יום חמישי, י׳ תמוז תשפ״וThursday, June 25, 2026
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Then there is the potential for enhancing Israeli security, which continues to be a key objective for U.S. policy in the Middle East.
As the military phase recedes, the struggle shifts to the diplomatic front and to the charged arena of public opinion. Here, too, our resolve is tested, as our principled defense of land and people is distorted and condemned.
By Aaron Oppenheim and Yosef Baker
In your pocket or purse, you may be carrying the modern descendant of that ancient Jewish coin, still copper-colored, still the smallest denomination, still somehow essential despite all logic.
The Torah is not only a guide to living a life of truth within the physical world; it is also the literal blueprint and DNA of this physical world.
By Shlomo Greenwald with Ziona Greenwald
My first and foremost priority as an elected official is to deliver for my Constituents, which means fighting against Mamdani’s radical policies – but it also means working with him on a wide variety of local non-partisan issues, such as quality of life.
For those of us who have the merit and privilege to study the timeless words of Gemara, the thumb plays a particularly significant role. We can hardly imagine learning Gemara, trying to explain a particularly challenging novel exegetical explanation, without passionately thrusting our thumb downward and then upward.
Children are not nachas machines. Children are human beings, messy combinations of nature and nurture, who are put on this earth to navigate their own journeys.
By Avi Ganz
According to AI, nachas is a Yiddish word that translates to deep pride and joy, especially the kind felt from the accomplishments or meaningful actions of a loved one, particularly one's children.
By Ariela Davis
It’s one thing to have nachat from kids because they get a good grade or follow the path we hope they will follow.
Often, parents view nachas as the payoff for cleaning up diapers and vomit, helping with countless hours of homework and hanging on during the roller coaster that is the teenage years. Even if that payment is not made immediately, it is still viewed as deserved when it comes to fruition in adulthood.
Over the centuries, women have taken on positive time bound mitzvot which bring them nachat such as listening to the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, shaking the lulav and sitting in the sukkah.
I always feel sorry for Jews I know and like when I see them trying to disprove or convince people on social media that Israel did not commit genocide in Gaza or starve Palestinian babies. This is a fruitless exercise. There is simply no point at all in trying to offer rational arguments to an irrational mind.
It is still not clear where exactly the Saudi deal fits in but it plainly needs some oversight.
Baruch didn’t really suspect Yosef of stealing, but the problem of the missing $500 needed to be clarified.
Oppositional defiant disorder is the diagnosis often given to kids who tantrum a lot, often refuse to do what they’re told, and do not follow rules and requests. While the diagnosis refers to specific behaviors, it does not provide any information about the problems and lagging skills that are causing those behaviors.
No Halacha Is Irrelevant “Anticipating The Arrival of Moshiach”
There are mothers who are looking for a son-in-law who will compensate for all the things their own husbands are missing. They approach the shidduch scene hoping for a do over of their own marriages and live vicariously through their children.
All the good we help bring into existence benefits us in the Next World, to the extent that the soul grows from the experience.
Over salads and pasta in a sleek, dimly lit space, Shulamis shared that she’d received reports from Velvel about how happy they were in the new house in Toms River. But she told Chani confidentially that she didn’t think it was so wonderful that Rikki would be with them for the whole summer.
In life and business, we are often asked only for water. Whether we also draw for the camels is what separates technical competence from moral leadership. Rivka became a matriarch not through words, but through awareness and action.
My heart raced as I stood before the original handwritten manuscripts of Rambam. The very ink strokes of one of our greatest minds lay before me. To imagine him bending over parchment nearly nine centuries ago, carefully inscribing words that would guide Jewish law and philosophy for generations, was overwhelming.
Usually when someone dies, the first reaction is to cry. After drying one’s tears, one collects one’s thoughts and eulogizes the deceased. In the case of Sarah, however, we are told that the tears came after the eulogy.
The showstopper of the sale was a truly rare silver piece: a hanging Sabbath lamp from England, dating to the year 1726, as indicated by the numerous British silver hallmarks found on the lamp.
Question: I see that some people refer to the month of Cheshvan as Marcheshvan. Which name is correct? Nachman M. (Via E-Mail)
Sometimes our deepest spiritual experiences come when we least expect them, when we are closest to despair. It is then that the masks we wear are stripped away. We are at our point of maximum vulnerability – and it is when we are most fully open to G-d that G-d is most fully open to us.
The consequences of this election will be interesting (and perhaps scary), but instead of sitting back and complaining about the bad policies, I favor a more proactive approach.
While it is true that Hashem is referred to as the G-d of the Land of Israel specifically at times (2 Kings 17:26, 2 Chron. 32:19), it is not immediately clear why Ramban thinks this notion is being highlighted here instead of some plainer explanation of the text.
While self-confidence is key, the ability to be humble is vital.
Curiously, although Avraham Avinu completely trusted Eliezer as his administrator with regard to his estate and his wealth, when it came to finding a wife for Yitzchak, he made Eliezer take an oath to assure that he would carefully adhere to Avraham’s guidelines in choosing a wife for Yitzchak. Why?
By Irwin Cohen
The Series winning Dodgers were outscored by the Blue Jays over seven games 34 to 26, but the final score in each game, of course, is what matters.
We ask Hashem that the Satan should never succeed in causing us to regret having done a mitzvah.
At the center of the storm stood Rabbi Yosef Shalom Abdallah, a distinguished and forceful personality, and a cousin of the Ben Ish Chai.
Living for yourself doesn’t mean acting selfishly. It means acting with integrity, even when no one is watching.
Every map needs margins. The halachic imagination admits this with elegant honesty. It names the unknown – safek, doubt – and gives it rules of its own.
By Marc Gronich
The emotional scars are still felt throughout the Jewish community, which remains on guard to prevent copycat shooters from mounting a similar attack. The synagogue is in shambles and is in the midst of a $22 million rebuilding effort.
There are 5,846 pesukim in the Torah, and 54 sedras. The average number of pesukim per sedra is 108. Chayei Sara’s 105 pesukim puts it slightly below average, ranked at 32.
By Mendi Glik
Walking the streets of Hebron is a unique experience. You can see and feel the history from every street corner. Almost every place you walk has a story.
Why Avraham deferred the task of making bread to Sarah? If he was so meticulous and diligent in performing the mitzvah of welcoming guests and prepared the calf tongues in mustard sauce himself, why did he not also prepare the bread?
Some classical commentaries suggest that Avraham specifically wanted a wife to be chosen for Yitzchak from his own extended family in Aram Naharaim. A careful review of the text, however, reveals that Avraham never clearly makes that request of his servant. He simply tells Eliezer to return to Avraham’s land and birthplace and to search for a wife there.
When the Torah relates at the end of the parsha (after already describing the death of Yishmael) that he fell before all his brethren on the approach to Ashur, Rabbi David Abuchatzera interprets this as a reference to the Purim story.
Levy was both admired and criticized within the American Jewish community. Many Jews saw him as a symbol of Jewish pride and accomplishment, proof that Jews could serve with distinction in the highest ranks of American public life, while others were uncomfortable with his duels, his combative personality, and the controversies that surrounded him.
Kazakhstan’s joining the Accords has real benefits for Israel. And it is the same for the U.S. which reportedly anticipates that current bilateral trade and other cooperation amongst the three nations will be substantially enhanced.
The idea that religion is a personal choice that can be separated from every other identity marker in your life is a fundamentally non-Jewish way of seeing the world.
What happens when you remove an organ from the body? You are left with empty space. If you remove a kidney or liver, what remains is the empty space that this organ used to occupy. The same applies to spiritual organs as well.
By Maayan Zik
By providing a discreet and respectful way to meet temporary needs, the gemach truly embodies the spirit of practical, ongoing community support. It is a powerful example of how shared resources can elevate the quality of life for all.
By Akiva Kra
Gemachs can beat any company. Amazon Prime promises two-day delivery. A gemach says, “Come now.” And if Mrs. Gemach is not home, her 12-year-old will meet you outside. No membership fee, just a thank-you and maybe a babka later.
When a person gives to a gemach and allows a fellow Jew to enjoy the material pleasures you once had, for free, it’s a form of tzedakah. Through simple physical objects, olam haba is attained.
By Martin Bodek
Do you know what the actual plural for gemach is? That’s right, gemachim. However, calling them gemachs is a minhag of Klal Yisrael, and we’re very makpid to keep to those.
By Anat Coleman
These everyday exchanges have not only made life more convenient, but also reminded me again and again of the quiet generosity that lives in a community when people are simply willing to help each other out.
Requiring an end to all city contracts with companies doing business with Israel and to institute other BDS (Boycott, Divestment Sanction) policies would likely make the city’s investment climate highly uncertain.
The ashes represent Yitzchak’s (and Avraham’s) willingness to completely eliminate their egos in service and recognition of G-d. When that level of self-obliteration is accomplished, no physical sacrifice is necessary.
By Alan Zeitlin
They were sure Trump’s political career was done after 2020, and his improbable return to the White House felt like an impossible betrayal by voters. With Mamdani positioning himself as an anti-Trump candidate, they felt that a vote for Mamdani was a vote against Trump and this could be a beginning of a reversal.
He is an unabashed anti-capitalist who will be the chief executive of the city that is the center of the nation’s financial industry – and for generations has symbolized Jewish success and civic influence.
This is not the time for lengthy speeches. Now is the time to proceed.
To be sure, Hamas and Hezbollah justify their political power and arsenals as necessary for defending against Israel. But as we all know, their weapons and desire for “a state within a state” have generally been the triggers of the violent confrontations with Israel.
Question: I see that some people refer to the month of Cheshvan and others as Marccheshvan. Which is correct? Nachman M. (Via E-Mail)
Companies like Enron and Theranos rose on innovation and brilliance but fell to arrogance and deceit. Their failure was not from lack of intelligence but from loss of integrity.
Can we prevent outside people from selling in our community when it affects our businesses adversely?
When they are young, children simply want to please their parents and will do their best to live up to even the highest expectations. However, repeated failure to meet inflated hopes can injure children’s self-esteem.
The Fat of the Land “Only Those Whose Chelev Are Forbidden…” (Zevachim 70a)
In life we all should focus on what we do have instead of what we don’t have. We should focus on our brachos.
Even in mercy, we so often suffer. As much as we may always count on divine mercy, the divine calculus remains beyond our ken and we have been visited by destruction all too often.
We are told that the encounter between Avraham and the three travelers took place on Pesach (Bava Metziah 86a) and that the “ugos,” the cakes that Sarah baked for them, were matzot. Here again the power of hospitality had its magical effect.
Many readers may not have a background in investing and financial planning. However, you do have intuition.
I instituted in my shul that once coats are hanging on the coat rack, the one who wants the window closed gets his way.
And at the center of this revolution stood Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer from Antwerp who opened a Hebrew press in Venice in 1516. Working with brilliant Jewish scholars, proofreaders, and editors, Bomberg became the single most influential printer of Hebrew classics in the early sixteenth century.
We live among people who espouse diverse philosophies. We are undoubtedly different, but it is that very disparity that empowers us to bring people closer to Hashem.
Bitachon is not an excuse for recklessness; it does not absolve a person of the responsibility to use the intelligence and discernment Hashem gave him. One who deliberately disregards danger is not relying on Hashem—he is acting negligently.
Chesed is both a way of showing our love for Hashem’s creations and also emulating His creation of the world as an act of chesed.
Hennie and a friend set up a round-the-clock Tehillim chat, and Mindy, never one to miss any action, insisted on driving back and forth to Monmouth Hospital the next day and throughout most of that week during the hours her children were in day camp.
I wanted the movie to be focused on Jewish joy, and I was careful not to include stereotypes as much as I could while still making it feel realistic, Peck said.
Any doubt about the direction of Democratic Party discourse has been removed by the current New York City mayoral campaign in which Mamdani has been largely embraced by the Democratic establishment, despite his vocal antisemitic stands, not to mention his Marxist economic program.
Before there was Torah Tidbits, there were Torah Tidbits. And one of the very first Torah Tidbits was entitled Angel Arithmetic. (Kind of appropriate for Torah by the Numbers.)
By Mendi Glik
One of my favorite singers is Yehuda Glanz, whose album Na’ale, which was released in 1993, has been one of my favorites since I was in high school.
The Akeidah was the moment when Hashem declared the sanctity of human life. It affirmed that every person is His masterpiece – fashioned in His image and charged with elevating both self and society.
In Ramban's view, one simply can’t explain away every description of malachim in the Torah as a hallucination or lucid dream.
It is not wrong for you to look for a guy who has a solid plan for the future. It is not wrong for you to look for someone who cares deeply about doing whatever it takes to provide for his family. It is not wrong for you to look for a person who is emotionally stable and diligent. Unfortunately, we cannot predict the future.
Elman participated in benefit concerts for Jewish relief organizations during and after the war, raising funds for survivors and displaced persons. In one case, he and his wife assisted in providing affidavits for the Hammberschlag family in Germany and sponsored them (the family arrived in the United States on July 13, 1939).
Repeating a falsehood again and again doesn’t make it true.
Leadership begins here. Not with command, but with disclosure. With the choice to let someone in. With the courage to be interrupted.
Mamdani will have to face reality even before the get-go. Hopefully Mamdani will abandon ideology and embrace things as they actually exist and not how he would wish them to be.
My mother and her siblings became malachim of Shabbos in the Gehennom of Bergen Belsen. It was a message that was held onto. To be the angel of Shabbos infused my mother with a sacred light, and the power to be greater than her fears.
By Marc Gronich
The impact of the shooting still creates a lingering uneasy feeling at other nearby houses of worship. Located a few blocks from the Tree of Life Synagogue is the Chabad of Squirrel Hill. The rabbi there is doing his best not to have his prayer services interrupted by gunfire.
While our default experience of life is internal and personal, we occasionally feel compelled to look at ourselves from an outside view and ponder the meaning and direction of our lives.
When the verse says about the Mishkan (Shemos 25:9), And so you shall do, and the Gemara (Sanhedrin 16b) infers so you shall do for the generations, it means that we all can create a dwelling place for the Shechinah within ourselves.
By Eve Glover
Since Oct. 7, many secular Jewish college students have started exploring their Jewish roots and observing Shabbat. They emulate and are inspired by the incredible stories of faith of these released hostages, many of whom are around their age.
During my youth I couldn’t wait until my bar mitzvah when I would be able to start putting on tefillin. I still have a clear memory as an eleven-year-old sitting on my bed thinking my bar mitzvah is never going to arrive.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
In 2022, Agudath Israel of America circulated on Capitol Hill a legislative memo that pointed out the unique and disruptive challenges permanent DST would present to the Orthodox Jewish community; for example having to pray in synagogues at much later times because of later sunrises and then the challenge of getting to their places of work on time.
As a student in high school, I remember looking forward to the initial “Fall back” where we roll back the clock by an hour and for one or two mornings you felt like you gained an hour of sleep!
Hashem builds that spring into our lives; not to break us, but rather to launch us.
On a personal note, those of us with young children know that their bodies don’t respond to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s manipulation of time.
June 19, 2026 
