יום שישי, כ״ט אלול תשפ״וFriday, September 11, 2026
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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.
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.
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.
We are never like angels till our passion dies. -Sir John Denham
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.
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.
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.
We learn not only from classes and lectures; we educate ourselves through internalized experiences and events.
You are my candle, Hashem, and Hashem brightens my darkness.
We need to guarantee that we are not complacent with our prayers. Therefore, we must constantly work on better kavanah and focus, learning the meanings of the words and working on a sincere belief that our prayers will really make a difference in our daily lives.
The first place that Am Yisrael traveled to after leaving Raamses in Egypt was Sukkot. If we go with this method, that Sukkot was a place, then what was so special about the place Sukkot that warrants us remembering it and celebrating an entire festival around it (according to R’ Akiva)?
We can imagine the outpouring of prayers, the heart-rending tears and devotion that preceded the manifestation of their atonement. It is harder to envision the joy and elation that erupted when the outcome was positive.
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.
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.”
After all Moshe was the most humble person ever; he had no ego and did not need an official title.
Even when Hashem doesn’t cause rain to fall and feed our crops, he provides moisture and sustenance through the dew of the earth.
The creation of the unique “mouth of the donkey” established the fundamental principle of the significance of viduy – admission of one’s sins – in the process of doing teshuva.
In his merit, and to our benefit, let's try to work on speaking less lashon hara.
When giving charity it is much more effective if we give it with a smile and a kind word.
Everything we do on Yom Kippur is for the purpose of elevating us to the status of angels.
It's important to recognize that this kind of competition involves a serious investment of time.
When it comes to someone’s time, there is little that one can do to extend their divinely allotted ration of life. But tzedakah can accomplish even this...
Being a forgiving person is not a one-time deal... It demonstrates that the person is a man of faith because he understands that the fault does not lie with the one who insulted him. It is his own soul that needs refinement.
So long as a person is capable of self-renewal they are a living being. -Henri Frederic Amiel
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.
Raba bar Rav Shila taught: “You will arise and be compassionate to Tzion because it is time to show her chen, the occasion has come.” (Tehillim 102:14).
We have minhagim to eat various different symbolic foods on the night of Rosh Hashana, somewhat resembling a Pesach Seder. There is one minhag, however, that is universal throughout Am Yisrael and that is eating apple dipped in honey. What is the origin of this minhag?
Bikurim are brought only after Eretz Yisrael has been conquered and the children of Israel are permanently settled in their allotted portions of land.
Or told her that in Judaism it is appropriate to say a blessing upon meeting a king or queen. He asked her if he could make the blessing and she agreed.
The performance of our Torah's ritual precepts must be contextualized & experienced within the larger meta-narrative of Israel's story & mission.
In every phenomenon, the beginning remains always the most notable moment. -Thomas Carlyle
September 11, 2026 
