יום שני, ח׳ חשוון תשפ״זMonday, October 19, 2026
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There is much good that we do with our cell phones, and they help us in so many ways. But how often do we take them out to look at them during davening in shul, during family meal times, or at any time when we are conversing with another person?
Rav Kook examines the opening concepts of the parsha: The heavens should listen, the earth will hear, teachings fall like rain and sayings soak in as the dew. He explains that in our world, we find things in a pure state of nature and we also see them altered by the intervention of men.
Arguably the most important concept in life, though often misunderstood, is the nature of the soul.
The long lines and rushed atmosphere typical of erev Yom Kippur Kapparot gatherings frequently lead to invalid slaughter and render the chickens, which are later distributed to the poor, as non-kosher.
To be honest, even wearing running shoes which many of us, myself included, do on Yom Kippur often feels a bit strange to me.
Hashem wants us to visit Him every day, to have a loving daily connection with Him and to ask Him for what we need. A relationship that even when we have what we need, we continue to visit the palace.
Good Shabbos, Good Yom Tov, Kesiva Vichasima Tova
Berta had no inkling about the journey she and Michael were going to take... For a year following the wedding, Berta’s mother kept bringing non-kosher food into their apartment; she had difficulty accepting the young couple’s choice to learn more about Judaism.
Despite the misnaggid finding himself in a loony bin of naiveté, surely the Rebbe would not be so brazen and shameless to claim that he was up in Heaven reciting selichos!
When someone buys something for a price stated in the local currency but pays later in a different currency, replied Rabbi Dayan, the exchange rate is determined by the time of payment.
Moshe relates that people are now coming into the store to talk about the sign, but not to seek an apology.
A Year And A Day ‘Hashem ... Completes the Years of the Righteous' (Kiddushin 38a)
It is expected of every Jew, man or woman, young or old, that he (or she) bring in Shabbosdikeit (the spirit of Shаbbos) into all his toil, including also the mundane activities;
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
We can express gratitude for a benefit bestowed by a friend, but that gratitude can also have a spiritual component if we also thank G-d for helping to orchestrate the place of this friend or the significance of the gift in our lives.
We blow the shofar as a part of the Rosh Hashana prayers, but it is unique amongst the tefillos. While all the other prayers utilize words, the shofar is a wordless cry. What is the meaning behind this?
When we ask Hashem on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for renewed life and menuchas hanefesh, a contentment of spirit, our petition is much more effective and successful if we give Hashem a strong reason to grant our request.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Judaism turns life into a work of art. It consecrates the love between husbands and wives, and parents and children. It sanctifies our most physical acts, through the laws of kashrut and family purity.
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this time. Did we pray before their innovation or not? Menachem Via Email
Though the Yamim Noraim should also be a time when we draw close to and strengthen our love of Hashem, they begin with recognizing that He is judging us and determining our fate for the upcoming year.
Even at a time of such great danger, he forgot his own pain and suffering and only desired to be involved in a heavenly pursuit. It is that devotion that stirred the mercy of Heaven, saving him and all the passengers from certain death.
I just want to ask a simple question. Who said anything about tying Yitzchak up? Hashem certainly didn’t tell Avraham to tie Yitzchak up; He told him to offer Yitzchak as an olah.
As a child I was sure that it was our saying of tashlich that caused the East River to be so murky and polluted. After all, the river contained all of the discarded sins of all of Manhattan on one side, and all of Brooklyn and Queens on the other.
It is also explained that performing Tashlich alongside a body of water is intended to recall that kings were historically inaugurated alongside a body of water.
Both of these words are commonly translated as “nothingness,” but understanding the nuances expressed by these ostensible synonyms will help us better understand what exactly the Torah means to teach us about the state of the world before Creation.
On Rosh Hashana we blow the shofar, recite distinctive prayers, and perform Tashlich to recognize the Creator of the Universe as the source of all mercy and forgiveness.
I always found it quite incredible that the first mitzvah that we are called upon to do as Jews at the beginning of the year is to listen. To pay attention to exactly what it is that Jewish destiny is about.
In general, the simanim are not magical entities whose consumption on Rosh Hashana automatically transforms a sinner into a penitent. Rather, these foods are reminders of the kedushat hayom, the unique holiness of Rosh Hashana that reflects the Heavenly judgment that is the essence of the holiday.
The yearning for the redemption is so deep inside of us all, and the hardships and tragedies from all the year's gone by are so great to carry, that we simply have no strength left for punishment.
Hashem loves us so much. He showers us with blessing. If we would only take the time each day to think about it.
By dvora
In the end, though the young daughters had been crying while the verbal abuse was going on, they now saw how the effect a kind word and a smile could change everything.
It was nice of your neighbor to allow you use of the alley, responded Mr. Stein, but did you ever buy the rights to that strip of property?
Hakhel was not performed on the Shemittah year, but rather in the year that followed.
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this. Did we pray before their innovation or not? Menachem Via Email
Both Rise To The Occasion ‘What if his son is his teacher?’ (Kiddushin 33b)
More than merely fostering personal piety among Jews, tshuva that begins with a reawakening of Hebrew identity will lead Israel to express kedusha in every sphere of national life.
This night proved that Judaism does not belong only to grandma, but also to her grandchildren.
The liturgy for the High Holiday Selichos is not found in most siddurim; rather, it is found in a special Selichos sefer, with a different selection for each day.
We who can bring Shabbos in each week with ease. We who have the opportunity to bring the light of Shabbos into our homes, to welcome the malachei shalom to our tables, to bless our children and plug into the menucha that Shabbos brings – how do we welcome the Shabbos Malka?
Repentance is not the cause of tension in our lives; it is the soothing balm.
Although he had been raised in Pharaoh’s palace and had never in his life actually seen Eretz Yisrael, Moshe was held accountable for allowing himself to be referred to by others as “an Egyptian man.”
By Eliana Klein
And while I’m already in full-blown kvetchy mode, now may be as good a time as any to mention the mess!
Difficult times should inspire reflection and improvement. This is why the word we use to describe life lessons – mussar – shares a root with the word yisurin (suffering). Yisurin should inspire us to learn and internalize mussar lessons.
God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness. -Henry Ward Beecher
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The only way to stay young, hungry, and driven is through periodic renewal, reminding ourselves of where we came from, where we are going, and why.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Commentaries are bothered by two main questions. First, what is the symbolism of Torah being referred to as a yoke? Second, what exactly is the mechanism behind what seems to be guaranteed removal of these other responsibilities?
It’s only the yeitzer hara that fools us and makes us think that we have so many better things to do.
The birth of a new year is a time of reflection and resolution; a time when hope and inspiration fill the air. 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 have all experienced the frustration of not following through on our goals, and feeling we are right back where we started. But hopefully we have also experienced some modicum of success and self-improvement. Wherein lies the difference?
An individual who seeks to be a baal teshuva, to return to Hashem, must recognize that he needs Hashem for every single nuance of his life.
It is suggested that unmarried girls stopped lighting Shabbat candles because it was difficult and costly to get candles during and even between the two world wars. With this disruption the custom was lost, and unfortunately not reignited in the New World.
To be brief, the overwhelming rabbinic opinion presented is that one should only say Selichot after Chazot or in the early morning hours before davening.
Throughout history there have been great leaders and great rabbis who passed on to us the beautiful ways of life. Through these leaders we've been able to seek higher levels in worshiping Hashem and simply higher spiritual levels.
Hashem performs a miracle of accounting because if He did not, none of us would survive the coming year.
Imagine a seventy-year-old man who is bringing Bikurim for 57th time...
By dvora
Even though we know the score can even change once we are up there (through the mitzvos that our performed in our merit), what we must seriously keep in fresh in our mind is that our interactions have a lasting impact and a value for eternity.
The two friends have been studying together every day for 42 years and are completing the Talmud for the sixth time.
Moshe’s Request ‘I Love My Master, My Wife, My Children …' (Kiddushin 22a)
A Jew must escape from his egocentric existence and embrace a new life founded on the conclusions of true soul-searching and repentance.
If the seller knew the buyer's intent to move, the seller is responsible for returning the merchandise. If not, the buyer is responsible for returning defective merchandise when he could have checked before distancing it, but seemingly not for mistaken merchandise.
Dear Rabbi Klass: As most of us know, in Elul and until Shemini Atzeret we say the 27th chapter of Tehillim (“L’David Hashem Ori – [A Psalm] of David: The Lord is my light”). The second verse states: “Bikrov alay me’re’im le’echol et besarai…– When evildoers approach me to devour my flesh….” Why does it not say “reshaim – wicked ones” or “anashim ra’im – evil people?” Tzila Kleinbart Brooklyn, N.Y.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
The importance of not squandering opportunities to learn is not just an abdication of personal responsibility or failure of personal growth but has larger repercussions for the national survival of the Jewish people, and that is why Rabbi Chanina uses such strong admonishment.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The answer to the question, Who am I? is not simply a matter of where I was born, where I spent my childhood or my adult life or of which country I am a citizen.
During our exile – and indeed our exile goes back to the original exile from the Garden of Eden – the forces of corruption that hold us back from realizing our true potential and separate us from our Creator suffuse the world of our experience.
Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press but the sealing up of a nation's heart, the excision of its memory. -Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
When we make the mental calculation of whether we can improve, we tend to think only about our ability. Then, we might correctly assess that it’s beyond our ability.
When one contemplates all the misfortunes in our sedra, it is a cause for trepidation, yet the Torah states clearly that these adversities are because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant (Devarim 28:47).
Looking back at Jewish history, we see that periods of suffering were always followed by periods of success and growth.
The performance of our Torah's ritual precepts must be contextualized & experienced within the larger meta-narrative of Israel's story & mission.
It was the greatest gift I personally received then, because it was something that I really wanted/needed and was not able to take care of myself. Had he asked me if he should do it for me, I undoubtedly would have told him not to, not wanting to bother him so much.
Actually, happiness is not necessarily the correct English translation for the word simcha.
Nevertheless, there are authorities who justify leaving Eretz Yisrael for the Uman pilgrimage and other similar trips, arguing that doing so can be no worse than leaving Eretz Yisrael for business purposes, which is permitted.
Kefitzas haderech enables one to transcend the laws of time and space. Why is this possible? It is due to the unique location in which kefitzas haderech always occurs: Eretz Yisrael, the land that transcends the bounds of time and space.
Ultimately, it is through knowledge of and dedication to the truth that we draw closer to Hashem.
In this article, we explore the etymologies of ravak and two other Hebrew terms for an unmarried or single man – panui and bachur – try to zone in on the nuances they express.
By Ann Goldberg
It had just passed its test, when a friend offered us a newer car for a very reasonable price. It was a shame to just discard our old ‘friend’ but we also knew it wasn’t sellable.
By dvora
The lovely lady in charge asked me to sing “Happy Birthday” over the telephone. I noted that that night, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz WAS actually my birthday. I sang and I was accepted.
It’s In The Will ‘A Non-Jew Receives His Father’s Estate’ (Kiddushin 17b)
Just as there are grieving parents and siblings after someone is killed, in this case there are grieving children – those who will start the school year without their beloved preschool teacher.
When the farmer sees the king in his field, does he keep on plowing? Does he behave as if this were just another day in the fields? Of course not.
Israel’s Torah is not some man-made 'religion' but actually the Divine Ideal implanted into our world for the purpose of uplifting all Creation through sanctifying every area of human existence.
This is not a celebration and in no way does this indicate that what has happened is something good or desired.
On the one hand, the sentence is to be publicized, but on the other hand the publicity should be tempered.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Love is central to Judaism: not just love between husband and wife, parent and child, but also love for G-d, for neighbor and stranger.
Beautiful light is born of darkness, so the faith that springs from conflict is often the strongest and the best. -R. Turnbull
Dear Rabbi Klass, As most of us know, now that it’s the month of Elul, we say the 27th chapter of Tehillim until Shemini Atzeret (“L’David Hashem Ori – [A Psalm] of David: The Lord is my light”). The second verse states: “Bikrov alay me’rei m le’echol et besarai… – When evildoers approach me to devour my flesh….” Why does it not say “reshaim – wicked ones” or “anashim raim – evil people?” Tzila Kleinbart Brooklyn, N.Y.
One consequence of the final redemption is that the nature of things themselves will be altered – their ability to receive and to reflect holiness will be enhanced.
Every good Jew should start their day with the declaration of, Modeh ani lifonecha... This praise deliberately omits Hashem’s Name so that we can proclaim it even before we wash negel vasser and our hands are yet still tomei.
Every appointment every week was anxiety provoking. It was like having Yom Kippur constantly.
Hashem promised Avraham the land of Israel as a sign of their eternal covenant. There are a number of mitzvos that can only be performed in Eretz Yisrael. Our question, then, is twofold. What is the underlying uniqueness of this special land, and why does Eretz Yisrael possess this unique quality?
We must remind ourselves that everything, including suffering, emanates from Hashem. Though Hashem is the source of ultimate good and wants the best for us, we know that grief also comes from Him: a person does not stub his toe below unless it was declared from above (Chullin 7b).
If one is confronted with many charities that one does not know, it behooves the giver to first find out if the charity is authentic.
His sole relief and comfort is his spiritual growth – the realization that he must develop his neshama to be able to perceive others in a better light.
When a person leaves pe'ah in the corner of his field, he does so knowingly and even willingly, wanting to give to the poor as Hashem commanded. But it is impossible that this mitzvah can be performed 100 percent altruistically.
"The hand of the witnesses shall be upon him first to put him to death, and the hand of the entire people afterward, and you shall destroy the evil from your midst" (Devarim 17:7) Why are the witnesses the ones who carry out the punishment against the criminal whom they testified against? Imagine witnesses who […]
October 16, 2026 
