יום שבת, כ״ב תשרי תשפ״זSaturday, October 3, 2026
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Each person is destined from Above to be in a particular place at a given time. At that time and place, there is something holy that they specifically must accomplish in that place.
As a suggestion to our readers, let us visualize that the Rebbe is sitting at a farbrengen in 770 on Parshas Vayakhel 5752. The Rebbe knew what we did not – that this would be the last Shabbos farbrengen for a while – until we meet again.
In order to achieve this ideal flow, one must perfect all three stages of the process. You must first connect to Eden, which requires going beyond the surface of reality and connecting to the transcendent – to Hashem and His Torah, to the spiritual root of the physical world.
After preparing the delicacies, Avraham then waited on the guests, serving milk, butter and the three tongues in mustard sauce. The Malbim says that first Yishmael served the milk and butter and after that, Avraham served the meat, to separate milk and meat according to halacha.
According to some authorities, one should avoid studying Scripture (Written Torah) at night. This is based on the Kabbalistic teaching that the Written Torah was specifically designated for study during the day and that the Oral Torah (Talmud) was specifically designated for study at night.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
It is the space we create for one another that allows love to be like sunlight to a flower
Our sages tell us that throughout history, the Jewish nation have always “sat at the entrance” of the countries as they settled in exile, apprehensive of the uncertainties of galus.
Rabbeinu Bachye teaches that it is dangerous for a person to be counted as an individual, rather than to rely upon the communal prayers and collective welfare.
Fathers should bless their children – giving each one a moment of unique attention. Children have testified that they avoided temptations by conjuring up the loving image of their father blessing them before Kiddush.
Interestingly, Rabbi Yaakov Emden (1697-1776) argues for a Hebrew etymology of the word ushpiz in the sense of host by explaining it as a portmanteau of the Hebrew phrase yesh po zin (there is sustenance here).
The week of Parshas Noach is the first full week after the holiday season has drawn to a close. As we recount that catastrophic deluge which eradicated all that existed prior, we hope it is not also when all that we have accomplished these last few weeks becomes erased as well.
When a Jewish woman intermarries, her children will be halachically Jewish. We certainly would want the children to be raised as Jewishly as possible. Alienating their mother would be counter-productive.
If we take these weekly portions of the Torah and relate the story directly to our daily lives, we will see how each holy figure we read about, we can find deeply within ourselves.
By Naama Klein
Kelly regularly jumped up to greet me in her signature style, licking me exuberantly while rhythmically wagging her tail. Well, she certainly knew how to make a guest feel welcome (if not utterly terrified!).
I cannot promise that the hall will be available then, said the gabbai. People use it for all kinds of functions, including lectures in the morning. You'll have to pay for the hall, regardless.
An Enduring Text ‘If One Vows By The Torah...’ (Nedarim 14b)
Do you mean to tell me, I gasped, unable to contain the note of exasperation from my tone, that I waited nearly two hours on the line only to find out that I had called for nothing?
My husband and I exchanged worried glances. We had a while till our destination, Shabbos was coming, and we had no idea what we would do. The only thing we knew for sure is that as soon as the plane landed we needed to disembark ASAP.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Unfortunately, it is too easy to just go through the motions, traversing life without knowing our purpose, cause, and what drives us to get out of bed every morning.
Question: Looking back at the past Yomim Tovim, I am left with the following question: What is the reason for the unusual practice of the chazzan reciting shehecheyanu on Yom Kippur night? Elimelech Feldman Via email
It was the only event that required the attendance of every Jew, reminiscent of the historic moment when our nation stood at Mount Sinai, when every member of our nation was present when G-d lovingly gave us the Torah.
A ball cannot enter a stone wall and therefore bounces back from it. Likewise, when your friend does not gain anything from your words, they are reflected back to you. Thus, you are influenced by your own words.
It is precisely Avraham’s valiant behavior in battle that proves the authenticity of his compassion to all of HaShem’s creatures, presenting a model of true kindness for the Hebrew nation to uphold.
No sooner has G-d told Avram that the land of Israel belongs to him and his descendants, there is a famine in the land and Avram finds himself on the road to Egypt. This is one of the tests of faith he undergoes to see whether he will question G-d.
A soul without a high aim is like a ship without a rudder. -Eileen Caddy
The goal is for the essence of Eden to flow untainted through the Nahar into the Gan – for the spiritual to be powerfully and completely expressed through the physical.
A person who truly values Torah will take full advantage of the opportunity to speak in Torah with anyone they meet.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
We are too young to venture into the world on our own. It is precisely the stable, predictable presence of parents in our early years that gives us a basic sense of trust in life.
There are different customs as to what should be written on a tombstone. Although the name of the deceased should certainly appear on the tombstone, this was not always done.
The Zohar tells us that the 248 positive Torah commandments correspond to the 248 limbs of a person. The numerical equivalent of Avraham’s name is 248, to tell us that Avraham Avinu achieved that level of subservience where all his limbs were dedicated to fulfilling the will of Hashem.
According to the version that Og saved his mother, it would explain why Og had such longevity, living all the way to the time of Moshe Rabbeinu, since he did such valiant kibud eim, honoring his mother, clutching her for a full year through the tumultuous flood.
The covenant that was made between Hashem and Avraham still stands and Hashem intends to honor it.
While the words rechush and mikneh always appear in singular form in the Bible, the word nechasim always appears in the plural.
I once heard a lecturing rabbi suggest – somewhat surprisingly – that he felt men should not buy their wives flowers every Shabbos. He reasoned that doing so makes the flowers become a trite habit that loses its meaning.
One of the most common situations for serious machlokes nowadays is the parsha of yerusha. Many a family have been torn apart to the point of not talking to each other and not attending family simchas over inheritance disputes.
By dvora
Out of this unobtrusive instrument, came the sounds of classical music, beautifully played.
Casting A Doubt ? ‘Shall We Say Non-Specific Abbreviations Are Not Valid?’ (Nedarim 5a-7a)
Mr. Feiner picked up the bag and headed home. As he walked, he wondered whether he was obligated to return the bag that had washed ashore.
After the flood, Hashem forged a covenant with the inhabitants of Earth that even if they sinned as much as the generation which lived prior to the flood, Hashem would still shine His light upon them penetrating the spiritually polluted clouds.
Friendship is not just a responsibility we have towards others; it is important for our own healthy personal development as well.
Question: Looking back at the past Yomim Tovim, I am left with the following question: What is the reason for the unusual practice of the chazzan reciting shehecheyanu on Yom Kippur night? Elimelech Feldman (Via Email)
All of your income is decreed from the beginning of the year. But what you spend for Shabbos and festivals is not included in the decree (Beitzah 16a). Even a simple family man enjoys Shabbos with his tasty food such as fish and broth.
Although at all times we are commanded to bring up our children in the way of the Torah and mitzvos, the mitzvah of Hakhel, coinciding with this season, impresses upon us our duties towards the children with special force and timeliness.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Faith is the courage to take a risk for the sake of God or the Jewish people
The study of emuna infuses us with the vision to see history’s ultimate goal, as well as the confidence that we will succeed in bringing this goal to fruition.
The funding for all death related expenses must be provided by those who inherit the estate of the deceased, whether from their own funds or from the inheritance.
Passions are vices or virtues to their highest powers. -Johann von Goethe
In order to accomplish anything great, we must first identify a clear target and then determine the path required to get there.
Although Yafes participated with Shem in covering their father he did not act with the same devotion.
Since Hashem’s syllabus for life starts off with so many warnings about jealousy, it is obvious that Hashem, our Manufacturer, is informing us that one of the ugliest pitfalls to avoid is the sinful trait of coveting that which is not ours.
Noach was a wise man from the last letters, going backwards – meaning that after everything has happened we can look back and see that he was the best one around.
It’s not enough to give our children training and resources, we also have to give them the space to fall. We have to imbue them with the confidence that they can grow from their mistakes and fallings.
There is one benefit to a man wearing a wedding band that many people have told me about; in the world of business. When a man interacts with women in the workplace and they see that he is married, that allows for certain barriers of modesty to exist, barriers that are extremely helpful.
While in this world the soul we have is what we have to fix and therefore each person has a different soul and a different mission, just like the rain drops.
Noach was a tzaddik; his generation had sinned, had not repented, and had been wiped out. This caused Noach extreme grief, not because he now had to contend with a post-apocalyptic world but because he felt that perhaps he did not do enough to prevent it.
By Naama Klein
I was one very confused middle-aged woman with too many demands on her time and too few hours in her day. And it was not yet 9 a.m.!
The Honor of Reading the Kesuba “Witnesses Sign Only After Reading…” (Kesubos 109a)
I'd rather spend my money on things that people need, like worthy tzedakah causes, tuition for the children, or sefarim for the shul library.
Rashi explains that all acts of creation that took place on the first five days were suspended in a state of limbo until that sixth day of Sivan, when the Torah was given, and only thereafter, did they come alive.
Ultimately each and every one of us is responsible for our own actions. Excuses such as “my parents gave me permission” or “my child would never do that” do not absolve someone from responsibility.
Question: In his Jewish Press column, Yishai Fleisher describes his visits to the Har HaBayit. I believe entry to the Har HaBayit is assur because we are all Safek T’mei’ei Mes – questionably corpse-defiled. BeChavod Rav UVeVirchas Gmar Chasimah Tovah, Shanah Tovah UMevureches, Avraham Yaakov Rokach Via email
Once we understand the purpose of speech, we can begin to comprehend just how abhorrent lashon hara truly is. Lashon hara takes the very tool of connection – speech – and uses it to disconnect people from each other.
In our sacred literature, we find that G-d gave us the power to forget so we can always appreciate the Torah just as we did the first time we learned it (Kohelet Rabbah 1:34).
We are never like angels till our passion dies. -Sir John Denham
This is why Sukkos follows Yom Kippur. The Gemara states that in the place where a ba’al teshuva stands, even the most sincerely righteous cannot stand.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
...we can now understand the story of the first sin: It is all about appearances, shame, vision, and the eye.
The Chasid Yavetz explains that sharing Torah at meals is uniquely important because it defines and expresses how we view our lives. Man, like animal, needs to eat in order to stay alive.
Each one of us relates to the text in a way that is unique from one to another as well as being unique and singular to our new selves; we are not the same as we were last year, last month, or even two hours ago.
A narcissistic person can become self-absorbed to the extent that he believes he doesn’t have to value others who are not as important as he is. Such an individual is mistaken.
One would not expect earth and heaven to remain locked together in just such a manner that enables life to flourish, and this has only been done for the purpose of allowing the human being to grow and to thrive in this environment.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Simchat Torah was born when Jews had lost everything else, but they never lost their capacity to rejoice.
As is the policy with kidney donations in Israel, if the two are not previously acquainted the donor and recipient don’t meet each other until after the procedure.
Redundancy Explained “Such And Such [I Give My Son]…” (Kesubos 102b)
Question: According to Chazal, it would seem that women have no simcha obligation on Yom Tov other than the purchase of new garments. Is this so? Zelig Aronson Via email
Focusing our Torah and Torah celebration on our children celebrates our passing of the Torah heritage on to future generations.
Every single thing that we see and experience in the physical world stems from the spiritual root – the transcendent dimension of Torah.
A prominent Simchat Torah feature is the flags that are distributed to children to wave and strut. It is explained that the flags are intended to recall how each tribe was led and represented by its flag throughout the wanderings in the desert.
The Torah is not merely some disjointed ritual precepts but rather the Divine Ideal from before existence placed into this reality for the sake of elevating our world beyond its current limitations.
...the word sod expanded in Rabbinic Hebrew to refer to any sort of restricted or confidential information to which only a select few are privy. Hence, the word sod came to mean secret.
Since the principal focus of this festival is peace, I would like to share some thoughts I had about the shofar that are helpful tips on how to promote shalom in our lives.
Unlike a regular celebration where one hires professional performers, the entertainment in Simchat Beit haShoeva was provided by the Gedolei Hador – the tzaddikim and wise men of the generation.
Reb Yisrael and his sons erected their sukkah adjacent to the kitchen door of their palatial home in one of the Five Towns, as they had done for many years in the past...
In Modern Hebrew, the term hadar was redefined to refer to the entire citrus genus. This includes all sorts of citrus fruits, like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, tangerines, pomelos, kumquats, mandarins, clementines, and more.
By dvora
Like solders, they marched off! When the job was finished, I took out my wallet to pay the children. Irina stopped me.
Seller’s Remorse ‘He Sold Because He Ostensibly Needed the Funds’ (Ketubbot 97a)
There are two primary ways to allow payment for esrogim of the Shemittah year on a wide scale. The most prevalent option is through otzar beis din.
Question: Every year at this time we are bombarded with a proliferation of etrogim merchants lauding their wares. Some also point to the superiority of their specific Moroccan, Greek or Italian etrogim. I usually do not succumb to their pitch as my heart is always set on supporting the State of Israel, and I end up buying an Israeli etrog. This year some have made mention of a problem regarding the shemittah. What do you suggest? Paul Gold Via e-mail
When there is a dispute among contemporary poskim, the purveyor of the minority view may continue to follow their own view, even when they acknowledge that they are in the minority.
We learn not only from classes and lectures; we educate ourselves through internalized experiences and events.
While the non-Jewish world may need to engage in philosophical speculation in order to root out bad ideas, Rebbe Nachman assures us we need not do this.
We are in this dark galus because of the hatred between brothers. Most of the ‘Al Cheits’ we confess to on Yom Kippur are hurts caused by our mistreatment of other people.
As we see from experience that a person can lift and carry a much larger load when another person helps him lift it.
You are my candle, Hashem, and Hashem brightens my darkness.
October 2, 2026 
