parshas Emor appears to be as diverse as a parsha can be.
Question: Is it permissible for kohanim to bless Jews outside the context of Birkat Kohanim?
Question: I have two questions regarding Pirkei Avot. First, is there a specific reason that the last chapter is read on the Sabbath before Shavuot, or is this just a quirk of the calendar? Second, in that last chapter we find a list of qualities that enable one to acquire Torah knowledge, including anavah, humility. I find this difficult to believe in light of the Gemara in Gittin that chastises one of the scholars for his anavah, saying that it ultimately caused the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. Zvi Kirschner (Via E-Mail)
The more a person focuses on his purpose in the world, the more he values the Torah.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Woman’s Oneg Yom Tov ‘You Shall Call The Shabbos A Delight’ (Beitzah 34b)
One difference between these two approaches is when one is aware that the fetus is a male, i.e. through ultra sound.
Put a coin in the Meir Baal Haness box every day and ask Reb Meir Baal Haness to find the lost kallah,” Ella told me.
He flipped through the pages, looking for some identification. "Absolutely no marks; it's brand new," Yosef said. "Since there are no identifying marks, the item is hefker [ownerless] and can be taken; I'm taking it for myself."
Offering korbanos is not a substitute to living a proper life.
The Omer period is the ultimate completion of the completion, the holiest of the holiest.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
God’s “name” is therefore His standing in the world. Do people acknowledge Him, respect Him, honor Him?
Yet the windows of Pesach are crucial. Through them we can see our bitter exile.
Rabbi Fohrman makes a fascinating argument about how Shabbat works and shows that there are shabbatot in different realms.
Room613 combines the best of all worlds.
Question: I have two questions regarding Pirkei Avot. First, is there a specific reason that the last chapter is read on the Sabbath before Shavuot, or is this just a quirk of the calendar? Second, in that last chapter we find a list of qualities that enable one to acquire Torah knowledge, including anavah, humility. I find this difficult to believe in light of the Gemara in Gittin that chastises one of the scholars for his anavah, saying that it ultimately caused the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. Zvi Kirschner (Via E-Mail)
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Altered States ‘Examining A Bechor Is Not The Same’ (Beizah 27a)
"I just picked up a case of tuna at the supermarket up the block, three for $2," Mrs. Cooper said. "You may want to buy the tuna there."
Because the Torah requires one to count “seven complete weeks” one should count at the beginning of the day, which in Jewish law begins on the preceding night.
To properly fulfill the mitzvah of tochachah, there are two absolute requirements. The first relates to attitude, the second to method.
Question: Is the name Basha a derivative or nickname of another name?
Is telling someone to transgress a rabbinic prohibition not considered bad advice?
People expectantly go through their lives awaiting the event that will make them happy.
In disbelief the doctors said it was not their doing but rather a true miracle that such a choleh could survive this illness.
The challenge of death is to keep the person who has died alive in spirit.
By dvora
I vowed that when I would grow up, I would speak Yiddish to my kinderlach and I would move to “a place called Crown Heights.”
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The very act of learning in rabbinic Judaism is conceived as active debate, a kind of gladiatorial contest of the mind.
Rabbi Fohrman explains how the Torah provides the building blocks of true love.
By dvora
Amazingly, each and every blade was green and moist as if it was just freshly cut.
All the commentaries ask why Hashem focuses on the Exodus as opposed to saying, “I am Hashem who created the entire world.”
Someone who focuses only on the bones of the Torah makes his bones dry and passionless.
The following is President Obama's statement on Passover (April 14, 2014). As he has in the past, the President held an official Passover Seder at the White House. Michelle and I send our warmest greetings to all those celebrating Passover in the United States, in Israel, and around the world. On Tuesday, just as we […]
The tendency to rely on human beings rather than G-d has been our curse throughout the centuries.
“Who is wise? One who learns from each person” (Pirkei Avot 4:1)
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
In Judaism, to be without questions is a sign not of faith, but of lack of depth.
"I'll try to help as we can," said Mr. Goodman, "but we already made a special appeal this year. Let me see what other funds we have. I'll be in touch with you in a day or two."
Rashi is bothered by the expression Hashem used: “the Jews need only travel.”
October 16, 2026 
