יום שבת, ד׳ כסלו תשפ״זSaturday, November 14, 2026
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It may be suggested that a time frame of separation is mandated to heighten the physical encounter.
The Gemara, in Kiddushin 57b, searches for a source to confirm that the bird that is to be set free is permitted to be eaten after the process is concluded.
while each of us is an individual, we are also part of a larger unit
Without a plan of action, a leader will never be able to lead his followers anywhere, no matter how important the destination or lofty the goal.
A friend of mine recently heard a comment that left him stunned. A colleague told him that his mother, a survivor of Auschwitz, who had recently lost her husband of five decades, told her son, “You should know, being alone is worse than Auschwitz!”
This week's parsha deals with the strange set of laws dealing with tzara'at.
What is the sin of the birthing mother?
Question: Should a Sefer Torah be covered between aliyot?
Many wonder what is the counterpoint for circumcision relative to women.
By Naama Klein
Predictably, my husband agrees and is fine with either night. But after reminding him that he steadily delivers a shiur in his shul on Tuesday nights, he chooses Wednesday, offering a topic related to the Four Sons of Haggadah fame.
Why does the Jewish leap year always consist of two Adars? Why specifically Adar? Menachem (Via E-Mail)
By Rachel Weiss
"Is my husband's Olam Haba'ah really worth the sume of 1,000 ruble?"
If you expect more, you will be less grateful; if you expect less, you will be more grateful.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
What A Difference A Day Makes ‘Rav Rules: First Sukkah, Then Zeman’ (Sukkah 56a)
Whether a month is chaser or maleh makes a crucial difference to our Jewish lives. If, for example, one mistakenly believed the month of Elul was maleh when in fact it was chaser, one might find oneself eating on Yom Kippur and fasting on a weekday. If one mistakenly believed the month of Adar was maleh when in fact it was chaser, one might find oneself eating bread on Pesach.
We should invite divorced people into our homes for Shabbas and Yom tov.
It seems Rashi is saying that had a Jew remained in his house that evening, he would not have been killed, and had he left his house, he might have died – not because he was guilty of any sin, not because he deserved to die, but because once the destroyer is given permission to kill, anyone in his path is in danger.
Man has two possible extremes. If he is worthy, he transcends the rest of creation. However, if he is not worthy he is lower than the mosquito that was created before him.
"Well, I brought over a cake for the simcha," Mrs. Kasner said. She came in and put the cake down on the counter. "Please tell your mother I'd like the serving dish back after Shabbos."
The Gemara (Niddah 31b) states that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was asked why a woman who gives birth must bring a korban.
While our purpose in this world is to use our free will to choose good, to overcome our tests and challenges, part of that choosing should include a deep wish that we wouldn't even have the ability to sin.
Is a shomer aveidah considered a shomer chinam or a shomer sachar?
The ritual of kashrut may help us become more conscious of our responsibilities to live ethical lives.
By Dov Shurin
Boundless love was something Rav Kook had for the nation of Israel. Just as one cannot question the boundless love of Hashem for Israel, one cannot question the boundless love of a Torah giant for his people.
By dvora
I insisted that one decoration, a dancing sevivon (dreidel) man, remain hanging in recognition of the chag. Some in my family questioned the appropriateness of this decision. Was it proper to have decorations hanging in what would soon become a house of shiva?
Why does the Jewish leap year always consist of two Adars? Why specifically Adar? Menachem (Via E-Mail)
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Full Or Abridged? ‘One Is Obligated To Recite Hallel’ (Sukkah 48a)
That second verse in Vayikra (9:23) tells us that Moshe and Aharon entered the Ohel Moed, and upon exiting they jointly blessed the people.
Question: In the Amidah, the phrase “Mashiv HaRuach” concludes in some siddurim with the words “umorid ha’geshem” (with a segol under the gimmel) and in other siddurim with the words “umorid ha’gashem” (with a kamatz under the gimmel). What is the practical difference between these two readings?
"We're hosting a sheva berachos tonight for my niece," Mrs. Kohn replied. "I'm already late! I don't even have a minute to take my projector to the office. Would you mind keeping it overnight in your office?"
To remind us of this, Hashem gave us a permanent reminder of our uniqueness – the mitzvah of milah.
The Ritvah understands that the kosher signs are not just “signs” indicating that a fish is kosher; rather, they are what actually render the fish kosher. This may also be applied to the kosher signs of an animal, but the Ritvah does not indicate this.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
There is much in this episode that is hard to understand, much that has to do with the concept of holiness and the powerful energies it released that, like nuclear power today, could be deadly dangerous if not properly used. But there is also a more human story about two approaches to leadership that still resonates with us today.
I attended the recent Shabboton for frum divorced people and listened to your talk. You gave me hope to go on. I was very despondent when I came and went home considerably more upbeat. It was all due to your focus on “being a blessing.”
When battling Amalek, G-d hides His face and expects man to wage war for his own relevance.
What is the relationship between Purim and Pisces? In what way is Purim related to fish?
The battle on Purim was our war with Amalek; we know that Haman was a descendent of Amalek and we are commanded to annihilate that entire nation.
When Mr. Fine received the translation he was disappointed. The translation was passing, but lacked the power and command of language in other translations he’d seen.
Question: When performing a mitzvah, what is more important: doing it right away – “zerizim” – or doing it with a large crowd – “berov am”?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Lulav, Sukkah, Shofar ‘Beautification is Not an Obstruction’ (Sukkah 37a)
Tosafot (Sanhedrin 12a) offers a scriptural reason: to ensure that Adar will remain the twelfth month, as it is referred to in Megillat Esther (3:7).
The lulav symbolizes the backbone, the etrog, the heart, the hadas the eyes, and the arava the lips moving in the service of God.
The presence of a sacrifice in these covenantal experiences can be looked upon as a celebration of this glorious moment of meeting between God and his people.
Chazal tell us that Moshe functioned in many different capacities. For example, at various times he was considered a king and the equivalent of the Sanhedrin. He was also a kohen gadol, as evidenced by his role during this seven day period.
Born in 1933, Sheldon Adelson was the son of Ukrainian immigrants. His father drove a taxi and his mother ran a knitting shop. He grew up in one of the poorest sections of Boston. But even as a young boy he showed great ambition, first selling newspapers on the street corner, and then running his first business at the age of twelve. He went on to build over fifty businesses, eventually owning the Venetian Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He became a very wealthy man.
So this is what she got herself into: serving chicken soup and getting bits of rent on random days. She couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it, as she was earning both a chesed and a little bit of cash.
If a korban chatas cannot be brought as a nedavah, how can one read the parshah of the korban chatas if he is not certain that he is obligated to bring one?
Rabbi Almosnino’s reading of the Biblical text might be compared with the way a prominent lawyer would read the most important contract of his career.
One can sigh with relief when the divorce is finalized but the heart is full and it aches with pain. Yes, there were conflicts. Yes, there was a cold war that made for a frigid atmosphere in the home. But loneliness is a very difficult thing to bear.
Sometimes, like the tamei individual who must stay away from the Mikdash, we have our limits and disabilities, and we must remember not to attempt those goals which are beyond our reach.
Such a misunderstanding would render our words worthless, for we would not be declaring that Hashem is truly the Master of the Universe.
Welcome the book of Leviticus!
Operating the crane is Joe. Joe is overweight and a chain smoker. Another worker approaches Joe and says, “Joe, look at you! 80 pounds overweight, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. You must do something about your health. Go the gym, work out, and get in shape.”
Why does the Jewish leap year always consist of two Adars? Why specifically Adar? Menachem (Via E-Mail)
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Grafted Esrog ‘Passul When Missing Even a Tiny Bit’ (Sukkah 34b)
The day after Purim, Mordechai Freilich received the mishloach manos package with a note: "This mishloach manos was meant to be delivered on Purim, but delayed due to the storm. Please accept our apologies."
Esther's name, which means “hidden,” reminds us that at the outset she hides her Jewish identity.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Nasi is the generic word for a leader: a ruler, king, judge, elder, or prince. Usually it refers to the holder of political power.
By dvora
He exhorted all of us to continue to reach out to one another each and every day because that is what our tafkid (life’s goal) should be. And because that is what Hashem requires of us.
My ex despises me and is bent on destroying me. He has done everything to torture me.
Rav Akiva Eiger questions why semicha is considered a mitzvas assei she’hazman gramma. While it is true that it must be performed during the daytime, this is not because the semicha per se cannot be performed by night.
Question: When performing a mitzvah, what is more important: doing it right away – “zerizim” – or doing it with a large crowd – “berov am”?
Although the Torah only commands us to pick up the arba minim, the rabbis require that we wave them in all four directions of the compass as well as upward and downward.
Besides the lack of appreciation and understanding on the part of knesset Yisrael, Sefer Vayikra has been derided and held in contempt by the nations of the world and other religions.
Even if he has committed sins that warrant his rejection from the community, he is never rejected by G-d.
Like Dempsey and Gates, leaders must always be cognizant of the costs involved in their decisions – even when the costs are less than human life
How do the pieces of this puzzle come together to help us understand how the Torah builds together?
Pekudei is the Hebrew word for reckoning. One way of understanding the meaning of a word in the Torah is to analyze the first time it is found.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The account of the construction of the Tabernacle in Vayakhel-Pekudei is built around the number seven.
The Torah tells us that ancient Egypt had 49 levels of contaminating impurities and Hashem wanted us out before the fiftieth would become viral.
Question: How much time may lapse between Kiddush and the meal?
Is a shomer aveidah considered a shomer chinam or a shomer sachar?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
The Flighty Customer ‘Scribes…Are Exempt’ (Sukkah 26a)
Today was one of those days. Shimshon was standing in the hallway during recess, talking to a friend, when Dan walked over and jumped on him.
The Panim Yafos asks: since invariably one of the seven days of miluim must have been Shabbos, how was Moshe able to erect the Mishkan on Shabbos?
Why does the Jewish leap year always consists of two Adars? Why specifically Adar? Menachem (Via E-Mail)
When a couple makes the conscious decision to have a baby, they use a system Hashem put into place to bring forth a child. They don’t claim to be knowledgeable enough in anatomy to synthesize the proteins needed for growth.
The Torah says (Exodus, chapter 28) several times v’nasa Aharon, Aharon was commanded to carry the responsibility of bnei Yisrael, represented by his wearing these garments. This was his masa, the koved, the heavy responsibility of being the intermediary between Hashem and the people. It is a difficult task indeed.
It is my family’s minhag, for many generations, to light the candles 30 minutes before shekiah, as opposed to the commonly held custom of 20 minutes. So I told my husband that those 10 extra minutes should not be an issue.
So goes the story about a man in the silly town of Chelm who visited a public bathhouse and found himself in a terrible predicament. Without the distinction of clothing, everyone looked alike. “Among all these men who look alike,” he said to himself, “how will I ever know which one is me?” He solved his dilemma by tying a red string around his big toe.
By Rachel Weiss
Readers who have kept up with this series since its inception will have noted a consistent emphasis on the role women have played in our rich heritage.
The Satan waits for opportunities to undo kedusha, particularly on erev Shabbos, when the potential to bring the Shechina into the world is great.
This exciting and daring video and challenges us to be more God-like in our actions.
The Torah's greatest manifestation of human creativity is the building of the Mishkan, which required human mastery over every creation.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Vayakhel is Moses’ response to the wild abandon of the crowd that gathered around Aaron and made the golden calf.
The Torah specifies that the washbasin in the Mishkan was made of copper taken from the mirrors that the women brought as donations. Rashi explains that by telling us where the copper came from the Torah is teaching a significant lesson.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
It’s All About The Clouds ‘Have You Seen My Slave, Tabi?’ (Sukkah 20b)
Rabbeinu Bachya points out that of all the materials that were donated to the building of the Mishkan, we do not find the inclusion of meshi (silk).
"The Gemara [B.M. 25a] questions whether coins arranged in such a fashion serve as a siman – indicating intentional arrangement – or not," explained Rabbi Dayan. "The question is whether they could have fallen unintentionally in this way. This question remains unresolved in the Gemara."
Question: Is it permitted on the Sabbath or holidays to take a shuttle to synagogue? The neighborhood shuttle runs from 9-5 daily, is driven by a gentile, has a designated stop schedule, and is free of charge.
I was pretty open [and naïve] about accepting dating suggestions. There was the Israeli that spoke little English with whom I could barely communicate, the brilliant scholar who I discovered was manic depressive, the frum hippie that was still more hippie than frum, and a slew of others – all interesting, but not for me.
The difference between the intellectual and emotional approach to performing a mitzvah is most noticeable when analyzing the different approaches to giving charity. A person can readily comprehend and accept the intellectual rationale behind giving charity to the poor.
Question: Do Jews pray for Jewish political independence?
November 13, 2026 
