יום שבת, כ״ג אלול תשפ״וSaturday, September 5, 2026
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The concept of the Twelve Tribes and mutual responsibility is a “collective” concept, in which the individual appears to be secondary, however the opposite is the case.
It is no little wisdom for a man to keep himself in silence and in good peace when evil words are spoken to him, and to turn his heart to God and not to be troubled with man's judgment. -Thomas Kempis
Rav Kook speaks evocatively of a world full of harmony. Everything has been created with a purpose and situated in such a way that it stands in perfect balance with everything else.
Many commentators wonder why not proffering bread and water is considered such a great crime
Our sages tell us that one of the most effective ways for man to gain Heaven’s favorable judgment is to grant merit to the community, by helping, contributing, and empathizing with those who are in need.
Rav Moshe Shternbuch, zt”l, zy”a, urges us to get moving with our Elul pursuits as early and as quickly as possible. He compares it to a wedding. If you go early, the baalei simcha, the celebrants are more likely to notice you and to interact with you personally.
The Kohanim and Leviim did not have a share in the Land, it was therefore up to the other tribes to provide for them. In Parshat Shoftim we read about a few of these gifts that are given to the Kohen for support: from a non-korban that is slaughtered, the Kohen receives the zero'a, lechayayim, […]
Rachel spoke: I want to thank G-d right now in front of all of you for giving me this magnificent present of my son Hersh. For 23 years I was privileged to have the most stunning honor to be Hersh’s mama. I’ll take this moment to say thank you.
As favor and riches forsake a man, we discover in him the foolishness they concealed, and which no one perceived before. -Jean De La Bruyere
In the opening chapters of Orot HaTeshuva, Rav Kook examines the categories and characteristics of teshuva. He posits that teshuva is an aspect of natural law which triggers an awareness of Divine Mercy that in turn precipitates the exercise of Divine Mercy.
On the eve of battle, 4 groups can leave. Who are the 4 & what does it mean "allowed to go home"?
And what greater matter for self-sacrifice can there be than to help bring about the full Redemption of all Israel?
The Zera Shimshon asks: Why does the Torah need to state that the people will be judged. Who else is presenting before the judges?
If we succeed in developing a strong sense of justice in our homes and communities, perhaps our prayer for God to restore justice will be justly heard and accepted.
If you don’t rinse out your mouth in the morning before davening, grab the opportunity to do so. You can fix in your mind that you are doing it so that the many names of Hashem that you will articulate during davening will come from a clean and pleasant source.
The Torah standard for the conviction of criminals is set much higher than in most contemporary systems of law
When Moshe uses this phrase to rebuke Am Yisrael in parshat Ha'azinu, he states this as a fact, not as a conditional statement...Moshe is saying – it is for sure going to happen!
We are Hashem’s children. We are prohibited from gashing our skin, or ripping out hair upon suffering the death of someone close.
As this period of Kaddish comes to a close, one bereaved family asked me to thank the general public on their behalf.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. -Mary Schmich
The reward matches the challenge.
We learn that every effort that is expended for the collective Jewish people is a merit for the individual.
Hashem, I know that this person might even repeat such an offense against me in the future but I am still willing to forgive him for now. Please forgive me as well even though I might likewise slip up with aveiros, sins, sometime in the future.
For Rav Hirsch, this is the true embodiment of the national spirit of Israel – feeling responsible for one another, meeting the needs of one another, and celebrating together in the joy of the community experienced as a community.
The family should belong in the picture at home, not at the Temple. Why reverse it?
Unlike all the other types of Korbanot that are offered to atone for a sin, the Shelamim is offered purely out of love for Hashem.
The consequences of the Mitzvot.
The Book of Devarim describes the great danger of living in a prosperous society that offers people everything they desire and in large amounts. It’s challenging to live in poverty – but it’s also challenging to live in wealth.
Eretz Yisrael is blessed with seven species of food. One of the joys of living in Eretz Yisrael is having the privilege of eating these special foods.
G-d didn’t have to admonish Avraham that the mitzvos are not a yoke around one’s neck, but rather vitamins for the soul.
Ambition makes the same mistake concerning power that avarice makes concerning wealth. She begins by accumulating power as a means to happiness, and she finishes by continuing to accumulate it as an end. -Charles Caleb Colton
Part of the process of pursuing our goals certainly requires that we work as hard as we can to achieve them, and it is perfectly appropriate for someone to be proud of their hard work. But they must never forget either the source of their power or the ultimate purpose of their efforts: to uphold the covenant with Hashem.
NEVER lose sight of the gol
Although the individual who seems to be evil, may, in fact, enjoy great success in life, when he dies, he has already received all his reward in this world. This is in contrast to the tsaddikim who will receive the lion’s share of their reward in the world-to-come.
Taking one’s time to have these thoughts in mind is well worth it. The Gemara informs us, Kol hamarich b’Echad, marichin lo yomov u’shnosov – Whoever prolongs the word Echad will have one’s life qualitatively and quantitatively prolonged.
This year, Tisha B’Av was not just symbolic, but painfully real. It is not a coincidence that our enemies are threatening to attack us on that day, G-d forbid.
If you love Hashem, if you are in awe of Him, then things will go well for you. As they should. But one mustn’t serve Hashem in expectation of a reward.
In Parshat Va'Etchanan, Moses speaks, a lot - but it all seems so boring, and disconnected. What is he REALLY talking about?
The Sforno says that the essence of the sin of the golden calf was the dancing, without the dancing the sin would not have been so severe.
The real community of man, in the midst of all the self-contradictory simulacra of community, is the community of those who seek the truth, of potential knowers... of all men to the extent that they know. -Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind
...And Why You Might Have Thought Otherwise
By Tzvi Fishman
Our being a persecuted minority among the gentile nations was to teach us to appreciate the importance of our own holy, Jewish Land.
I believe the nechama, the comfort, is that we have changed as a result of our efforts during the Three Weeks and the Nine Days, learning how to be more careful with sinas chinam, baseless hatred, and lashon hara, evil slander.
One should not become discouraged thinking that he will not be able to master the depth and breadth of the Torah, and therefore he might as well not learn at all. Our sages teach us (Avos 2:16), You are not required to complete the task.
The Land of Israel being the ideal homeland of the Jews is that it is the only one. It is ideal, and nowhere else
Because Avraham is no longer physically with us in our world, this personal role is fulfilled through the exercise of the divine attribute that Avraham exemplified – that of chesed (kindness). When the power of the kindness of Avraham is made to resonate in the world, then we will know that the redemption is at hand.
And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Many of us have lost it because we don’t see the true value of it. What would having the Beit HaMikdash add to my life that I don’t have already?
Even though the realm of evil may at times become stronger, one need not fear as he has hope and faith that Hashem is with us.
The Chovos HaLevovos gives us a chilling deterrent from speaking lashon hara. He warns us that if we speak lashon hara about someone, Hashem will take away some of our merits and give them to the person we spoke badly about.
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. -Carl Zwanzig
once Aharon dies and they confront the king of Arad, they decide upon a different journey in which they will enter Israel through the “side door.”
It was necessary to have an equal number of people going to war, as were assigned to pray. This was to highlight the awareness that it was not the strength of those fighting that determined their victory over the Midyanim, but the prayers of the other 12,000 soldiers.
I realized that although he was in his late 80s, he wanted to walk from the bungalow all the way to the parking lot – a great distance – in order to personally greet her upon her arrival. That left an indelible impression upon me, of how a husband is supposed to show a wife that she is wanted.
The last time the Torah mentions Aharon actually saying anything of his own volition, is when Miriam speaks lashon hara against Moshe. Aharon’s words are a plea for Moshe to pray to G-d to heal their sister.
An Egyptian whose ancestors committed genocide against our people may be accepted as a convert after three generations, but a Moabite and Amonite – who never gave us bread and water, they may never be accepted?
Moshe knows he’s running out of time, he wants to make his final request of Hashem.
How could we err and think, like the Jews of Hungary did, that the nations of the world will protect us during times of tribulation? When the inhumane policies of the evil Hitler, yemach shemo, had already affected most of the countries in Europe after four years, people still paid no attention.
The successful relationship between husband and wife makes the home into a sanctuary as it says, Ish v’isha shalom beineihem, Shechina shruyah beineihem – A husband and wife, if there is peace between them, then the divine Presence dwells between them.
What is the biblical source for not causing pain to animals?
In the human experience, there’s no guarantee of a safe and successful landing and return. What is critical is not the ultimate destination, but the values we bring to the journey of life.
When you feel that the world is going mad, it is important to return to our sources. Our Torah portion this week reminds us that what we are experiencing today has occurred before.
How important are failed plans and plots, such that the Torah needs to mention any of them at all?
Parashat Balak is a very interesting parasha in that it relates an incident that none of Am Yisrael observed directly.
Balak realized that the land of the Amorites, including the strip of land between the Arnon River and the Yabbok river which formerly belonged to Moav, was eventually destined to be taken over by the Jews in accordance with G-d’s promise to Avraham.
Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil. -Plato
Bilaam’s hope is to reduce the power of Israel by carving away at our fighting men through spiritual means, so that they will be removed from the army as they are condemned to perdition for their transgressions.
Not only is our disposition and attitude critical in disquieting circumstances, but every word we utter during challenging times is significant.
As you get better in chess, you just can’t rely on your opponent to make a mistake. Better players won’t make mistakes.
Yes, he looks rather ridiculous as he makes one poor decision after another, and that is rather the point.
What exactly did Moshe and Aharon do wrong in the incident of "Mei Meriva"?
In America, where he arrived from Europe in 1941, mitzvah observance had become moribund, increasingly disconnected from the modern world. The Rebbe reversed this trend by demanding more Torah, more Jewish brotherhood, more Jewish education.
The Torah tells us that Nadav and Avihu died because they brought a “strange fire” before Hashem (Vayikra 10:1). But Rashi says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer that they died because they taught Torah in front of their master, Moshe.
All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine. -Socrates
Why weren’t Moshe’s prayers effective, as they were when he prayed for the frogs to be removed from Pharaoh?
The smart player always trains himself to think what the other person on the other side of the board is thinking about.
The pastime of blaming faultless leaders is apparently not new.
Who are the sources of our information regarding the war? After five get-togethers and lectures in the United States that included difficult questions on the situation in Israel, I understood how important it is to check our information sources.
When God gets angry at the people, all Moshe can do is fall on his face in grief at his own responsibility about what was happening-- But Moshe doesn’t stay on his face for long.
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. -Edmund Burke
It bears mentioning, tragically, that when judgment is rampant in the world and the angel has been unleashed for the purpose of destruction, it tends to consume the innocent alongside the guilty.
Outraged at Moshe and Aharon, they marched with Korach to stand up against Moshe, while Korach vigorously maintained that he was not doing this for himself; he merely wanted to save the people from being misled by Moshe and Aharon.
The pastime of chess, in a world where there are so many hobbies that can atrophy the brain – from vegetating in front of a screen to pounding feverishly the controls of addictive computer gaming – is a refreshing opportunity to activate the mind and train it in many beneficial abilities.
Korach and his group were fighting with each other at the same time that they were fighting with Moshe and Aharon.
Is remembering God's wrath the best way to commence every Shabbos?
When faced with uncertainty, confusion, or disillusionment due to current challenges, turning our thoughts positively towards the past and the future can empower us with perspective and inner strength.
There is a strong message in this week’s Torah portion and it is the call to return home, to make Aliyah.
A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything. -Gustav Mahler
Being a real hero is not just about what we do, it is also about when we do it.
Even in the depths of our exile, we are never forsaken by Hashem, and the Gemara teaches that even the Shechina, the Divine Presence on earth, goes into exile to suffer with us until our ultimate redemption.
It is specifically when a person is in trouble or faces a serious challenge that he becomes vulnerable to the yetzer hara.
What is so exceptional about the blessing Magein Avraham that the Shulchan Aruch says that we have to say Shemoneh Esrei over again if we didn’t have kavanah? The answer is because the first blessing is the password to get into Hashem’s Palace, to have an audience with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
The census, the camp, and travel scheme were all set, but then...
The seven stems of the Menorah symbolize the seven wisdoms of the world. They all emanate from the central wisdom of the divine Torah and they have purpose only when they too contribute to the Torah.
Not eating meat is a decision, eating meat is an instinct. -Denis Leary
These entities differ profoundly from one another, but they join together when they face the Menorah, the single individual divine source of all wisdom.
One may then raise the question of why should Moshe have gotten married to begin with
How could Hashem imply that the essence of every Jew is good (made of pure gold like the menorah) if there were sinners among them?
September 4, 2026 
