יום רביעי, י״ט תשרי תשפ״זWednesday, September 30, 2026
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Even in the Diaspora Jews need some Jewish judicial system for dealing with one another.
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men? Menachem
Possession Is 100 Percent Of The Law ‘Stolen Chametz Became Forbidden Due To The Intervening Passover’ (Bava Kamma 96b)
The case was complicated. There were disagreements over factual issues with conflicting evidence; the halacha was also subject to a wide-ranging dispute between the authorities.
The Dovev Meisharim (chelek 1, 18:3) quotes the Divrei Chaim who says that writing all four letters of the name simultaneously is considered writing the name out of order.
Her biggest nightmare revolved around those dreaded three letters that instilled fear and trepidation into even the bravest of men: I R S.
This week's portion, Re'ei, speaks of our need for a sense of place, how difficult it often is to find, and how we must protect others' sense of place.
By gradually increasing the workload, the body is called upon to respond. The work should never be easy.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
In Judaism, joy is the supreme religious emotion. Moses says again and again that joy is what we should feel in the land of Israel, the land given to us by God.
Is the Torah to be read exactly as the Jews who received it would have, or, is it actually to be read in a contemporary way that can't possibly be the same as those who first received the Torah?
By Rachel Weiss
Deep contemplation, loyalty, ambition and intelligence define the traits of one born in Elul, the month symbolized by Virgo, a sign of purity.
A leader must be aware of and responsible for all details on the ship - big or small.
The Lost Or Relinquished Kesubah ‘A Couple May Not Live Even One Moment Without A Kesubah’ (Bava Kamma 89a)
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men? Menachem
While the sincerity of the little fellow might be touching, he is missing the point.
Hillel felt the counselors and camp administration did not have sufficient authority to deal with Bernie. Reluctantly, he agreed to sell the bat to Bernie for $200.
They bentched nonetheless, though, because they were given a specific mitzvah to thank Hashem for the mon.
She knew it wasn’t easy or pleasant to stand around asking for money and so many people were far worse off than she was.
The time has come for all of us to change, to become the people our Creator meant us to be. Instead of working on others, let us work on ourselves.
By dvora
One must be honest and straight in business dealings and in any interchange involving another person, no matter what his color or creed.
Is it possible God afflicted the nation of Israel through the past 40 years of the desert, withholding food and water from them...on purpose? How can we have a relationship with a God like that?
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
There is something profoundly spiritual about listening-shema. It is the most effective form of conflict resolution I know.
How could I possibly handle all these different emotions on top of the complexities of life? Easy,,,by dancing.
A musical perspective on Parshat Ekev...
Throughout the perek, the navi describes the greatness of Hashem Yisbarach and His tender loving care and concern for His people, Klal Yisrael.
Where there is no clear practice, the families can withhold the fee until the wedding.
The more we know and understand, the more focus and intention we put into our prayers, the more powerful they are.
I’m afraid. People do not understand, but what I fear is our own people – yes, our own people who have forgotten who we are, who no longer remember that we Jews stood at Sinai
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men? Menachem
When a man mounts a horse, the man may weigh 150 pounds, the horse more than 2,000. Yet the man commands the horse to ride, gallop, turn, and stop.
A Dog’s Life ‘Raising Dogs Is Like Raising Pigs’ (Bava Kamma 83a)
By Naama Klein
So I feel especially blessed that I have experienced both the small world phenomenon and the pre-destined shidduch reality, all in one obviously bashert bit of matchmaking.
Consent, however, is an elastic phrase under Jewish law and can be stretched almost to breaking point.
The halacha is that even if a person has already fulfilled a mitzvah he can still be motzi another who has not yet fulfilled it.
In this week's parsha, Moses speaks, a lot - but it all seems so boring, and disconnected. The Torah is a book - and every sentence of that book fits together, like pieces in a puzzle. But how does that work, in this parsha? What is this parsha actually about? Video: This video is from […]
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Most people talk about what. Some people talk about how. Great leaders, though, start with why. This is what makes them transformative.
Why, did Moses break out in song when he set aside Cities of Refuge for killers? It is curious this stimulated song, when the Shema, the retelling of Revelation and the 10 Statements did not?
Understanding why these Ten Statements were chosen-as opposed to others omitted-could well lead us to a greater grasp of the essence of this venerable text.
If one approaches the issue with an open mind, the truth is incontrovertible. The world screams out that it was created.
The message of Moses' speech before the Children of Israel entered the Promised land are still applicable and inspiring to us, today. Join us as we tackle the mystery of Moses' speech.
Unkosher Tefillin From A Kosher Animal ‘Shechitah Does Not Make The Meat Permissible’ (Bava Kamma 76b)
By Guest Author
What are the main changes when Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat or Sunday?
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men? Menachem
When the fast is postponed to Sunday or when Tisha B’Av occurs on Sunday, the final meal eaten before the beginning of the fast is the seudah shelishit, the third meal of Shabbat.
If a person will not be fasting on Sunday for whatever reason, he should say havdalah on a cup prior to eating.
The Torah holds that the one who created the hazard is liable, even if he does not own it.
This strange equivalence between Hashem (the omnipotent King of kings) and a mere mortal monarch seems to imply that human beings are never really their own masters. They are always either the servants of Hashem or of Pharaoh.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
There is something moving about seeing Moses, at almost 120, looking forward as well as back, sharing his wisdom with the young, teaching us that while the body may age, the spirit can stay young
G-d’s discipline is never punitive, it is corrective: the Torah tells us that G-d chastises us even as a father chastises his children.
An obstacle to understanding Devarim is thinking of it as a book. Devarim literally means “[spoken] words” and should therefore be primarily considered in its 'orality'
The Gemara (Brachos 30a) states that when a person prays he should always include himself as part of the community.
Although the nation was excited about entering the Promised Land, first and foremost they were glad to be out of the clutches of their nefarious oppressors.
Dr. Goldman went from testifying as an expert witness to being the defendant. Could it have been because of his yamulke?
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men? Menachem
Suffer The Thief ‘One Stole And Another Stole It From Him …’ (Bava Kamma 68a)
These 3 weeks require us to remember the great events and those on the fringe of memory. Caring for the distant and the forgotten--people and memories--will bring the redemption and rebuilding of our Nation,
I have dealt with many teenagers who have been cast out of their homes and schools. I must emphasize that the most potent way to reach them is with berachos and love. I am not saying this is easy
Any judgment becomes a balance – how much rachamim and how much din?
By Ann Goldberg
After several sleepless days, the team had been able to speak with the Guamanian and United States funeral homes, the airline, and the widow.
Clearly, one’s liability for guarding the lost ring depends on the interpretation of the Talmudic dictum of osek bemitzvah.
The sefer Harirai Kedem suggests a different understanding of the machlokes.
The Torah is not just a list of laws and stories, So, how does the travel log in parshat Masei teach us some sort of timeless lesson?
Why did Moshe include part of Menashe together with Gad and Reuven in the Transjordanian settlement?
By Rachel Weiss
He implored the talmid to come up with a way he could return the money without implicating himself.
In politics as in business, the ability to deliver matters.
Being examined by a doctor was causing his patients to be nervous, and that was contributing to the rise in their blood pressure.
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men? Menachem
A Tale Of Two Cities ‘The Destructive Force Does Not Distinguish Between Good And Evil’ (Bava Kamma 60a)
According to Rav Moshe Feinstein, the First Period commences on the morning of the Seventeenth of Tammuz rather than the night following the Sixteenth of Tammuz.
In last week's parsha, it looks like the people finally began to trust in God. But now, suddenly, idolatry? What happened? How did the people fail so quickly?
Pinchas fulfilled the halacha of kana’im pogim bo whereby a kana’i (zealot) is granted permission to kill people performing specific aveiros.
By dvora
Somehow, though I loved being in Israel, I didn’t feel that way at all.
"Could you please take my wallet?" Menachem asked. "I have two thousand cash in it. Make sure to put it in the safe."
We want our children to have self-esteem. Can there be a greater generator of self-esteem in children than their knowing they were chosen to be the guarantors of the Torah?
Napoleon said referring to the Jews, "Certainly a people which has mourned the loss of their Temple for so long, will merit to see it rebuilt!"
The fact it was specifically Midianite and Moabite women involved with Jewish men {Moshe and men involved with Ba'al Peor) shows that an existential bond existed between these nations and Israel.
It is only G-d’s Hand in guarding our continued existence and our dedication to Torah that has allowed us to endure.
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men? Menachem
Who Permitted Eating Turkey? ‘Geese And Wild Geese Are Forbidden Together’ (Bava Kamma 55a)
For the first time in a while, the main characters of the parsha--Bilaam and Balak-- are NOT the people of Israel.
"That's makes him a rasha [transgressor] who is disqualified from testifying."
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Pagan prophets like Bilam had not yet learned the lesson we must all one day learn: What matters is not that God does what we want, but that we do what He wants.
Our worst enemy convinces us that we can only be led from the top, rather than recognize that a real leader lifts up each individual so that he can stand with him in the heavens
How is it possible that anyone could see Pinchas as anything other than a hero?
By Naomi Gross
Although Har Hazeitim is traditionally considered one of the holy sites in Judaism, it’s also undeniably a hotbed of violence and vandalism, and consequently one of the most dangerous venues in all of Israel.
The Yiddishe neshamah can be likened to a computer. If you can’t find that pintele Yid, it’s only because you don’t know how to bring up the program – but, rest assured, the program is there
Bilaam not only doesn't appear to be great, he seems to be base as well as foolish (outsmarted by his own donkey!). So how can the midrash claim he was really at least as great a prophet as Moshe?
Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking. -Kahlil Gibran
This week, we get even more complaining from Israel - this time, about the lack of water. How can they continue to complain after everything God had done for them? Join us as we explore the baffling story of Israel’s complaints. Video: This video is from Rabbi David Block and Immanuel Shalev.
There didn’t seem any point in having the diamonds removed and each of us taking one; what would we do with it?
So even if their parnassah was dependent on their listening, how would they be motivated by something so mundane as earning their daily bread?
September 25, 2026 
