יום שישי, י״ב חשוון תשפ״זFriday, October 23, 2026
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The Rambam also says that one must verbalize his confessions in order for it to be valid (vidui b’peh).
The Netziv’s point: Self-assessment should be based on who we are, not based on who our neighbor is.
Only in Israel do we have the sovereignty & independence to become a light to the nations.
Baruch means either blessed should be God, or praised should be God.
Why was the mitzvah of Hakhel reserved for this particular time?
Ki Tavocan be broken into 2 main sections but is there a common thread that unifies our parsha?
How can Rashi say that all we need to do in order to reach that lofty level is to fully accept Hashem’s mitzvos?
The bikkurim declaration praises Gd & distills the Egyptian experience down to its spiritual essence
The Chasam Sofer (Yoreh Deah 106) explains that the Torah never commanded us to lend non-Jews money; it only allowed it.
The common translation of the opening words of this week’s parsha, Ki Seitzei, is: “When you go out to war against your enemy.” Actually the text reads “al oyvecha” upon your enemy. The Torah is saying that when Israel goes out to war, they will be over and above their enemy. The reason why Bnei […]
The love between Gd & Israel is deeper than marriage; beyond the infinite love of parent for child
Since giving the machatzis hashekel will not change his financial situation, he is obligated to do so even though it is more than a fifth of his income.
Each month is associated with a particular tribe. The month of Elul is matched up with Gad. What makes Gad unique?
Sanctions and indictment of the Jew, holding him to a higher standard, is as common and misplaced as ever.
To allow for free will, there are times when Hashem will allow a person the “opportunity to be the messenger.”
Mighty Amalek deliberately attacked enemy's weakest members, despicable even by ancient standards
You may wonder, how can we be excited and joyful at a time when His Judgment, not Fatherly Love, reigns supreme?
Children resist authority and struggle against structure, chores, and rules. But deep down they feel loved when they are granted guidelines and limits.
Judges, essentially apolitical, fulfilled a temporary purpose and then returned to private life
Torah teaches that trees must be protected for the trees themselves, sake of man, & for life lessons
Everything you see – from the flower to the bee, from the oceans to the mountains, rivers, planets, the sun, the moon and the stars – all just sort of happened.
The articles in this column are transcriptions and adaptations of shiurim by Rav Joseph Ber Soloveitchik, zt"l. The Rav's unique perspective on Chumash permeated many of the shiurim and lectures he presented at various venues over a 40-plus-year period. His words add an important perspective that makes the Chumash in particular, and our tradition in general, […]
We can suggest that since Hashem Himself appointed Dovid there is no question. The rules are only in place for when we must chose a king ourselves.
When we see the new moon at the start of each month, it is a sign from Hashem that we can renew ourselves spiritually.
The world is changing so fast and our youth are confronted with more information on a daily basis. There is nothing that we can do about it.
Perhaps a careful reading of the pesukim in the parsha will shed light on this dilemma.
Like the he-goat and the Temples, it is a guarantor for the Jewish People, to accept punishment on their behalf.
“When Hashem…will broaden your boundary as He spoke to you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ for you will have a desire to eat meat, to your heart’s entire desire you may eat meat.” – Devarim 12:20 For forty years in the midbar the Jewish people ate mon. Guided by Moshe Rabbeinu, engaged […]
Why do Rabbinic laws seem different than Biblical? What does law have to do with God & spirituality?
Parshat Re’eh discusses our obligations upon entering Israel, Yerushalayim & our covenantal mission
God's greatest gift for growth & coming closer to Him is "feedback;" Eretz Israel is set up that way
3 Jewish rituals–family purity, ksahrut, and Shabbat-help us understand that mitzvot are our benefit
By Rachel Weiss
"Who said one must pray with a whole heart? Perhaps it's preferable to pray with a broken heart."
I take pride in being a disciple of the Rebbe. I love everything about Chabad Lubavitch and the wellsprings of chassidus.
We need to have the endurance Napoleon demanded from his troops.
At the end of his exhausting second 40 day effort, again without food or water, Moshe was rewarded with a command to hew new tablets, as Hashem accepted his petition and forgave them.
The farmer understands he didn’t bring the rain. It wasn’t his acumen that stopped the pestilence.
The second parshah of Shema is referring to keeping the rest of the mitzvos, and there the Torah does not require that one spend all of his money in order to perform the mitzvos.
Is it because of merit or the promise to our ancestors that B'nai Israel gets to enter Israel?
In the Shema, Jews sense personal address but know deepest expression of loyalty to God is communal
By internalizing the Exodus, it is as if we ourselves were redeemed from Egypt.
Why would Moshe Rabbeinu have thought that the vow that disallowed him to enter Eretz Yisrael was annulled simply because he was allowed to conquer and enter the land of Sichon and Og?
Man has conflicting wishes and desires. Man has forces pulling him in competing directions.
Perhaps the admonition here is that we should not trivialize the events of the past by saying that they are irrelevant to the modern Jew.
By Tzvi Fishman
One must view the settlement of Israel in a positive light. Thinking otherwise is a grievous sin.
Reaching a stronger understanding of what Moses actually did to prevent him from entering the land
The 10 Statements main point was not content but the encounter between G-d & His nation, Israel
Before going in, I had told R’ Nachum all of the things we were doing in Philly, and how it was very important to receive a good bracha on behalf of our newest venture, a Russian Kollel.
Devarim often parallels the stories in Bereishit but in reverse & can be considered as a corrective
On Super Bowl Sunday itself, life seems to stop. Over one hundred million people watch the game. About half of the households in the country show it in their living rooms and dens.
Moses begins Sefer Devarim reviewing much of the 40 years in the desert & why he can't enter Israel
While they are definitely special occurrences, why are they cause for a new holiday?
By Tzvi Fishman
Torah wasn’t given to be kept in Sinai; Brooklyn or Beverly Hills-It was meant to be kept in Israel!
In addition to the restrictions of Tisha B’Av, there are several restrictions that one may not perform during the week that Tisha B’Av falls in.
The word “shavat” in the first kina of Tisha B’Av morning indicates a sudden suspension and cessation of time that accompanied the Temple's destruction.
Words & expressions that don’t appear anywhere in Torah’s first 4 books suddenly appear in Devarim
Feeling Hashem's presence in our lives is the very purpose of the Beis HaMikdash.
Knowing and feeling that Torah is the only absolute truth will not only help us serve Hashem properly, it will also help us reach out to others. We can be confident that we are offering them the best product possible.
When living in Israel, how can we be a light to the world's nations if we don’t live among non-Jews?
Analyzing the request to live on Jordan's other side to understand true communication: Trust&Respect
There are certain restrictions and abstentions that apply to Tisha B’Av that do not apply to regular aveilus.
Gad’s tremendous wealth considered with other points led rabbis to deduce Gad was very materialistic
The story of Zelophehad's daughters demonstrates Torah’s flexibility and ensuring justice.
By Rachel Weiss
A man from a distant city once came to Reb Hershel to bemoan the sorry state of his business affairs. To the tzaddik’s inquiry about the extent of his knowledge of religious practice, the man readily admitted his ignorance.
While leadership is always needed, complex situations require it at the highest level.
Not everybody’s greatness is readily apparent. Am mkadhsei shvi’i refers to the masses, the less notable among us, who exhibit the hidden, Rosh Chodesh type of sanctity.
We do not find that Pinchas was chastised for what he did; on the contrary he was greatly rewarded.
Why does the Torah group "random" stories together in Parshat Pinchas? Are they really RANDOM?
5 sisters, with no brothers, questioned an assumed law concerning land inheritance in Israel-and won
With Ruth, The Torah seems to be stating that children shouldn't be punished for the sins of parents
Why do we have a parsha in Sefer Shemos named after Yisro who was not only a former idolater, but actually served as a priest for Avodah Zarah!
The Shulchan Aruch in the very first siman states that one should rise in the morning like a lion, implying that simply rising form bed requires strength of a lion, in line with the Midrash.
Attempts to interpret the message of Hashem in the absence of divine prophecy ultimately may twist that message in unintended ways that can lead to calamitous events.
What's the nation of Israel's purpose in the world? How we can bring God's blessings into the world?
Bil’am’s character is complex and nuanced; neither purely good nor purely evil.
Amalek, our ultimate foe, understood that when unified, we are invincible and indestructible.
Perhaps on a deeper level, the mitzvah of parah adumah at this junction was not just to purify the body, but the spirit as well.
Halacha isn't random; it's a mechanism guiding individuals and society to a higher ethical plateau.
The greatest of men, Moshe, had to wait for Hashem to sprinkle purifying waters on Bnei Yisrael to mark the conclusion of the period of death.
Tosafos answers that nevertheless the sprinkling is a part of his taharah process.
What was Moses thinking when he struck the rock?
Israel's complaining frustrated Moshe, making it increasingly hard for him to lead effectively
Dovid's musical Torah teachings were designed to penetrate the soul and the emotions.
It occurred to me, as my brain rattled in my skull on a two-hundred mile ride through rural Virginia, that our souls work in much the same way.
Essential principle of arguments for Heaven's sake is recognizing no 1 person has monopoly on truth
Until Korach's rebellion, no one dared challenge Moshe’s authority.
Performing ketores outside the Beis Hamikdash, and at the wrong time is an aveirah.
Korach demonstrates how "charisma" can lead to a breakdown in the legitimate forms of leadership
A truly great leader is someone who not only leads and influences his immediate circle, but the broader world as well.
As they continued to spread fear in the hearts of the rest of Bnei Yisrael, they report that they saw giants, nefilim. V'sham rainu et hanefilim bnei anak!
It becomes clear that the problem the Jewish people faced wasn't temporary but endemic to its core
Ten of the twelve spies returned with a negative report, stating that this would be impossible.
By Rachel Weiss
It must have been the warm ambiance of their humble yet welcoming home. Or maybe it was their broad shoulders and understanding hearts…
Why did the Torah add baderch btzayschem M'mitzrayim to the command to remember the Miriam incident?
What was so bad about the spies sin and how can we connect to such an angry, vengeful God?
The Children of Israel chose a natural human existence, as opposed to living supernatural lives
How does haughtiness lead to a loss of faith? Pride to the eclipse of God?
Let's emulate Aharon’s devotion to Jewish values & religious standards while helping all of society
October 23, 2026 
