יום שבת, ד׳ כסלו תשפ״זSaturday, November 14, 2026
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By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
The curses that Moshe delineated in Parshat Ki Tavo were meant to deter those who would consider abandoning faith in G-d and turning to other gods.
Takeout containers are usually made out of plastic, but Notpla is working to make a waterproof, greaseproof – and compostable – alternative.
I have guessed the political affiliation of every black caller to my radio show within a minute of talking to them. Happy are those who are RIGHT
...G-d deals justly with all beings whereas we – because we have not always acted properly during the past year – have much to be embarrassed about.
When things are tough, most times it is a reminder that we need to improve ourselves.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Note the inclusivity of the event. It would be anachronistic to say that the Torah was egalitarian in the contemporary sense.
Conceptually, conjuring up the notion that gangs of people could react to the president’s plan with violence suggests that it is a legitimate reaction.
The mayor was asked at one of his daily press briefings why public school students who will be returning to classrooms this fall will be eating their lunch in school cafeterias while restaurants can’t open for indoor dining.
The Palestinians are facing some real opposition from within the Arab League with the UAE, Bahrain, and several other Gulf states openly trying to foil Palestinian efforts.
Malawi announced plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem. It would be the first African country to do so.
Rabbi Wertheimer explains that the greater Torah scholar a person becomes, the more effort he must exert on performing good deeds and not lose himself in the more theoretical world of study.
Baden-Powell supporters reason that given its emphasis on discipline and the supremacy of the “greater good” and his belief that “every boy ought to learn how to shoot and obey orders,” it is hardly surprising that authoritarian governments were drawn to some aspects of Scouting philosophy.
From a hashkafic perspective, is it important for a Jewish man to have a beard?
Steny Hoyer, the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, addressed AIPAC and said, "There are 62 freshman Democrats in the House - 59 oppose BDS, 59 support Israel. How come you only know the names of the other three?"
The distance between what they know and can do is so far from actual driving, that it seems almost impossible.
As this year I am at the age my mother was when she passed away, the awareness of how both precious and precarious life is, is keener than ever.
By Marc Gronich
By and large I think people expected it. I don’t think anyone was surprised that Kosherfest wasn’t going to take place in November.
By Risa Rotman
We called his phone, but there was no ring in the car. I knew Dovid had been fooling around with it in the car on the way over, so it wasn’t at home.
They went through the same process every year: Moshe kicking and screaming in the car on the way to school, two months of crying before he went to sleep, and then Moshe’s eventual resignation and despair for the duration of the year.
Question: How should shuls deal with coronavirus space and time constraints this Rosh Hashanah? Should separate women’s minyanim be organized outside shul? A Reader
The Chofetz Chaim writes that a person isn’t rewarded with reward unless he gives in proportion to his means.
It is not easy to deal with negative people, but if this is important to your husband, you may need to try to have your father-in-law over and make the best of it.
Similar To Carrying In A Karmelis ‘This Shall Be Tithed When Night Falls’ (Eruvin 36a)
Publishing a linear translation in early printing was a remarkable achievement considering the primitive printing process available at the time.
To see a person as good despite his/her past actions; To give them a second chance knowing full well that they might ultimately fail again.
By Avi Ciment
Many of us have legitimate reasons for not wanting to run back to shul. But Hashem loves us and misses us and wants to see us come out for Him, especially when it's inconvenient.
There is actually a fantastic Facebook group – “LoveLoveIsrael-Tried and Tested” – where you can find everything you may want to know about visiting almost anywhere in Israel.
By Tzvi Fishman
Obviously, we have a good distance to go before we reach full redemption, but, for example, last week I davened Mincha on Har HaBayit with a minyan. Once upon a time, that was an impossible dream.
You never want someone to feel compelled to marry you because a certain number of dates have passed and he feels bad, or to move toward marriage if he does not feel thrilled to be doing so.
Now Trump Administration officials, including Ambassador Friedman, are regulars at the Wall. Visiting such a revered place should never have been a question, much less prohibited.
By Marc Gronich
The State University of New York’s College at Oneonta in the northern Catskills has been shut down for the next two weeks by the Chancellor of the State University system due to an outbreak of coronavirus on campus. Students and faculty returned to campus on Sunday, August 23. Since then, instead of registering for classes, […]
News From Across The Pond.
When a Jew realizes his exalted inner essence, he becomes infused with joy at being a Jew, a member of G-d’s chosen people privileged to carry out His great plan for the world, so that every mitzvah becomes a joyous act.
Like Rabbi Pappenheim, Rabbi Aharon Marcus connects “te’ne” to “eitun,” but he argues that both words are actually of Egyptian origin. Master etymologist Rabbi Dr. Ernest Klein (1899-1983) also maintains that “te’ne” is an Egyptian loanword.
In Psalms, we say, “Chadeish yameinu ke’kedem – Renew our days as of old.” In other words, revive today with the fire and passion of those early, founding days. “Make America Great Again” can refer to such an endeavor.
One needs divine assistance and much personal effort to discern the Torah perspective in the affairs of the world.
An army that sacrifices its soldiers for the sake of protecting the property of an enemy population is not a moral army! It is a morally confused army
"I'm not out to cause you an extra expense," said Mr. Meyers. "It's not like you're at fault. The storm was unusually strong. There was nothing you could do. I'll split the cost with you."
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
For me, one of the gifts of this strange, difficult time has been the ability to slow down the prayers so that I am able to listen to them speaking to me. Praying is as much about listening as speaking. And faith itself is the ability to hear the music beneath the noise.
We all sense that we are living in momentous times and that the end may be near. So we need to pull together our brothers and sisters with ropes of love (as in the famous formulation of the Chazon Ish). Let’s find our fellow Jews and love them. Period.
Henry Kissinger, who had fled to America when he was 15, served in the Army during the war, and later noted that his service had made him into a real American.
For some people, Uman is the ultimate dream. They also deserve our empathy and should not be mocked or denigrated.
Perhaps I idealized Agudas Yisroel too much and as such have consistently been let down by reality.
I wrote, "It is panic and hysteria, not the coronavirus, that created this catastrophe." Unfortunately, I was right.
No way violence could be mentioned in the same breath as the left’s pure call for racial justice. Especially because they knew that most everyone knew that the riots and violence were driven by notorious elements within Black Lives Matter and Antifa.
Just two months ago, according to The Times, the International Atomic Energy Agency had accused Iran of hiding suspected nuclear activities after inspectors were refused access to two unidentified locations.
At bottom, the court accepted the student’s self-styled gender identification as definitive.
Forced to defend Judaism and their Jewish brethren, these rabbis summoned their best arguments and refused to back down – often at the cost of their lives. They were both unfree and free at the same time.
By Morton A. Klein and Steve Feldman
It was only when Billy Penn let it be known on July 24 that Rodney Muhammad had posted a particularly outrageous anti-Jewish meme that others in the Jewish community joined ZOA.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
One of the reasons we may have trouble noticing blessings is that there’s a human tendency to always want more. Yes, I have some money, but I could always have more.
For example, New York Daily News sports editor Paul Gallico wrote in the mid-1930s that basketball "appeals to the Hebrew with his Oriental background [because] the game places a premium on an alert, scheming mind and flashy trickiness, artful dodging and general smart-alecness."
How would you advise fulfilling the mitzvah of “you shall surely rebuke your fellow”?
Do we appreciate things while we have them? Or do we only appreciate them once they are taken away?
By dvora
You don’t always have access to measuring spoons and cups when eating out or at someone’s home for a meal. Here are some really easy visual ways for you to plan your portions, at home or away!
"Can we count what you paid as tzedakah?" Moshe's wife asked. “Gershon really seems to be poor now.”
My husband has been driving me crazy to lose weight and even blaming me for the hard time our daughter is having getting dates.
Oren pleaded with the department head to allow him to take this final exam either on Friday or on Sunday. His laconic reply was that this had never been allowed before and therefore could not be allowed now.
This year, with most camps closed and several months with no school, siblings have already spent lots of time together. This can make the conflict even more pronounced.
Question: The Covid-19 pandemic has put an end to almost all public gatherings; hence, much of Jewish congregational ritual has come to a halt. Is there a way to make up for everything we missed? M. Goldman
There really is no market for this type of ware among collectors of Jewish items, except perhaps to be purchased on a whim if seen at a flea market.
Elul, as the last month of the year, is a time to show Hashem that we are ending the year with the same hopes and aspirations we had in the beginning of the year, putting our best foot forward before the Day of Judgment.
Just as there are people who need food, there are people who need to be noticed - now more than ever.
By Tzvi Fishman
Rabbi Samson will teach a special 32-session course designed for bar mitzvah boys that will provide an overview on the 613 mitzvot, with a concentration on the daily mitzvot such as prayer and those related to Shabbat. A parallel course for bat mitzvah girls will also be offered.
Before calling the municipality to arrange a special pickup of furniture or large appliances, residents often post pictures of these items on Facebook or WhatsApp groups with the simple message of "limisira b'ahava" (for donation with love).
Chassidus offers a refreshing approach. Although it takes the soul-searching of Elul very seriously, it emphasizes positivity.
By Tzvi Fishman
According to the Rambam, it is forbidden to leave the Land of Israel, even temporarily, except for three reasons: to study Torah, to find a wife, and to do business.
There isn’t a person on the planet who hasn’t heard of George Floyd. Why isn’t the name of Rabbi Newmann equally familiar?
When Life Is A Zoo ‘The Greater Part…Is Regarded as a Garden’ (Eruvin 23b)
The letter is written on behalf of Chinuch Atzmai, the independent education system of the charedim in Israel which was led at the time by Rav Ahron Kotler.
Undoubtedly one will merit children so that all the souls are born sooner and Moshiach can come.
If you have specific reasons for your anxiety write them down so that your thoughts can be clearly conveyed to those who will help you through. If it is just a general feeling of worry, write that down as well.
This halachic prenuptial agreement is egalitarian since a man in Israel can also be a victim of get-refusal.
In his ethical will, Yehuda ibn Tibbon, a famous 12th century translator and physician, encourages mastering Arabic and the sciences.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Says the Torah: When love is likely to be the cause of conflict, it must take second place to justice.
We want to know how welcoming Biden is to anti-Israel advocacy within the Democratic Party.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
What are the parameters and guidelines for fulfilling this commandment? How should we remember and how do we ensure not to forget?
Surveys conducted by the National Review and Fox News show that the Clinesmith plea has been almost completely ignored by the mainstream media. The contrast with Muller probe is stunning.
Israel certainly had much to offer by way of economic power, technological development, and – in the light of the threat posed by an increasingly predatory Iran – military deterrence.
Oppenheimer was a strong Israel supporter who played an important role in the development of the Jewish state’s nuclear capability.
By Rabbi Shimshon HaKohen Nadel
He was an intellectual giant, but at the same time “down to earth,” always shying away from kavod. He had no airs about him. He was accessible.
Still, when the battle lines were drawn, they stood against the police – until the very moment that the public safety crisis hit home.
By Tzvi Fishman
The American system is unique in that it is federal and bicameral and is predicated on a real separation of powers. Israel is more like the European system, with which the early Zionists were more familiar.
At what age would you advise parents to allow their children to have a cell phone?
She was finally there, watching her son get married. Eva kept telling herself, one day also Nachum will return to me and I will tell him that I was there for him.
After the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was announced, it was rumored that other Muslim countries were on the brink of following suit. That hasn't happened yet.
Many Jews may not get an opportunity to pray with their synagogue of choice – or any synagogue for that matter – unless they signed/paid up well in advance.
News From Across The Pond.
November 13, 2026 
