יום שישי, כ״ב אלול תשפ״וFriday, September 4, 2026
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As is well known, last week, pagers used by Hezbollah terrorists exploded, killing a handful of them and wounding hundreds more. Amazingly accurate, the exploding pagers killed very few noncombatants.
While it is true that most typically Jewish names are simply taken from Tanach or Chazal (especially male names), not all do.
While there is a growing shelf of books and memoirs in Israel on the horrors of the war and its politics by Nova survivors, released hostages, soldiers, politicians, and journalists, outside of Israel, there are relatively few books – though there will be a burgeoning literature in the years to come.
Interestingly, except for the usual suspects who deny Israel’s right to self-defense in the face of thousands of rocket, missile and drone attacks from Hezbollah, I have to admit to being a bit surprised by U.S. comments on Nasrallah’s assassination.
In the physical world, we are often warned that smoke kills before fire. In the spiritual world too, the spiritual smoke generated by our sins is more noxious and damaging than even the sins themselves.
Perhaps it's a benefit to us that we can't see real kings today. It allows us to strengthen our desire, so as we gather in shul this year, we not only crown Hashem as our melech...
Even if we have a theoretical understanding of the sort of mighty and absolute monarch used as a metaphor for G-d, it is very distant from our actual experience.
These ideas come together when you consider one of the most powerful paragraphs we say – Adon Olam. It opens with a mind-blowing statement – Hashem is the Master of time (olam), who reigned (malach) before any form was created.
Perhaps this is why Aleinu, a declaration of faith and belief in G-d as king, is a centerpiece of the Mussaf on Rosh Hashana. In saying it, we are challenged to ask a simple yet uncomfortable question. Have we made G-d our King?
By David Curwin
It’s also notable that while the Torah mentions many foreign kings, none of Israel’s leaders, including Moshe, are ever given the title melech.
If we compare the words in the blessing of Hagafen (He who creates the fruit of the vine) to Hamotzi (He who takes bread out of the ground), we will notice something odd. He who takes bread out of the ground – really?
There seems to be nothing wrong with creating new simanim; the real questions is, what is the significance of the simanim.
Some of the judges also focused on the enormity of the penalties, noting that since there was no harm to anyone, it was hard to reconcile the size of the penalties which are typically tied to the size of the harm claimed.
By Naama Klein
By the time we all made our way to their prospective new neighborhood, they had pretty much decided on a house to buy, but still wanted our confirmation before signing on the dotted line. So it was more or less a done deal, pending our approval.
Pasha is also the name of a beautiful butterfly which exists in the Middle East and Africa. I am quite sure that it not what Hubby had in mind. The word Pasha equated with powerful, and Hubby will retain that definition.
Law Of Averages ‘Catacombs Are Four Cubits Long’ (Bava Basra 100b)
It makes sense that your daughter’s teachers would not have picked up on this in preschool because children are not often forced to speak in the learning process.
I understand that there is a problem – I’m not belittling it, said the landlord. But the problem is not with the house itself; it’s something external.
I heard everything he said, but I can’t remember anything he said. I remember that he cried, but also that he laughed. He wore his emotions like a second skin, and despite his difficult life his default setting was happiness.
We are taught in Judaism to temper each of these areas and to walk the middle road. To create a balance between these two seemingly opposing forces. Too much materialism is no good. Too much spiritualism also misses the mark.
Yet, as time passed, the painful memories began to soften, making space for the joyful and vibrant ones to take their rightful place in her heart.
The cornerstone of personal finance is to live within your means. Buying something you can’t afford goes against this dictum and will set you up for financial ruin.
We have much to be grateful for. Our country is in capable hands, as the younger generation has met the challenges of this war with resilience and courage.
Question: When Shema Koleinu is recited during the High Holidays season, the cantor skips several lines during the responsive repetition. What is the reason? A Reader Wilkes Barre, PA
Israel will be the source of light, Jews from around the world will return to the Land, and the humiliation and hatred Israel once suffered will be replaced with universal admiration.
Baruch Hashem you have a devoted husband, caring children and grandchildren. Although it is challenging to depend on others, you must be grateful that you are not alone and there are others around who care about you.
By Rabbi Michael J. Broyde and Rabbi Gidon G. Rothstein
If you vote for Trump, hold your nose while doing so.
Mitzvot call upon us to recognize our dependency upon Hashem and subjugate our will to His.
What I find to be most objectionable however, is your statement, People today believe, (especially wives) if I make money that means I’m equal to a man. Bless your heart.
It means that although the individual may not have successfully completed his teshuva process, every thought of regret that he has experienced helps to lighten his punishment and gives him additional merits.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Moses advises his successor to lead by consultation and consensus. G-d tells Joshua to lead firmly and with authority. Even if people do not agree with you, He counsels him, you must lead from the front. Be clear. Be decisive. Be forceful. Be strong.
Rav Kook sees the impulse to do teshuva and the initiative taken in pursuit of it to be the exemplar of human nature as a spiritual being.
This highly popular machzor was so widely accepted that it was even quoted in the writings of major poskim, including the Chasam Sofer.
It occurred to me that there is a huge amount of laughter and giggling to be had from the current Presidential campaign, particularly from Team Harris. After all, there is so much that her campaign team requires her to say that is frankly ludicrous and no one would ever anticipate or expect …and that is exactly what makes folks laugh the loudest.
Historically, it has been considered a blessing to live in the United States of America, though all too many people have been feeling cursed lately – some literally – for a variety of different reasons, an intolerable situation which will hopefully be resolved soon.
In this correspondence written by Emmanuel and family members in Salonica and Curacao, familial matters are interspersed with much important historical material and records.
All of us petition Hashem for another year of life, for ourselves and our loved ones. But we don’t simply ask for another year of life. We ask for a better year with better health, with better shalom bais, with better parnassa. Better, better, better.
Some critics maintain that the poem was actually a prophetic pre-history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as Melville brilliantly considers the friction between science and issues of faith and doubt and the interplay between Jewish life and practices in the biblical past and presents contemporary Jewish life in the Ottoman empire in late-nineteenth century Eretz Yisrael.
If the Jews undertook to be responsible for each other and sincerely repented for their previous sins, why were they afraid that they would not survive in the future.
Most are unaware that candidate access to voters is so basic to our system, that for more than a hundred years, we have had a provision in federal law colloquially referred to as the equal-time rule.
By Jason Ciment
What happened to the steadfast support for Israel and the uncompromising stand against all forms of bigotry? Instead, we’re seeing antisemitism creeping in like ivy overtaking a once-sturdy wall, often disguised as anti-Zionism, anti-colonialism, or the trendy Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
We dream about what this upcoming year holds in store; how we can make the rest of our life the best of our life. We all have ideas, ambitions, and aspirations that we yearn to bring to fruition, and the new year gives us permission to revisit these goals and breathe new life into them.
By Aryeh Werth
In his speech, Friedman cited the Palestinian track record as a major reason why they cannot be permitted to have their own state. Palestinians got control of Gaza and quickly elected Hamas.
There are many people who feel similarly about selichos and the many special tefillos recited during this time of year. It’s not easy reciting added prayers, many of which contain unfamiliar words.
It’s heartening to see the once virid foliage turn crackly and dull, but this is requisite needed for its overall survival.
Leaves represent the cycles of life and how where we seem to be can be deceiving, and how we are all connected.
By Keshet Starr
As a kid who grew up in a place without seasons, watching the leaves fall in autumn is still magical. And yet, the beauty of the changing colors masks the harder elements of the cold winter to come.
The question to be asked is this: how many leaves do we need to add to the table to accommodate the guests coming for the Shabbat meal?
By Hillel Fuld
Just as leaves blow in the wind and are impossible to retrieve, so to, a word. Once it’s out there, it’s impossible to get it back. But this concept doesn’t stop with words.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
If we want to learn effectively, we need to relocate ourselves to a better learning environment. Knowing how to choose the right environment to learn and avoiding distraction is known in educational psychology as self-regulated learning.
A continuing Biden administration refrain has been that while it supports Israel in its conflict with Hezbollah, it does not believe a ground invasion is the way to go.
When it comes to practical matters, reality is often about consensus.
What complicated matters is that there was no eiruv in our town. For me that meant that even if I had a bad cold (Is there a good cold?), I could not place tissues in my pocket.
It was important that I began this chapter with the newsflash, or you might think that this chapter will reveal some secrets about the once teenage-heart-throb. Nope.
Consequential Limitations ‘Seeds That Did Not Sprout’ (Bava Basra 92a)
Hashem was very clear about how you deal with Amalek, of which Hamas is a spiritual, if not physical descendant (which it likely is with Ishmael commingling with Amalek over the centuries).
The prevalent attitude that frowns on parents for exercising authority over their kids creates confusion even in parents who believe in discipline. Children sense the ambivalence and use it to their advantage.
I’m willing to consider paying, but calm down, replied Yossi. I’m not convinced that I am liable for the phone. I never accepted responsibility for it, and I held it in the regular manner. On what basis am I liable?
By Irwin Cohen
The coming days and weeks provided even better post World Series news. I would be getting a World Series ring with my name on it and a check with a nice amount and my name on it.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Olmert and Al-Kidwa call for the Palestinian state to be "non-militarized" except for internal policing needs. The problem is that once it is recognized as a state, it will need no one's permission to build itself an army, such that this clause is essentially irrelevant.
Question: When Shema Koleinu is recited during the High Holiday season, the cantor skips several lines during the interactive repetition. What is the reason? A Reader Wilkes Barre, PA
Do you and your husband have any common interests? Maybe you can come up with some activities you both enjoy to do together without phones. Does your husband have any of his own hobbies or interests? Maybe you can encourage your husband to try hobbies that do not involve screens, like sports.
The mitzvot enable us to take the most basic things of all: our bodies, our possessions, our most physical parts, and to sanctify them.
His sticker bears the Hebrew words Don’t wait for them to ask, just help! encapsulating his essence as a caring, proactive individual.
While confused American Jews continue to vote overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates, in Israel it is the opposite. Israelis know what Trump did for them as president, and they greatly appreciate it.
As mentioned, the siddur also included a complete Sefer Tehillim, divided according to the days of the week and month, something which was also considered part of the classical world of Jewish women’s prayer at the time.
Like our forefather Avraham, our national and communal origins are also rooted in our mitzvah observance. We transitioned from a family to a people in Mitzrayim, which we entered as a family of seventy and exited as millions.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Covenant societies exist not because they have been there a long time, nor because of some act of conquest, nor for the sake of some economic or military advantage. They exist to honor a pledge, a moral bond, an ethical undertaking.
I recently acquired a fine copy of a first edition of his Chochmat Adam, published in Vilna in 1815. His Chayei Adam, published prior, did not contain any approbation.
The act of engaging in teshuva, which is so essential to our achievement of our moral and spiritual goals as humans and as members of the community of Israel, is also very challenging for us in practice.
The Rambam writes in the laws of teshuva that it is customary for the Jewish people to give extra tzedakah during these days. The Mishnah Berurah writes that doing as many mitzvot as we can will tip the scales in our favor on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
What an uncomfortable burden to carry! You believe that you have become a responsible and well-liked adult with good character and middos. Yet, you still worry about becoming the spouse you watched in your home.
A large percentage of us regrettably neglect the fifth commandment; honoring our parents. Due to the frenetic pace of modern life, this obligation is often woefully shunted to the side.
De Santis stated, I am committed to deepening the relationship between Florida and the State of Israel. This specialty license plate serves as a visible symbol of our steadfast support and friendship.
He believed that when Zionism succeeds in normalizing Jewish life, Hebrew writers would become capable of producing works of literate genius; as such, as a means to fulfill his vision of national revival, he devoted himself to encouraging Hebrew writers to compose works that blended Judaism with humanism.
Beis Hillel's argument seems to be that it is a given that it would be under the category of hurtful speech to denigrate something that another person purchased.
By Marc Gronich
It is not easy to explain why the court system is set up the way it is, and most people don’t care unless they get into the system as an employee or a defendant, which is why people hire lawyers who understand the system better than the average person.
One of the simplest yet most profound pieces of advice I ever heard is you don’t drown by falling into the water; you drown by staying there.
Irrational and disproportionate hatred of Jews is nothing new. It is humanity’s oldest hatred... though ancient, antisemitism evolves with each generation, latching onto the shifting cultural narratives of the times.
Nevertheless, we must face the facts. It has been said that the measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Managing a good reputation is an essential value, particularly for a spiritual leader. Maintaining a good name enables the values he or she embodies to be respected and internalized.
What is a Jew? A person in a covenant of love with G-d. We should therefore enjoy and pursue our covenant of love, just as we enjoy and pursue the person we love the most in the world.
...our relationship with G-d is anything but impersonal. Like a marriage, it takes body and soul, words and actions, commitments, failures, and fixing.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
A beautiful imagery developed from Chabad thought envisions G-d being in the field and this is our opportunity to come closer to Hashem, so to speak, panim el panim, face to face.
Call out to Hashem when He is found, call Him when He is close. He is not just approachable, to every Jew He is dodi, My beloved.
Enigmatically and somewhat controversially, Rambam interprets the nature of this loving relationship to depend on intellectual understanding of G-d and His works: according to the level of knowledge, so can be the love.
The gematria of dodi is 24. The gematria of Hashem’s name is 26. To reach a level of G-dliness we must add two – oneself and Hashem, in a mutually caring and giving relationship.
September 4, 2026 
