יום שלישי, כ״ט תמוז תשפ״וTuesday, July 14, 2026
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Of course, the good parent praises and rewards the child for a job well done. But, what about the math teacher who turned your child around?
In the end, justice will be served and all the nations who oppressed Israel will be punished, but Israel will at last be redeemed.
When G-d takes something from the body, he gives something else in its place. True, I am physically disabled, but I learn quickly and my memory is very good.
It is through the story of Israel, as it unfolds throughout time, that humanity sees history as possessing Divine meaning and purpose.
Because Pharaoh has set himself up as a god, because he has come to believe that he is the absolute ruler of Mitzrayim, and because the people have accepted this upon themselves, what befalls Pharaoh will affect all of Egypt.
I have not placed reading before praying because I regard it more important, but because, in order to pray aright, we must understand what we are praying for. -Angelina Grimke
Mincha relates to the years of middle-age, and Maariv focuses on one’s golden years. Thus, while davening, it would be proper to focus on one’s children and grandchildren during Shacharis, and upon elderly parents and grandparents during Maariv.
The legitimacy and credence of the person speaking is based on his personal identity and essence.
Consider: Pharaoh is stubborn, cruel, and difficult in every meeting. He claims not to know G-d, he increases the cruelty of his slavery when he is asked for mercy, he ignores the overwhelming and awe-inducing nature of each miraculous event, and he ignores the pleading of his more moderate advisers.
Our Sages say that the reason we whisper the above blessing in Hebrew is that we do not want to openly flaunt a blessing we “stole” from the angels.
They are telling us something about special sights and sounds, flavors and fragrances, about tradition and family, about identity and longing, about an attempt at destruction and the triumph of the living.
When slavery runs deep into the psychology of a person, it becomes difficult to express the crucial courage and self-sacrifice necessary to break the chains of mental bondage.
All events in history are driven by a chain of events dictated from Above.
There is a famous lesson taught regarding B’nei Yisrael in Mitzrayim that they had, over the course of their exile, descended to the 49th and penultimate level of corruption. Had they not been redeemed at that time they would have become irredeemable.
Great doubts deep wisdom. Small doubts little wisdom. -Chinese Proverb
Apparently, God is only actively engaged when man is conscious of Him
Moshe became great because he went out of his palatial comfort zone and identified with this persecuted brothers.
There are some people who don’t easily cry. So, if they are motivated by a moving play or a poignant novel to cry, they should utilize those cries and extend them for the Temple.
What is the major theme of this book? Why does it not conclude with the major event that changed all of history, the revelation at Sinai?
This fact seems to indicate that we did not build the pyramids, as it is unlikely the Egyptians would have fed enormous amounts of meat to their slaves.
Only as a “kingdom of priests and holy nation” that reveals HaShem’s Oneness over all spheres of life can Israel fully express His Ideal and lead mankind to experience a world of total blessing.
How do we want to live our lives? Now that Hanukkah is over, the routine of work, study, and winter begins.
It is less well known that the Zohar there goes on to explain that these 70 years obtained from Adam gave life to David, but didn’t make him exceptional so that he would be able to complete the tasks given to him as the Mashiach,
Our sages point out that at times a person may claim that he has forgiven the other party, but in truth, deep down, he still nurses a grudge. The Ohr HaChaim asserts that Yosef bore no ill will towards his brothers and wholeheartedly forgave them.
There is something behind the throne greater than the King himself. -William Pitt The Elder Chatham
Yaakov Avinu answers him honestly. In truth, there is no positive secret to his old age. He is not as old as he looks, and his life has not been a pleasant one.
It is further interesting to note that the one parsha of the Torah which is has the word ‘death’ refers to the tragic passing of two of the righteous sons of Aharon; Nadav and Avihu. One might wonder why, over here, the chapter is called ‘Achrei Mos – After Their Passing.’
Instinctively, one would think the Torah is more important because it is the reason for the existence of the entire world.
Nearly every foreign land that Jews have settled in throughout history was initially a safe refuge or land of opportunity. And in almost every instance, our false sense of security was shattered.
As we leave Chanukah, we should reflect upon how much we have extra.
When a man's knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has, the greater will be his confusion. -Herbert Spencer
We cannot achieve true unity in the physical world which is built upon division and fragmentation.
We know that one of the reasons that the brothers fanned out through ten gates was to look for Yosef (Rashi 42:13). So why were they terrified when they found him?
We live in a time when to declare ourselves rooted in the past is countercultural, even difficult for people to understand.
The city of Kiel is full of pictures of the menorah and everyone here is excited about its return We have been interviewed by the New York Times, the Guardian, and other media outlets, and now feel that this story is much bigger than us.
Israel's collective soul can only fully manifest itself through an earthly nation that reveals the Divine Ideal in all spheres of national existence.
It is often difficult and painful for us to admit fault, to take responsibility for our failures, to see ourselves or our prior behaviors as guilty.
It could be understood that in the earlier years it was not necessary to tout the miracle of Chanukah within the home. Steeped in Jewish law and tradition, the members of the household were imbued with Torah and Yiras Shamayim.
Love is the affinity that links and draws together the elements of the world... Love, in fact, is the agent of universal synthesis. -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
When encountering difficult texts in Scripture, it is usually productive to consult Rashi, and Rashi doesn’t disappoint in the present case.
The obvious question is why didn’t the Sages immediately declare the festival the very same year that the miracles occurred?
It is clear that Yaakov knew that Yosef was alive and in Egypt. The only question that remains is – did he know that the brothers had sold Yosef into slavery?
Remarkably – and frankly, rather shockingly – Yehuda shows the exact same type of favoritism to one of his sons that his father had shown to Yosef!
It was not Yaakov in his individual capacity who did these things. It was Yisroel, in his national capacity that did them.
Yaakov could not be comforted because he was distressed by the thought that Yosef had been harmed because of him. It was only when it was revealed to Yaakov that Yosef was still alive that Yaakov was reassured that he was righteous.
The light of redemption often shines in a distorted fashion in order to lull the Sitra Aḥra into passivity.
It has been said that that which Hitler, yemach shmo v’zichro, was not able to accomplish with the stick, American culture has been successful with honey.
All of these historical events occur, strange and terrifying for those who experience them, and very few can understand their significance at the time.
Meir Panim notes the principle that the sin of Adam and Chava was comprised of multiple stages, corresponding to the three opinions in the Gemara.
It's important for us to acknowledge that every baby born is a magnificent miracle, not only quadruplet babies.
The fundamental Hebrew tenet that there are values worth fighting for is what drove Shimon and Levi to restore honor to the house of Israel.
We can also have in mind fulfilling uvo sidbak, to cleave to Him. The Gemara wonders how we can cleave to Hashem when He is a consuming fire and the Gemara answers, ‘To be like Him.’
We have read recently, in these very pages, about the difficulties facing our broader community and about the difficulties in raising our children to stay along our straight, upright, and revealed path.
The commentators emphasize that in order for Hashem’s sovereignty to be complete, the nations of the world will have to accept His authority over them.
Although the koach hatumah, which is really the evil inclination, opposes the principles of chesed and service of Hashem, he can condone their practice.
Our Sages say that if you want to understand the heart of a matter, you read the bottom line.
This outlook of looking forward to the future with a sense of purpose is worthwhile to adopt in our personal and national lives.
A man must be constantly vigilant to speak and behave in a manner that brings happiness and comfort to his wife (or wives in Yaakov's case).
The Torah emphasizes three times that Yaakov sees things associated with Lavan, “his mother’s brother.” Why?
As a man is, so he sees. As the eye is formed, such are its powers. -William Blake
It goes without saying that no matter how expensive the Blue Label or single malt scotch is at the kiddush, one should not over indulge.
Above all, Ephraim becomes seduced by physicality. The little bit of pleasure he allowed himself dragged him into the pursuit of pleasure itself.
It is told that if even a grain of salt inadvertently fell on the table, the great tzaddik R’ Yechezkel of Shinyev was scrupulous to put it back in the dish. He felt that discarding the salt was a display of disrespect for food.
Yaakov is now so confident in his newly acquired ability to protect himself from the scammers of the world, that he feels that he doesn’t need G-d’s help. So he heads straight for the web of deception in Charan.
The second project is 'A Home for Life.' It was established a little more than a year ago. This is a home for girls with special needs. They integrate into the community as they acquire life skills and learn how to live independently.
Despite Yitzchak’s financial and even familial successes, such alienation, disappointment, and betrayal must have been immensely painful for him.
Our sages tell us that the daughters of Tzlafchad had a strong love for the Land of Israel. As such, they were not willing to surrender their father’s portion in the Land of Israel, just because he had died without sons. They therefore came to Moshe to demand his portion.
The subconscious realization that the nation of Israel is ascending to become mankind's dominant moral light compels Western civilization to try limiting the size and strength of the Jewish state.
"Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures but in the use made of them."-Napoleon Bonaparte
After announcements, we say Ein Keilokeinu. This prayer contains a lot of words, and sometimes the chazzan rushes through it all too fast. It is for this reason that I’m fond of those who sing the Ein Keilokeinu with its famous chant since it slows people down from the end of davening rush.
Malachi warns the nation of Israel not to take lightly the kohanim – past, present, or future – who are tzaddikim, who are worthy of their patrimony and who set an example by their own conduct for the proper characteristics of righteousness.
This is not the first Pesach Seder mentioned in the Torah; that was when the three angels visited Avraham and he instructed Sarah to make matzos.
By Bennett Ruda
Torah begins with the creation of the world in order to provide the counter-argument against those who would accuse the Jews of "stealing" the Land of Israel: Hebron; Shechem; Jerusalem-All 3 cities established and essential to Jewish history and identity
Last week marks two years since the passing of Rabbi Professor Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and one of the most eminent Jewish voices of our generation.
While the 'love' that exists before marriage can be easy, enjoyable and free from responsibility, the true test for a couple is to forge and strengthen a deep spiritual bond of love after the wedding.
Our sages tell us that it is only specifically through food that a mishap is not generated through a righteous person, because it would be disgraceful if a tzaddik consumed forbidden food.
The condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart. -Alan Redpath
When you come to shul, don’t hang out in the hall. If you paid money to go to a concert or a sports event, you would not idle the time away outside in the hallway. When you come to the House of G-d, surely it should be no different.
Much of the end of David’s life is marred by battle between the brothers and even occasionally between the brothers and their father over who will rule once David is gone.
Instead of Avraham donning his “superman cape” and praying to Hashem for help, he defers all responsibility to his wife, Sarah. Avraham seems powerless and totally dependent on Sarah for their salvation.
Time to wash our feet of the illusion that busyness=productivity
If I am indeed correct that each of the four descriptions of Yitzchak represents a different aspect of the test and Avraham is only congratulated for two, could it not be that Avraham did not pass the two aspects of the test that went unmentioned?
A deep understanding of events helps us appreciate how Avraham’s transgression provided the opportunity for him to ascend incredible heights through an unbelievable act of tshuva m'ahava.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Passions are vices or virtues to their highest powers. -Johann von Goethe
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.
July 10, 2026 
