יום ראשון, כ״א חשוון תשפ״זSunday, November 1, 2026
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In Esav's world, thoughts follow action. Do first, think second.
Firstly, why did Hashem communicate His loving Presence specifically with oil instead of anywhere else along the way?
The Ramban adds that although Yaakov knew that when his sons told Shechem and Chamor to circumcise the entire city that they were not intending on actually marrying in with this city.
Though Hashem's incredible gift of the State of Israel (despite its flaws), we have truly entered into a new level of interaction with and relationship to the world around us-- "The Isaac Covenant.”
Jacob's power was powerless until it was used to empower his children. Talmud's great power to nurture complex thinking is powerless until it is used to empower us to think, question, and challenge
Rabbi Hirsch: "The goal of history is not that Jacob should be forced to merge into the mass of nations, but the reverse. The nations must come to understand that..."
The actual tale of Rivkah and Esav is of a mother who continued to care and love a delinquent child who became a problematic adult, proving she will always be his mother and he will always be her son.
For many years Rachel knew she was to marry Yaakov and be a matriarch of the Jewish people.
I want to suggest that although ma’ariv is a voluntary tefillah in its essence, it differs from a nedavah.
Laban’s behavior is the paradigm of anti-Semites through the ages. It was not so much what Laban did that the Haggadah is referring to, but what his behavior gave rise to, in century after century.
Like Rivkah before them, neither Rachel nor Leah created the situation that was about to have extraordinary influence on the rest of their lives and, ultimately, on the lives of countless others
Anyone can appear spiritual and holy when he is davening or learning Torah.
Rav Hirsch claims had Isaac and Rebecca developed a unique curriculum that took into account Esau's love of nature, strength, skills and courage, it may have directed him to become a mighty man of God
Precisely because she came from the house of wicked people and wasn’t negatively influenced, she was considered greater than if she had been born into a house of holy people.
If someone remembers during Minchah that he did not recite ya’aleh veyavo during Shacharis, he must similarly daven Shemoneh Esrei twice during Minchah.
On the one hand, we see that Rivkah was right about Ya’akov’s potential. On the other hand, we will never be sure who was right about Esav.
By Rachel Weiss
The Jewish nation thankfully emerged from their spiritual slumber just in time...
People were stunned, but they got the message.
Devar Torah on Parshas Chayei Sarah from the well known, Rabbi Aba Wagensberg.
Why does Lavan’s speaking before his father show that he was wicked? Disrespectful, yes. Rude, certainly. But a rasha?
The reason it would be pronounced gashem is because it is the last word before a pause.
Yitzchak, did not go to Be’er Lechai Ro’ee to pray or meditate. Rather he was on a mission, and that mission was to return Hagar to Avraham in marriage.
"A father of philosophy, the father of the Hebrews and his slave get together,,," sounds like the start of an ancient joke but read on...
Why is the kever of the Isha Hashunamis a special place for tefillos?
Avraham had many students, but there was only one who was truly devoted to knowing and understanding the ways of his teacher. That was Yitzchak.
I would assume that if Hashem appeared to someone, he would be obligated to remain in Hashem’s presence for as long as Hashem remained.
Abraham was not an isolationist concerned solely with his own interests. Regardless of how despicable the Sodomites were, Abraham started a surreal negotiation with G-d to save them.
Isn't it surprising that Avraham who prayed for Sodom's salvation did not protest God commanding him to kill his own son? For the Netziv, this was actually exactly what God wanted from Avraham. Why?
Abraham is a model of the Individual, of the non-conformist, of the person who will take a stand for what is right though it is unpopular. Indeed, Abraham carved his own path.
Why did Yaakov act strangely by crisscrossing his hands when he could have simply switched Ephraim and Menashe’s positions?
Is there any way to measure the value of life? Is it worth a million dollars? Ten million? A hundred billion? Is it even possible to put a value on our existence?
Why do we allow a Jew to shecht on Shabbos when there are other ways of providing the ill person with meat?
We meet two different Abrahams in the Torah text and the Midrash. The spiritual giant, hero, and Tzaddik of the Midrash is almost a phantom in the written text. Which is real?
While we read of tests of Avraham, it is clear that Sarah endured tests of her own. According to Ramban, she failed her test in her treatment of Hagar
Rashi is troubled that thievery is being treated as the pivotal point of the world’s existence. There are many sins that are worse.
The Torah itself presents parallel narratives of the same stories, thereby showing that the same events can truthfully be constructed in more than one way.
As long as an individual is still alive and his possessions are still intact, they belong to him – and one may not steal them.
While turning points do not often announce themselves with a clarion call, there are, nonetheless, moments in our lives when the potential for major change is evident.
Parshas Bereishis is not only the first but arguably the most difficult parsha in the entire Torah. Let's begin...
"Saper vedere," - knowing how to see - informs our lives. Have we changed with the opportunities brought by the holidays> Have we kept our new lenses?
Before there was physicality, there was nothing to measure, so there was no system to measure height.
Though a woman helps her partner and remains his equal, she nurtures and thereby becomes a man's superior. Paradoxically, therefore, woman may be just a bit closer to the image of God than man.
It was not enough for Moshe to die by himself, however; his separation from family and nation had to be total, even after his death. And so his burial spot would need to be hidden from all.
On Shabbos, says Rav Cohen, we exist in a world of mei’ein Olam Habah, a microcosm of the next world, a taste of Gan Eden.
Being happy isn’t an emotion we can turn on and off like a light switch. And how can we relate the effect of doing a mitzvah joyfully to the case of Reuven?
Why do we take the Four Species on Sukkos? What is their message?
God’s foremost desire is to conduct a relationship with the Jewish people built on love and commitment. The song of Ha’azinu reassures us that the relationship will never die.
Boundless Boundaries are the point of the imperfect structures we build as our Sukkot. The Sukkah is intended to provide the security we need to soar.
In this week's video, we close the entire Torah, and we ask ourselves, what lessons can we learn today? How can we be inspired by the Torah's messages, and fulfill our destiny as a people?
Moses teaches his final commandment, "Write this song for yourselves." Moses wants each of us to write a Torah, not as a book of laws or teachings, but as a song.
Rashi makes a critical observation: When Yonah was thrown overboard the pasuk says he was swallowed by a male fish. Yet when he davened to Hashem, the pasuk says a female fish spit him out.
As we approach Yom Kippur, it is time for us to think creatively, the willingness to chart a new path, about what we can do better.
By Rachel Weiss
Rosh Hashanah on the first of Tishrei comes to assure us that we needn’t despair, for Hashem, our Heavenly Father, is eager to accept our teshuvah and wipe our slate clean.
One thing a person can do to ensure that he repents quickly after he sins is to think ahead.
We stand in the final moments of 5776, prepared to transition to 5777, perfect moments to offer our gift to God, honoring all we have gained over the past year and how we intend to apply that growth
To understand God's curses at the end of the Torah, we have to follow a trail all the way back, to Creation, and the Garden of Eden
There is a period of fact finding, a period of deliberation, and then the decision is read for all to hear. At that point, the judge, the jury, the defendant, and all in attendance know the ruling.
Why is it necessary for one to perform teshuvah over the performance of any other mitzvah?
Each mitzvah and each holiday is a guide and a map
The visitor does not hand over his basket of First Fruits; he first shares it with the Temple representative. This is not a ceremony of give and take but of sharing.
Studies show that not only do athletes who use them improve, but so do many other people whose activities require peak performance.
It seems from the Vilna Gaon and the Ra’avan that shomei’a k’oneh would not work for reciting the parshah of bikurim. But why not?
Ki Tavo is so difficult to read; how could Hashem be so cruel to us? Join us as we grapple with the incredibly difficult curses of this week's parsha
Many commentators sense a significance to the placement of the bikkurim declaration, at the beginning of this week’s pasha, right after the injunction to destroy Amalek. What is the connection?
Just as Noach established and created a certain merit for himself when being saved, so too Bnei Yisrael need to do the same in order to be redeemed.
So if on the previous Rosh Hashanah, Shimon had a decree of a year of life, then there is nothing Reuven or any other force in existence could do to change that.
Since each month is aligned with a particular shevet and constellation, we can inform ourselves of the qualities of the month through them.
The Torah explicitly says that a husband may divorce his wife if he so pleases. How can Rabbenu Gershom forbid this practice when the Torah seemingly permits it?
Though related to the 10 commandments, what is the larger message that this list of laws in parsha Ki Teitzei is coming to teach us?
Battling Amalek presents an important warning to any Jewish military leader that there is a need to maintain a basic respect for what it means to be human, even when dealing with mortal enemies.
When I first encountered this explanation, I took issue with it. For even if a shul’s courtyard does not possess kedushah, planting in it could still be prohibited.
At the same time, a king is expected to remain humble. The Torah isn’t afraid the great honor accorded to him will bring him to arrogance.
A person who gives charity dolefully or begrudgingly demonstrates that his faith is somewhat wanting and he has not fully fulfilled the mitzvah of giving charity.
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.
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.
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.
While the sincerity of the little fellow might be touching, he is missing the point.
They bentched nonetheless, though, because they were given a specific mitzvah to thank Hashem for the mon.
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?
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.
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.
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 […]
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.
If a person will not be fasting on Sunday for whatever reason, he should say havdalah on a cup prior to eating.
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.
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'
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.
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,
Any judgment becomes a balance – how much rachamim and how much din?
October 30, 2026 
