יום חמישי, י״ח חשוון תשפ״זThursday, October 29, 2026
Follow Us
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.
Ultimately, no one else will take responsibility for us in our place.
Even after the people left Mitzraim, the Jews continued to see the Egyptians as their owners and taskmasters. Only with the death of their masters at Yam Suf did the Jews feel completely redeemed and truly free.
Rambam tells us that even the greatest of our sages did not know how the messianic era will unfold. All we have to work with are the words of the prophets which are obscure and offer little concrete details.
I believe that the plague of the firstborn was meant to occur at the very beginning. It was only Bnei Yisrael’s lack of faith that required nine plagues to precede it.
One would think that in the United States, where one’s freedom is protected by law, there is no need to worry about antisemitism.
Hashem aims, of course, to gift it all to us, but only if we use these gifts in a meaningful way. If we do not, Hashem reclaims them from us.
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.
While someone who is born Jewish is undoubtedly according to Jewish law deemed as Jewish, there is still the underlying prerequisite that ones actions also and perhaps equally, define a person’s Judaism.
If children grow up saying whatever they want, it will be very hard for them to restrain themselves when they’re older even if they learn how egregious speaking lashon hara is.
The Seder is not just an educational and intellectual experience; it’s also a unique opportunity to say thank you together with our loved ones to Hashem for the fact that He chose us as His nation and gave us His wonderful mitzvos.
Torah study shouldn’t be saved for our retirement. We should run to learn.
The Chovos HaLevavos teaches us that prayer without thought is like a body without a soul and a peel without fruit.
In order to properly daven for the geula, one must first notice the magnitude of the situation.
We must therefore constantly remind ourselves that it’s the Jewish way to stand by the side of a mate through thick and thin.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Stiff-necked people are creatures of habit, and those habits become especially rigid during times of stress.
I have always said that when a Jewish day school closes down, there is no future for the local Jewish population, and within just a few years the Jewish community will be compromised.
While this story is quite remarkable, we must wonder: Why did Hashem allow Ezra’s holy Sefer Torah to be defaced in the first place?
Many argued that it would be downright dangerous not to attend as their absence might raise the monarch’s ire after all the trouble he went through to accommodate their needs.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Concepts such as marit ayin enjoin us to be “inauthentic” and to put on a show for the outside, even when we know there is nothing inherently wrong with our actions.
It is inconceivable to believe that when we exited Egypt everyone in Israel had the same views on every subject and did not have the distinctiveness and uniqueness that make our people, and each individual, so important.
The Hafla’ah writes that since we want our prayers to rise to the heavens, they must be infused with a ruach, a spirit that causes them to ascend to Hashem’s Throne of Glory.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Because verbal abuse is more prevalent and generally overlooked as being problematic, the Torah makes the consequences more severe.
As he was typing feverishly, he by chance looked up from his computer and glanced at the dance floor. It was then that he noticed something remarkable.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
One of the most important factors in delivering and receiving feedback is the relationship between the giver and the recipient.
How could Moshe rush to convert him so quickly? Because it was a matter of life and death.
Measure for measure, the Jews didn’t lift a finger against the millions of Egyptians who pursued them to the sea. Instead, the Egyptians drowned themselves by walking into the watery abyss.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
He could have stressed the evilness of slavery or underscored the responsibilities of freedom... Instead, though, Moshe spoke about children and education. At that moment, in Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’s words, “the Israelites were told that they had to become a nation of educators.”
Clearly, the plagues weren’t the result of chance; they pointed to the hand of Hashem.
When looking back into our history we often find examples of people being in the right time and place, and making history that gave meaning and purpose to their entire existence.
As a young man, raised with royal treatment in Pharaoh’s palace, Moshe Rabbeinu didn’t allow himself to relax in splendor. Rather, he went out to his suffering brethren and shared in their fate.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Pharaoh’s refusal to believe in the miraculous power of G-d is evident even before the plagues begin.
What can be greater than the crown of Torah? After all, we’re taught, “Talmud Torah kneged kulam – The study of Torah is equal to all else.”
Shabbos should be so full of warmth and inspiration that our children should feel they can’t do without it.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
While each relationship has its own dynamic that adds to the drama, the fact that the younger sibling takes the spotlight away from the older sibling is a theme that cuts through all of them.
We must realize how much we are lacking in our lives as a result of not having the Bais HaMikdash.
When we hear of school bus tragedies, we should pray for the safety of our children. When we hear of someone suffering from Covid-19 or another dreaded disease, we should pray for health. When we see flashing lights on the highway, we should pray for safe travels.
Another answer for why Yosef is considered so great is that while it's true that the vision of his father came from Heaven, it only came after he exhausted every effort at his disposal. When those weren’t enough, Hashem stepped in and gave him Divine assistance.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
While there are several permutations of the exercise, the crux of the concept is to immerse your head in cold water while holding your breath. By doing so, your heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature will decrease, “freezing” the emotion so that you can better handle the challenge.
How, might you ask, in the middle of Italian neighborhoods would Rav Mintz be able to ferret out Jewish families?
During the formative years, when the parents have the opportunity, and the obligation, to teach the child and help him develop, the child cannot be labeled a “rebellious child.” Only when it is already too late, when the child is nearly reaching bar mitzvah, can he be labeled rebellious.
October 30, 2026 
