יום רביעי, כ״ז אלול תשפ״וWednesday, September 9, 2026
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We therefore first ask Hashem that we avoid sinful speech and forbidden thoughts, and then we can turn to requesting that our mouth be filled with the beautiful words of Torah and Its holy thoughts.
The Rebbe wanted us to make a Sefer of Hadronim from the siyumim that had taken place.
Although some 4,000 volunteers – again, most of them Yishuv youth – went house-to-house collecting money from the public, the Tax for Our Defense failed to meet the goal of raising 2.5 million pounds within a month.
The nurse became very frustrated and told him in no uncertain terms that as long as he continued to wear the tzitzis he would not be taken in for his surgery.
Surely it is well past the time when the illogic of his position needs any further elucidation.
The Hamas attack and subsequent war have generated two military needs. In the immediate short term, the army must replace thousands of soldiers. In addition, the military needs to increase the size of its forces.
By Marc Gronich
We can tell Chuck Schumer that he can take his pledge and move his offices over to the minority leader's office because there is a Republican majority coming to the Senate to make sure that our ideas are being implemented.
All of this ultimately flows from Hashem. Hashem created Adam and Chava in the Garden of Eden, and He placed them there with the serpent so they could resist its charms. Only in that moment and in that place Adam and Chava failed.
We have said over and over, that Donald Trump was not the issue, but that it behooved all of us, even the most diehard anti-Trumpers, to be concerned about the blatant targeting of predecessor political enemies by those who succeeded them in office.
By JJ Eleff
Flowers are Hashem’s present to all of us. It is one thing in this world that you can pick up anywhere and take with you, a little gift saying I made this beautiful world for you, enjoy it!
The cycle of life, the importance of difference and the seemingly incongruousness are there to contemplate. While there is timing to be respected, a consistency that lets you know what chag is before you simply by looking around you, there is also surprise and wonder.
With tulips, it’s all downhill. They shoot up awkwardly after being under the blaze of your dining room table lights for 24 hours and soon lose their color, shape, and glory. They begin to die.
One of my all-time favorites is the bird of paradise. Until I moved to Israel I had never seen, nor heard of it.
What that phrase, Yesh prechim ve’ein bo peirot, means to me is, certain isms out there may look attractive and draw you to them – think of Jews in the 1920s flocking to Communism – but don’t expect to successfully transmit these ideas onto the next generation.
By Ben Rothke
Weissman's book analyzes the dead and the afterlife as manifested in R’ Yehuda HaChasid’s thoughts and how he came to them. In a somewhat radical approach, the book shows the significant Christian influence on R’ Yehuda HaChasid.
Torah is not the only pillar. Avodah is also important. Study alone is not enough to sustain the world and our existence.
After the attack, the police packed the contents of their car into boxes and delivered them to our home. This included the girls’ phones, jewelry, luggage, and other items that were in the glove compartment or trunk of the vehicle. One such item was a small book of Tehillim that belonged to Rina. This would not have been remarkable except for one thing. It seemed to want me to open it at a particular page, because it was slightly propped open.
Israel had shared its intentions with the Biden team so when the muted strike came it was fully expected and quickly acknowledged. In quick succession, the U.S. vetoed a United Nations Security Council Resolution that would have recognized Palestinian statehood within the pre-197 border with no revisions.
Students are afraid to express these contrary views for fear of reprisals.
The more obvious interpretation is that these were events in which the laws of nature were suspended, as exemplified by the parted waters standing on end on either side like a wall. On the other hand, we could also say that the events were miraculous not because the laws of nature were suspended, but because these were natural occurrences happening exactly at the time they were needed.
What is really going on is that hateful speech against Jews has not just been accepted but glamorized by intellectuals who have been indoctrinated in ideas like critical race theory and intersectionality, which grant a permission slip for antisemitism.
Don’t underestimate the impact of a crumb. One mashehu, a drop of ink, is the difference between a hei of matzah and a ches of chametz. Don’t let the yetzer hara convince you not to care about the mashehu.
Digitizing the system through Market also allows for Met Council to communicate with clients about availability of certain items in the warehouse and hours of operation on a given day, as well as to keep accurate inventory to ensure that when an item is listed as available, it actually is.
I am back at my showroom working my appointments, it is now 3.00 p.m. and I still have not met anyone whom I could give these publications to. I am now walking the halls for about 5 or 6 minutes and lo and behold I see two women walking towards me.
In addition to the merits of our monotheistic legacy, modern-day Jews possess an additional merit which includes them in redemption.
It isn’t the benefit of hindsight that make Chamberlain’s claims so risible. Plenty of his contemporaries saw exactly how ridiculous their Prime Minister’s confidence was and how catastrophic his appeasement of Germany had been. An empty black taxi indeed.
This was a very distressing situation. Hubby was holding his head as though it was about to split open. I called our private geriatrician who said he thought we should get Hubby a CT scan. Perhaps there was a bleed in the brain causing all the pain?
Hatzalah And Other First Responders ‘Your Life Takes Precedence …’ (Bava Metzia 62a)
Question: Why do we read Shir HaShirim on Passover and more specifically the Sabbath of Passover? Also, being that it is one of the five Megillot, why don’t we recite a blessing over the reading of Shir HaShirim as we do for Megillat Esther? Menachem Via Email
I was a bit involved in the first siyum. I had a connection with the New York Hilton, where the siyum was held. So I had a little, but not much, involvement.
We might ask, why are these two things – giving up hope and aveilus – connected? After all, the likelihood of whether the loved one has died, which may be the more intuitive factor for beginning aveilus, does not change based on the subjective metric of losing hope, so why should this determine the threshold for commencing aveilus?
One of the first to foresee the impending Holocaust, Rav Herzog wrote countless letters to European Jewish leaders warning about the coming cataclysm and urging them to leave but, sadly, his entreaties went largely unheeded.
It’s noteworthy that within hours of the toned-down Israeli action against Iran, the U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have recognized a Palestinian state as a full member of the UN.
Hashem tells Yechezkel to inform the bones that they are the house of Israel, fallen so far in exile it is as if they have been dead for untold eons. What seems beyond hope of recognition, let alone of restoration, is not beyond the power of Hashem to redeem.
It was on the last moed that our world fell apart, terrorists tortured and kidnapped our brothers and sisters. Did we imagine that we would approach this moed of Pesach with them still in captivity?
Whether it's a time for growth, reflection, mourning, celebration, or rest, understanding the significance of moed encourages us to embrace the present moment fully, trusting in the divine timing of our journey.
By Keshet Starr
Moadim offer a parallel approach. We live our lives on the dance floor, and that’s okay – we are here to learn, to do, to give. But the opportunity moadim provide to go up to the balcony helps us recalibrate when needed, and notice the things that have crept up on us.
By Hillel Fuld
Judaism is about sanctifying every aspect of life including time. But the word muad teaches us that consistency is only positive, assuming that the act you’re doing constantly is a positive one.
We are looking forward to Mashiach coming and leading us through this time in history. We are looking forward to the third Beit HaMikdash being built and the ingathering of the exiles from all over the world.
In order to live a spiritual life, one must escape the physical, completely rejecting their physical nature. Therefore, spiritual systems such as Buddhism prescribe meditation, abstinence, and the suppression of physical desire. In such a system, the ideal is to sit isolated on a mountaintop and meditate on our navel.
Judaism is not just about individuals understanding and worshipping G-d. It is about belonging to a people who descend from and still identify with their avot and imahot.
She also carefully avoided coming out with words to the effect that the task at hand is not to tout Columbia’s commitment to free speech but rather to maximize the ability of Jewish students to freely express their views about Israel and Judaism without fear of intimidation or retribution from faculty or fellow students.
A house filled with chutzpah is an unsafe home. The world is an especially frightening place these days; when you parent in unity, the whole environment feels good. The child will not have to look to the wrong outlets for love.
The Ramban and other Rishonim explain that once the plagues started Hashem’s protection over us never ceased. Indeed, even between the major plagues, Hashem peppered the Egyptians with other problems so that they wouldn’t trouble us further.
The shul was finally opened with air conditioning, furniture, and books, and has been serving Eshel for about 40 years. But that isn’t the end of Miller’s story.
The minute the food landed on the table Hubby was in full rejection-mode. I placed a few chunks of potato on his plate, two pieces of zucchini and one leg of the chicken. What the hell is this? You expect me to eat this? It will make me sick!
It’s All In The Giving ‘… Five Laws Require a Minimum Peruta …’ (Bava Metzia 55a)
although Mr. Gross offered rental options for all of Pesach or per night; when Mr. Klein opted for the nightly rate and began the rental accordingly, that rate is binding. Thus, he owes $800 for the stay through Friday.
What are the causes behind output failure? Are we discussing actual dysfunctions of the brain – or does the term merely whitewash certain flaws in character?
For this column, I thought I would share two Pesach Seder plates hailing from Germany that are in my personal collection.
Most civil rights organizations are also essentially left-wing groups. They use alleged concern for black people to attain and retain power, but they harm blacks considerably more than they help them.
The essence of this message is simple. It’s to continue living by the same traditions and values that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Question: After the Amida on most mornings we recite Tachanun. It seems that there are many days, including the entire month of Nissan, when such is not the case. My question is, what are those days and why don’t we recite on those days? M. Solow Via Email
Covert narcissists are insecure, they can be passive aggressive and hypersensitive to criticism, but they have no problem being critical in a passive way.
We can’t wait for him to knock on our door and say he wants to be at the Seder. What if he’s not going to knock? And if we are going to wait for him to knock, it may take a very long time.
Let’s face it, if the topic of the Seder was actually the Exodus from Egypt, then we would just need to read the relevant Torah portions – Vaeira, Bo and Beshalach – which narrate the story of the ten plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea, and then we could get down to the real business of eating a delicious meal!
Time to set some boundaries. This has to be done right away before you are all gathered at the Seder table.
Abarbanel’s unique method of Bible commentary is characterized by posing an extensive set of questions relating to a topical section.
Those looking to find the source of antisemitism often miss the massively disproportionate representation of Jews in almost every index of human achievement. Instead of learning and benefitting from the great success of a contributing minority, many choose a path of envy and jealousy, which leads to hatred.
By Ariela Davis
We felt it was an obligation that we speak about in our tefillot every day. We ask to be here and if we can make it work, we should be here.
By Marc Gronich
I’ve been watching politics for many years. We always see you [Weber] here. As far as I’m concerned, you, Michael Lawler and you, Mr. McGowan, are the most active politicians here. We always see you and you’re always close to the community and we appreciate that very much, Lichter told the lawmakers.
By Jason Maoz
Welz set the tone for the tributes that were to follow for Rabbi Pikus, describing him as a true giant in delivering chesed to our community and declaring that everything we build stands on the foundation he helped create.
Despite the fact that G-d could redeem the Children of Israel without a human agent, He chooses not to. He waits for us, waiting for us to step up, volunteer, and lead.
That feeling of freedom after years of emotional and physical torture can be felt even more fully when reading Bodek’s Zaidy’s War: Four Armies, Three Continents, Two Brothers. One Man’s Impossible Story of Endurance. He tells the shocking true story of his grandfather’s fight for survival during World War II.
A person’s possession is not merely a thing, it is a means by which the world and he interact. Our possessions have an impact on us.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The disciples of Hillel hold that at a wedding you should sing that the bride is beautiful, whether she is or not.
The author’s treatment of Yom Kippur is surprising. Rather than define the day in its more familiar sense, as a day of atonement, Rabbi Fohrman focuses on the language around the fact that Aharon’s sons die as a result of their sin at the beginning of the parsha.
They know that when Israel is faithfully performing the will of the Creator, then they have no power over us, but if, G-d forbid, Israel deviates from the proper course of action, they know their opportunity is at hand.
What is the significance of the counterintuitive approach advanced by the Raavya? What is gained by making bedikas and biur chametz intrinsically important within thirty days of Pesach, rather than simply ways to avoid problems once Pesach begins?
Leeser is best remembered for his extensive English translations and prolific writing for the American Jewish community, having authored numerous books and translations, edited a newspaper and full translations of the siddur and Tanach in an era where books written by Jews in English were nearly non-existent.
I greatly enjoyed studying all of these works, and I especially enjoyed reading them together. Each offers something important that the others do not, and each is an outstanding example of a different subgenre within contemporary halachic/Talmudic literature.
A person who tells disparaging stories of others that are untrue in order to find favor by others is punished from Heaven. He is afflicted with leprosy, he becomes impure, he has to be isolated and distanced from the rest of the Jewish people. In this way the person learns not to speak lashon hara anymore.
Israel has not yet been, and still is not, the safest place in the world for Jews. But not everyone has the option to live in the safest place in the world – many people just need somewhere that is safer than where they currently live.
In every generation a different Pharaoh-type enemy of the Jewish people emerges. The 20th century has been no exception.
The Ksav Sofer also dismissed the square matzah concern by stating, In the merit of the four-cornered matzos, may Hashem redeem us from the four corners of the earth.
Just like when we head out on a trip, we have our Waze programmed so that we know each step of the way, or we get our AAA Tripkits, so too, when we navigate the Seas of Life, we should crystallize in our minds what steps we want to take and which vital pursuits we want to achieve in the mission of life.
There is an ongoing debate amongst scholars as to whether the earliest text of Dayenu was created before or after the destruction of the Second Temple.
The Seder night serves as an opportunity to pass over our mesorah, our tradition and legacy, to the next generation. It's a night when we speak about emunah, the meaning of being a Jew, and our purpose in this world. In order to teach these lessons to our children and ourselves in a deep and lasting way, we must encourage the Seder participants to ask questions, no matter the age or knowledge-level.
By Tzivia Emmer
The Baal Shem Tov taught that we must learn from everything we see. Unexpectedly, seeing through eclipse glasses taught me something tangible about how change can work and especially how the unfolding of Jewish history is a trajectory along a path that leads to a radical switch.
We are humans, not machines. Perfection isn’t the goal; growth is. Even the greatest leaders in Jewish history, starting from Abraham and Moses, made some serious mistakes. No one is infallible.
I didn’t let go of what I correctly perceived was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and accompanied Rav Elyashiv all the way home – again just the two of us.
By Our Readers
Would Israel get U.S. support if, as part of its defense, it included the usually no-brainer components of trying to bring the fight to the enemy’s home front. Or would that be deemed too close to a frowned upon retaliation?
Most people will be surprised to learn that at one time a blessing was indeed recited before beginning the Haggadah. For some reason, however, the practice was discontinued.
By Marc Gronich
This effort is a token of appreciation to give back to worthy individuals. Every family gets a list of more than 100 items to order from. Everything is pre-ordered. This location assists 3,000 families.
Stevens reminds us that our children benefit from process-oriented praise, rather than outcome-oriented praise; in other words, to highlight the effort, rather than the results.
During these crazy times with our hearts in Israel the four promises of redemption really resonate. Now more than ever we pray for Hashem to save us from Hamas, bring our hostages home and out of Gaza, bring them all back to Israel, and have our nation come together as one.
Motherhood is a fascinating rollercoaster ride and the ultimate tool for self-growth; nothing is as challenging or rewarding as being a mom.
By Solly Hess
According to the Gemara, the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, daled, represents a poor person. When studied closely, we learn that rather than impoverished, it corresponds to selflessness.
By dvora
Four extraordinary mothers, women that shaped and molded our Judaic history.
September 4, 2026 
