יום חמישי, כ״ד תמוז תשפ״וThursday, July 9, 2026
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The Torah tells us that it was Avraham who searched for (“Vayisa Avraham et einav”), found, and decided to sacrifice the ram. G-d had relieved him of his duties, but Avraham continued looking for opportunities to serve.
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.
The Torah emphasizes the importance of our work in its very first parshah, Bereishit. The world’s vegetation was ready to sprout, but did not because there was no man to work the ground.
Rabbi Isaac Bernstein of blessed memory, in his tapes on Chumash, states that chumrahs have had only a deleterious effect upon our people – generating only dissension and arguments, feelings of oneupsmanship and elitism, causing separation and fragmentation between one Jew and the next.
Everyone willingly and eagerly went to the Beit HaMikdash, even for two olives and two figs, because when they brought the bikkurim, they could ask Hashem for whatever they wanted, and it would be granted.
Even when we pray on behalf of individuals, we pray for them as part of the broader community.
Bilam’s advice was that Amalek stood no chance against the spiritually strong in Am Yisrael, but they did have a faint possibility to inflict damage on those in Am Yisrael who were spiritually weak.
The challenge of the shortness of life is compounded by the enormity of the task.
Since the Tree of Knowledge had sinned and not obeyed Hashem’s directive, by all rights it should have been uprooted and destroyed, but that is not what happened.
We excuse our lack of action because of our economic concerns and that such a move would compromise our ability to provide for our families appropriately.
One should never be complacent and feel that he has achieved enough. Every moment of our lives can and should be used for continued growth.
A genuine smile is a form of energy, an inner light radiating out from the soul.
Rebbi encourages reflecting upon Hashem’s presence and omniscience. “Look at three things and you will not come to sin: know what is above you, a seeing eye, and a listening ear, and all of your actions are recorded” (Avot 2:1).
When we go shopping, we stock our pantries for a week or more and go to bed in the secure knowledge that at least when we wake up the following morning, there will be food to eat.
The two not only emphasize the need for more action than wisdom; they also highlight the problem with having less action than wisdom.
Steering clear of hazardous objects and environments are obligations no less than the above in preserving our bodies and souls.
Torah coupled with good deeds is the ideal form of life.
Chava’s sin, born of frustration at her husband’s lack of diligence, was thinking she could create life without involving Adam or even Hashem.
Torah coupled with good deeds is the ideal form of life.
So what then is this business about preceding their infants with the sheep? If the sheep were meaningless to them, why did they mention them first?
It was Hashem’s goal in creation and the ultimate goal of our personal development . . . G-d does not seek our fear; He seeks our appreciation.
The korban hatamid was one of many – what makes it so special?
In the end of the third chapter of Pirkei Avot, Rebbi Elazar ben Azariah introduces us to four pairs of interdependent concepts.
Even when they part ways because of the tiffs over grazing land, Avraham promises to always be there for Lot in time of need. He makes good on that promise when he takes on the world “superpowers” and rescues Lot from captivity.
In order to generate peace, the Sages (Mishnah Brachot 9:5) instituted using the word shalom as a friendly greeting to one another despite it being Hashem’s holy name.
Why did Hashem tell Moshe to take the staff if He wanted Moshe to speak to the rock? Why open a possibility for Moshe to sin?
With the advent of the Internet our generation has entered into a period of instant communication. Ostensibly this way of corresponding would seem the most efficient and best, but in my estimation it represents the worst type of interaction.
Understandably, judges responsible to maintain a healthy, fair, functional society need to be “men of truth” (Shemot 18:21). This attribute gives them the best chance to achieve the first goal listed by Rashbag – din (law/justice).
Korach cynically recruited the tribe of Reuven to join his “coup” against Moshe and Aharon, claiming that it was the right of the bechor, Reuven, to work in the Mishkan – not Aharon and the Kohanim.
The word used by the Mishnah to describe our choice, reshut, means domain or control. The implication is that we are given not only free choice to decide, but also control over the outcome.
The mitzvah of hafrashat challah is from the written Torah, and like all the mitzvot related to the Land of Israel, applies only in Eretz Yisrael and only when the majority of Am Yisrael resides there.
I am particularly discouraged and disappointed with the so-called “Women of the Wall” and their monthly actions which disturb the prayers at the Kotel, creating a chillul Hashem.
Chazal say that the Menorah is a blessing of spirituality. It represents the light of the Torah.
Rav Kook defined shalom as people appreciating and finding the appropriate place for each other’s strengths.
If you have been settled in Eretz Yisrael already for four or more generations and your farm is producing steadily, blessed by Divine abundance, you begin to take it for granted.
Rebbi Akiva compared a Jew’s need for Torah learning to a fish’s dependency on water.
It is unclear exactly where everything goes on the shulchan. When the two stacks of breads and two bowls of levonah are arranged on it, there is no place for anything else, let alone baking pans, bowls, pipes, etc.
The ten tests Avraham passed expressed and taught his contemporaries about commitment to Hashem and thus earned him his reward.
Our souls ultimately seek things more meaningful than what this world has to offer, and we should make sure not to get lured astray by the non-spiritual aspects of our world.
Statistics seemingly is the human species’ greatest defense mechanism. It allows us to live “normal” lives of stability and security.
If we had Har Sinai today, the contemporary form of the mitzvah of Shemittah would not apply to farmers, but to computer engineers, doctors, graphics artists, lawyers, stockbrokers and businessmen.
Whether this particular Mishnah is making this point or not, we know that Hashem sees not only the present, but also everything in the future.
Parallel to the technical, scientific research I discovered many realities that are not intuitively apparent, but when you dig deeper, you begin to truly appreciate.
People who serve Hashem with ulterior motives take what is meant to be focused on Hashem and make it about themselves. As this diametrically opposes the goal of creation, it would be better for such a person to not have been created.
Hevel’s sacrifice represented the dominance of the spiritual, for as a shepherd he was totally dependent on Almighty G-d – he was alone.
The gift of life comes with the expectation that we use it properly.
Even more curious is the latter part of the Midrash – to prevent becoming afflicted with the nega’im, what should one do? Eat, drink and be happy! Have a continual party – that is the remedy!
HKB”H created most of the human body with redundancy. We have two eyes, ears, nostrils, arms, legs, hemispheres in the brain, chambers in the heart, lungs, kidneys, reproductive organs, etc., the logic being – “if one fails, we have a spare.”
When we muffle our identity, He muffles his love and care for us. When we assert our true selves, He expresses his true love.
I know very few who enjoy matzo year round. Most people can’t wait for Pesach to end, to get rid of all their leftover matzo.
A person who identifies with Hashem’s will must use the unique abilities and circumstances Hashem created him with and places him in to appreciate how he is meant to best serve Him.
Israel must demonstrate confidence in ourselves and an iron determination to defy our antagonists. Mordechai teaches that it is not through appeasement that one achieves peace but rather through strength, self-assurance and unequivocally firm resistance to tyranny and injustice.
Anything that the Jewish people accept as holy becomes holy to our people.
If the sin originated with food, then its remedy and atonement must involve food. This is why Purim is so food oriented...
Since everything we do for the sake of Heaven (including neutral, permissible actions) contributes to kavod Hashem, we should appreciate and fully focus upon whatever we are doing at each moment.
Children mimic what they see, and often the child who strays is driven by the inconsistencies and contradictions of his parents.
The Medrash takes this further by asserting that the Jewish people themselves embody G-d’s glory, and that one of the purposes of their galut is to spread G-d’s word throughout the world.
These sources seem to imply that the world was created for our own personal development rather than for G-d’s honor. How can we reconcile these contradictory understandings of why the world was created?
Esther was concerned that history should know the true story – that she was propelled by Divine forces to be the instrument to save Klal Yisroel.
After the last perakim of Sanhedrin speak about sinners executed by Beit Din for their sins, this mishnah emphasizes that though these people are killed because of their grievous sins, they still have a portion in Olam Haba.
We are all brothers – children of Hashem. Separating from one another is an affront to the unity of Hashem’s oneness.
Though the Torah describes Hashem creating man in His image in its first chapter, Hashem only tells man about it in chapter nine.
Rav Kook says, “Anyone who thinks in a pure, G-dly way cannot hate or denigrate any creation or potential found in our world.”
This magnificent project, the Talmudic Encyclopedia, gives students the breadth of the Torah…I read the entry on ‘chazaka’ ... this is a very difficult topic ... But if one reads this entry in the Talmudic Encyclopedia, it is so clear, it is so organized, all the intricate details, it’s astonishing.
As I studied this story and related ones in the Torah, it occurred to me that Moses, at times, seems to have lost his faith in the Jewish people.
At times our sages justify King David’s behavior and posit that anyone who believes that King David sinned is wrong. Such a theory obviously goes against the simple meaning of the text.
The Aruch HaShulchan always had the role of a primary source of halacha for many poskim and roshei yeshiva. Although we must note that in most circles, the Mishnah Berurah, written by the beloved Chofetz Chaim has eclipsed it.
There are those who recite the words “Next year in Jerusalem” with such fervor at the Seder on Passover eve. But until all of us wholeheartedly accept the reality that we have Medinat Yisrael and recognize the enormity of this gift, Mashiach will unfortunately tarry.
How can anyone rebuff Almighty G-d when receiving a directive to perform a task? What motivated Moshe to refuse this mission?
What has changed in our society that we are so cautious with security and are constantly on edge that something can go wrong? Who are we afraid of?
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
‘Woe to a person who is not aware of his faults, for he does not know what he needs to correct. But double woe to a person who is not aware of his virtues, for he is lacking the tools for correcting himself’ – Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Researchers reported that for some people, more introspection led to less insight about themselves.
Shabbat is not a time to burden students with extra homework assignments. It is a time for students to focus on their families and the relationships in a successful family. When we get down to it, the basis of all of Judaism is centered around the family.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
If G-d graces you with a particular strength, for example wealth, physical strength, wisdom, memory, a pleasant voice, and the like, offer it to G-d, utilizing it for the purposes of holiness.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Knowing that our brain cells are not fixed into unalterable patterns, people can understand that change is possible.
The reality is that sometimes our children need to unwind, to take a rest from the vicissitudes of life and once again focus on what’s really important – their family and loved ones.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
According to the Vilna Gaon, the world currently stands exclusively on the pillar of chesed.
It’s up to us to condition our children that rain is an exciting, life-giving force that satisfies the needs of so very many in a short amount of time.
The guilty were sent to the cities of the Levi’im not to be imprisoned but to be placed in an environment of learning and spirituality, a setting where atonement and self-forgiveness could readily be achieved.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Hillel, according to Rambam, is emphasizing that we all have free will to improve ourselves and acquire virtues...
The gift that had been given to us by G-d is being rejected by many of them as they vindicate Hamas and blame our soldiers as the cruel enemy mercilessly killing innocent Palestinians.
Relationships with acquaintances that cause us stress should be, if at all possible, discarded.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
As Sinek describes through examples such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Apple, and Southwest Airlines, starting with why is the best recipe for success, as it boosts passion and motivation, and inspires others to follow.
How wonderful it is to cultivate in marriage a "Teflon" personality, where the small nuisances of life slip off and are not made a big deal of.
Even in good times, when there is no need for physical mesiras nefesh, there is still a form of self-sacrifice required to give your spirit.
It is difficult for anyone to presume to know the reason behind the Rebbe’s campaign; it is not for us to decide why the Rebbe did what he did.
If a husband and wife have peace, then they have the Divine Presence in their midst. Therefore, we all should do whatever we can to safeguard the serenity and the tranquility of the home. This also is the best way to model good behavior for our children and grandchildren.
To the amazement of all in attendance, the Rebbe connected the answers with the names of those who asked the questions.
Ultimately each and every one of us is responsible for our own actions. Children’s excuses such as “my parents gave me permission” or parents’ insistence that “my child would never do that” do not absolve them from responsibility.
The old man answered that he was a kohen and he wanted to give everyone a blessing before he would be killed.
We’re in the country, without the invasive eyes of our more scrupulous city neighbors. We must therefore make a commitment to ourselves that we won’t allow this fact to affect our religious behavior.
You were granted from Above the opportunity to... ease the final moments of a person's life.
There is nothing wrong with going to Meron, and davening by kivrei tzadikim, and surely by the Tannah Rabi Shimon bar Yochai. But there is a special power that all beginnings have.
At the foot of Har Sinai, we achieved the dream of achdus – national oneness. One of the primary messages of Shavuos, therefore, is: Strive to replicate this achievement.
The tribe of Levi reasoned that since they weren’t enslaved by Pharaoh, they weren’t entitled to share in the booty which was taken as reparations for the harsh labor experienced by their brethren.
Often we look at a person or an event and we are convinced that this is the highest level of sainthood and godliness, not realizing that G-d seeks what is in the hearts and souls of humankind and not their outward appearance.
And that may be why only we Jews who are commanded to be holy also have commands that seek to purify our hears and minds.
In BHA”B season, the age-old argument on whether to open or close the shul’s windows tends to rear its ugly head. The fact that such disputes occur in shuls is not coincidental.
The computations of the sofrim were not restricted to gematria alone. There are myriads of number-related secrets in the Torah.
July 3, 2026 
