יום ראשון, ה׳ כסלו תשפ״זSunday, November 15, 2026
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This ability to show respect for the entire life and accomplishments of an individual is essential if we want our children to have respect for our history and our past leaders.
Question: Isn’t the father in serious violation of the Torah by neglecting his children and not making any effort to provide them an education? Name Withheld Via E-mail
The Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, zy”a, remarked that the partnership between Sheker and Pachata is still thriving thousands of years later in our time so that any activity built upon falsehood, any business deal formulated through lies, is doomed to eventually end in loss and damages since it is handed over to Pachata who ensures its doom and ruination.
Reaching out to bring others close to Hashem, and to pray for them, is an integral component of the mitzvah of loving one’s fellow Jew.
For the Tower of Bavel, the punishment of scattering them and confusing their languages was, in fact, a punishment befitting the crime.
Practically, denial of the mitzvah means that one will never come to fulfill it. Even tzaddikim make mistakes from time to time, but because they recognize their sin as such, they eventually repent and repair their ways.
Every day, we get to choose who we are, what we believe in, and how we are going to live our lives. Each morning, we get to create our identity, begin anew. As Avraham Avinu says, Anochi afar va’efer – I am but dust and ashes (Bereishis 18:27).
Why did G-d decide to bring a flood? Why not an earthquake, a tornado, a solar flare?
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
While being cordial to everyone is important, Rabbi Mathia ben Harash closes with advice as to who it is best to associate with over longer periods of time. It is better to be a tail unto lions, and not a head unto foxes.
In discussing the swords, the bows, and the arrows, we may also note that the only time we read of Jacob actually fighting in the Torah, in any depth or detail, he was fighting an angel, and with no weapon at all.
Ever since I first learned this Rashi (in third grade), I’ve been troubled by the apparent illogic of Yaakov’s argument. After all, if Yaakov's claim were valid in the legal sense, then by that reasoning, every firstborn twin should lose his rights to the second-born twin.
By dvora
Every generation of Jewish history had its own unique struggles and challenges. In our own generation, Jews live with triumphs and challenges exclusive to this generation
On this coming Simchat Torah, we will once again dance with our Torahs. But, as we well know, the singing and dancing will never ever be the same as prior to October 7th 2023. It will be tinged with a bit of sad reflection and daunting memory.
Question: My problem is that some question certain character traits of President Trump and his fitness for office. I really don’t think sitting out this election is a proper option. I read your columns and as such is it possible to present a Torah view in this matter. No Name Please Via email
Who’s On First? ‘Who Is Considered A Firstborn?’ (Bava Basra 126b)
It is the beginning – not only of our annual Torah reading which we recommenced with Bereishis – but the beginning of our efforts to effect lasting changes. It is the beginning of an opportunity to really make this the year we truly hope it will be.
When Hashem finally redeems His people from all our afflictions, crushing our enemies and “their high places” beneath us, then we will encounter the final unfolding and unfurling of His Name over all of creation.
Many people wait to review the parsha on Shabbos, and this is their undoing! Shabbos is at the end of the week and, if one gets busy or is too tired (a common occurrence), the week is over and its already time for Parshas Noach. Therefore, start making inroads on Sunday.
The world in which we live is an avenue to the spiritual; we can access the spiritual, transcendent world through the physical world because the two are intimately and intrinsically connected.
If the person decides not to buy the item, some consider him henceforth a shomer sachar, liable also for theft, like a borrower after the time, while others consider him a shomer chinam, liable only for negligence, since it turned out that he had no benefit (Sma 200:31).
Priorities ‘According To Their Wisdom And Their Age’ (Bava Basra 120a)
Simcha, Sason & Chedva, and the distinctions between them.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Not only are the four kinds and the tabernacle different in character; they are even seemingly opposed to one another. The four kinds and the rituals associated with them are about rain.
As a siddur meant for both religious Zionists and non-Zionist charedim, and much like siddurim of previous generations, the original Beis Tefilah also did not include the national prayers – those said every Shabbat and those said on Israel’s Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Jerusalem Day.
After the Nazis failed to murder them, Hezbollah tried to do so, but they won’t succeed either, wrote Yaron.
Our story takes place in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in 2014. What?! You never heard of Sault Ste. Marie? The very town of legendary native American fur trapper Ozhaguscodaywayquay.
Question: What are the ushpizin and why are there two different versions of their order on Sukkot? Avrohom Zins (Via E-mail)
This commemoration is considered so vital that, while for most mitzvos it is sufficient simply to have in mind that one is doing the command of Hashem, this is not good enough when it comes to the precept of Sukkah.
We must remember that this world is merely the corridor to the palace (Avot 4:16), the gateway to the next world. This world and its pleasures are not the ultimate end goal.
We are commemorating the individual Jew, the lonely Jew, who was not connected to the nation in that moment, who felt alone, who felt broken, who felt lost, but who nonetheless was protected by G-d even though he or she was not surrounded by the clouds of glory.
So, this year we sit in our Sukkot with mixed emotions, recalling the glory days of the desert but also the dark days of the past year. As we sit within our fragile Sukkot, sympathize with the anguish felt by so many Israelis whose homes – once places of safety – proved incapable of protecting them.
Is it true then that one elevates oneself to the level of the most righteous simply by sacrificing one’s life for the sanctification of the Name?
One must not give one’s lulav to a child, even one’s own child, to shake on the first day of Sukkot. This is because according to Torah law, a child is able to acquire ownership of something (in this case, the lulav), but is not able to transfer ownership to someone else.
What emerges from these Acharonim, especially Magen Avraham, is that the regular proximity to one’s spouse, even if physical contact is prohibited, is comforting, and losing that proximity is discomforting – and this discomfort might be sufficient to exempt a person from sukkah!
We all know the verse "Serve Hashem in joy" (Tehillim 100:2), which seems to indicate that there is a positive commandment to serve G-d in joy. However, if you search Sefer HaChinuch, which lists and discusses all 613 mitzvot, for this specific mitzvah, you will not find it.
Rabbi Yoshiya, who holds that Eretz Yisrael was divided among those who left Egypt, is of the opinion that the Jews merited the land of Israel as a result of the increased suffering in Egypt.
...even though Avshalom the person might have been a wicked fellow, since his name has a positive meaning (father of peace, or my father is peace or something along those lines), it is still appropriate to use this name in naming our children.
The spiritual concept of beauty, and its relevance to marriage, is central to the connection we aim to develop through the process of Sukkos.
I am always intrigued by people who are handy. I am also intrigued by people who are artistic. I guess it’s because I’m so untalented in those areas.
He places his fine furnishings and fine mattresses and couches in the sukkah as well as his fine drinking vessels, bottles and cups. However, cooking utensils such as pots and pans are to be kept outside the sukkah.
During the High Holidays we pray, Instill Your awe on all Your doings, and Your terror upon all You have created… and all of them shall be bound together to perform Your will wholeheartedly. When these prayers are answered, the entire world will, indeed, be able to dwell together, in peace, in the sukkah of the Jewish people.
Aharon took a seat in the back for Kol Nidrei. When Maariv began, after the Rav’s drasha, Mr. Neiss still hadn’t come. Aharon moved next to his father.
Final And Proper Honors ‘In A Grave Not His Own?’ (Bava Basra 112b)
The siddur itself was Sephardi for all intents and purposes, but its subheading – “according to the minhag of the holy community of Sefardim of the Ma’arav and the Mizrach” – hinted at Rabbi Aburbeh’s principled and consistent ideological line, which strove already at this early date to fuse all existing Sephardi and Mizrahi prayer nusachim into a single, unified prayer formula.
Question: I hope you will not mind answering several questions regarding the mitzvah of sitting in the sukkah. What is the reason for sitting in the sukkah? Are we required to sit in it whenever we eat? Is one allowed to travel during the week of the holiday to a place where no sukkah is available? Moshe Jakobowitz Brooklyn, NY
The Vilna Gaon speaks at length of the kedusha of the malachim in his commentary on the siddur. He explains that the malachim don’t wait for Israel to finish our kedusha below out of respect for us but because they have no right to attest to the glory of Hashem until they hear our mouths doing it – as they have no awareness of any other possible state of affairs.
Though many of us remain focused on Israel’s current war, the more general polarization in Israeli society and throughout much of the world that preceded it and continues to serve as its backdrop should be an even greater concern.
On this great day of Yom Kippur, the Heavenly prosecutors stand before Hashem as well, holding the black list of the Jewish people’s transgressions which they intend to reveal before Hashem. But then they hear the Jewish nation detailing those very sins themselves. When the prosecutors hear this, they feel superfluous and abandon their mission.
Is there a mitzvah to eat the night before Yom Kippur? If it is merely in preparation for the fasting, it is questionable whether the night before is that helpful.
Yismach Moshe explains that Avraham was concerned about his spiritual heir. If he had no son, the man who would carry on his teachings and his philosophy was Eliezer, his servant. While Eliezer was a righteous person and could have done some of the job, no one can carry on the legacy of a father’s teachings as well as a son.
The rabbis clearly concluded that if any information gets into the wrong hands, it can cause harm, but that doesn’t mean that devices or information for the benefit of humanity – or for the protection of innocent people – should never be invented, activated, or shared, even if there will be collateral damages.
On Yom Kippur, the kittel takes on added meaning. In addition to reminding one of the day of one's death and arousing feelings of humility and repentance, kittels are worn to emulate the angels who, we are told, wear white.
This successful symbiotic cohesion between the “all,” the “one” and the “One” – the collective, the individual and G-d – was the real secret formula of the Ketoret.
As we approach Yom Kippur, we recognize that it is unquestionably one of the most important days of the year. And yet, in many ways, it is a mystery.
Shulchan Aruch rules in accordance with the Rishonim who maintain that the prohibition against wearing shoes on Yom Kippur applies only to leather shoes.
By Eliana Klein
After months of packing and many weeks of divesting themselves of furniture and other belongings, they were experiencing decidedly mixed emotions as their departure date approached. We were definitely feeling likewise, and dreading having to say goodbye.
There is no issue of ribbis in locking in the rental price through prepayment, certainly here where the price uncrease was not known when paying (see Y.D. 176:6; Taz and Nekudos Hakesef 176:7; Bris Yehuda 26:1[2], 26:4[13]).
At First Glance ‘While You Were Feasting On The Dates Of Babylon…’ (Baba Basra 107b)
The prayers themselves, it should be noted, only appear after no fewer than 100 pages of prior content, and the book’s design is apparently based on the Siddur HaShalem previously published by Eshkol Press.
We as individuals and as a nation understand something is wrong and we are driven to fix it, even if we have no idea how to go about it properly. But it is precisely through this process, this “casting about” for something that will salve the pain of uncertainty and inspire us with a sense of purpose, that we connect through our teshuva with our higher purpose.
We must continue to dream big: The magnitude of the evil perpetrated against us on October 7 was shocking. It turns out, that we can also be surprised by the good.
We are allowing others to define us, blood libel us and tell our story. We must give our children Jewish pride, identity and roots.
Question: I am aware that there are five pleasurable activities from which we have to abstain on Yom Kippur. Can you explain them? Are they of equal importance? Martin Wainman Via Email
A person, to his chagrin, realizes that he doesn’t say Modeh Ani in the morning. Regular teshuva is to regret this and to strengthen himself to be more careful in the future. A perfect teshuva is when he realizes that the reason why he forgets it in the first place is because he’s not thinking enough about Hashem.
The only obstacle that could impede the efficacy of this prayer is when it is not said from the heart, but rather in a perfunctory manner. It will not be beneficial then.
For soldiers and other personnel returning from combat zones, exposure to the scenes of war can also lead to post-traumatic stress symptoms, even if these personnel were never in a life-threatening situation themselves.
On Rosh Hashana, we cry out with a resounding kol, expressing how deeply we yearn to return to our source, to Hashem.
While it is true that most typically Jewish names are simply taken from Tanach or Chazal (especially male names), not all do.
In the physical world, we are often warned that smoke kills before fire. In the spiritual world too, the spiritual smoke generated by our sins is more noxious and damaging than even the sins themselves.
If we compare the words in the blessing of Hagafen (He who creates the fruit of the vine) to Hamotzi (He who takes bread out of the ground), we will notice something odd. He who takes bread out of the ground – really?
There seems to be nothing wrong with creating new simanim; the real questions is, what is the significance of the simanim.
By Naama Klein
By the time we all made our way to their prospective new neighborhood, they had pretty much decided on a house to buy, but still wanted our confirmation before signing on the dotted line. So it was more or less a done deal, pending our approval.
Law Of Averages ‘Catacombs Are Four Cubits Long’ (Bava Basra 100b)
I understand that there is a problem – I’m not belittling it, said the landlord. But the problem is not with the house itself; it’s something external.
How do we decide when confronted with a conflict?
We are taught in Judaism to temper each of these areas and to walk the middle road. To create a balance between these two seemingly opposing forces. Too much materialism is no good. Too much spiritualism also misses the mark.
Question: When Shema Koleinu is recited during the High Holidays season, the cantor skips several lines during the responsive repetition. What is the reason? A Reader Wilkes Barre, PA
Israel will be the source of light, Jews from around the world will return to the Land, and the humiliation and hatred Israel once suffered will be replaced with universal admiration.
Historically, some would fast on Rosh Hashana, intensifying the solemnity of standing in judgment before the Divine. Though this minhag has largely faded, this day remains one of muted joy, filled with reverence and gravity.
We're going to talk about something that is probably one of the most practical pieces of advice for today. We're talking about handing over leadership.
Mitzvot call upon us to recognize our dependency upon Hashem and subjugate our will to His.
There is no more meaningful relationship than the relationship of someone who teaches Torah with their students. And yet, no student is the same as their teacher.
Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results. -Willie Nelson
It means that although the individual may not have successfully completed his teshuva process, every thought of regret that he has experienced helps to lighten his punishment and gives him additional merits.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Moses advises his successor to lead by consultation and consensus. G-d tells Joshua to lead firmly and with authority. Even if people do not agree with you, He counsels him, you must lead from the front. Be clear. Be decisive. Be forceful. Be strong.
Rav Kook sees the impulse to do teshuva and the initiative taken in pursuit of it to be the exemplar of human nature as a spiritual being.
This highly popular machzor was so widely accepted that it was even quoted in the writings of major poskim, including the Chasam Sofer.
Historically, it has been considered a blessing to live in the United States of America, though all too many people have been feeling cursed lately – some literally – for a variety of different reasons, an intolerable situation which will hopefully be resolved soon.
All of us petition Hashem for another year of life, for ourselves and our loved ones. But we don’t simply ask for another year of life. We ask for a better year with better health, with better shalom bais, with better parnassa. Better, better, better.
If the Jews undertook to be responsible for each other and sincerely repented for their previous sins, why were they afraid that they would not survive in the future.
We dream about what this upcoming year holds in store; how we can make the rest of our life the best of our life. We all have ideas, ambitions, and aspirations that we yearn to bring to fruition, and the new year gives us permission to revisit these goals and breathe new life into them.
There are many people who feel similarly about selichos and the many special tefillos recited during this time of year. It’s not easy reciting added prayers, many of which contain unfamiliar words.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
If we want to learn effectively, we need to relocate ourselves to a better learning environment. Knowing how to choose the right environment to learn and avoiding distraction is known in educational psychology as self-regulated learning.
November 13, 2026 
