יום חמישי, כ״ד תמוז תשפ״וThursday, July 9, 2026
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Beis Shammai was the House of Ideal. It's what we could be. It's seeing our potential from a soul first lens. Beis Hillel was the House of The People, the House of Reality. It met people where they were at, weighing the connection and the disagreements the body and soul have.
By Hillel Fuld
In most cases, Beit Hillel is the more lenient opinion of the two, and yet we side with him.
The Creation narrative features a growing sense of order, sense, balance, and harmony. Creation begins in wild mixture, chaos, and darkness but G-d creates light and distills it from darkness.
I speak as an immigrant, an immigration attorney, and an elected official: The Right to Shelter mandate shouldn’t apply to migrants.
When life’s getting messy, do one thing. You might feel overwhelmed by the number of things you have to do, or worry about a million things on your mind. Just do something; it could be small.
Many famous people were known for the chaos of their personal space despite their incredible contributions to the organized world of intellectualism.
Every time my son pours grape juice I watch with trepidation. I've considered wearing a raincoat to the Shabbos table.
Attending the first rally in New York City, and watching the D.C. rally, I was reminded that while we are pretty powerless by ourselves, when we join together, we shine a bright, powerful light.
By JJ Eleff
Hamas tried to tear us down, they tried to cast a darkness that would scare us away from our land. But we told them no. We will not run, we will not be afraid, instead we will unite and stand together as one nation.
We live in a world in which there is plenty of darkness. Why do we need to search for more?!
In these times, I take my obligation as Ora very seriously. I strive to be a light in this world.
By Solly Hess
Israel and my Zadie have now been a constant, intertwined thought since the horrific events of October 7 as well. And now I understand what happened during the summer.
As a frum Jewish educator, I am acutely aware of the thousands of “Yitzchaks” in our care. Each child a guarantor of Hashem’s promise to make Avraham Avinu, and by extension all Jews, into a great nation.
We really do have no place in this world. Yet our survival defies nature anchored not in military might or the validation of world leaders, but in our transcendent essence.
By Ira Stoll
Whether Yitzchak or Yitzchok, the biblical explanation of the name from Sarah, in Genesis 21:6, that G-d has brought her laughter, and that everyone who hears will laugh with her, always brings a smile, if not laughter, to my lips.
Tranquility is great, but it's not a reason to live. Joy comes from conquest: from the dragon-slaying campaigns of youth, but ultimately from the self-conquest that is life's fiercest and most silent battle.
By Anat Coleman
Over these past few weeks, with the loss of so many lives and the fates of so many others unknown, it's been a challenge and struggle to laugh.
Learning, questioning and critical thinking are values that Judaism has always naturally fostered, encouraged and celebrated.
Interestingly, it is not one of the fruits for which the Torah praises the Land of Israel. So, it is no surprise that the custom of eating apples on Rosh Hashana did not originate in Israel but in France or Germany.
Apples originated in Central Asia, though not necessarily in edible form. Over time, they were cultivated as an edible fruit, grafted, and brought to Europe.
The common apple (Malus pumila) doesn't quite fit the Eretz Yisrael native bill. Some even propose that these apples might've gone through a Cinderella-like transformation over time, evolving from their humble origins into biblical superstars. Talk about a fruit with a story!
So many people enjoy taking their family out for apple-picking. It's the perfect food for this time of year with Thanksgiving coming up.
By Maayan Zik
If you mess up, miss a note, in the middle of a song, keep playing. Don’t go back and try to replay it. The rest of the orchestra is already moving on and so must you.
By Sara Blau
Sometimes, we experience what we perceive as a failure... But each failure can be repurposed creatively, and channeled into a better future for ourselves and for others.
Eventually the towels weren’t needed anymore, and although the chairs are twenty years old, they mostly remained stain free and we were spared the sticky indignity of the old school plastic covers.
But the key to stickiness is in the sharing. If there is no sharing, nothing sticks. A word can’t become a name. A second question is never asked.
Some people are willing to ignore the bad and focus on the good, while for others, their focus is squarely on the bad, despite the overwhelming good.
It's worth asking ourselves, in this situation, is there something going on for this person that I haven't experienced? Is there something here about which I could be more understanding?
By Ariela Davis
At a short lull, I tore upstairs to put on a new Yom Tov dress and yes, my sheitel. I told myself that even if I was spending my entire day in a bomb shelter, this was going to be my way of not letting Hamas take away our Shabbat and Yom Tov.
Sheitels are often necessary for work purposes outside of Israel where it would not be professional to wear a hat or a scarf. In Israel, there is no need to wear a sheitel for professional reasons.
I made the difficult decision to not wear my tichel this week as I often do, and instead opted to put on my sheitel. Fearing for my life – yes, even here in the very Jewish city of Los Angeles – I have not wanted to take any chances.
By David Curwin
The German word derives from the Indo-European root *skeyt, meaning to cut, part, separate. That ancient root also gave us the English verb to shed, meaning to cast off.
Sarah’s judgment – her careful balancing of competing demands – is ultimately correct. It is only by following her judgment that the future of the Jewish people will be assured.
In the wake of recent events, the message has taken a decidedly different tone. The story of Sarah resonates with me in new ways.
By Nachum Segal
Sometimes it is easy to allow our speculation about yesteryear to cloud the reality of an amazing national mother (and father) having really existed.
It is written that her tent always glowed with the glimmer of Shabbos candles and smelled from an intoxicating aroma of fresh challah dough. She taught us that these are special mitzvos for us Jewish women to uphold and cherish.
Hashem holds our deposits, ready for redemption at a later time. Hashem remembers our deeds even when we forget them.
Semicha bridges the generations. It connects the chain of tradition that began with Moshe and Yehoshua and, while not officially so, each new class of budding rabbis who seek to serve the needs of the Jewish people in their generation.
As soon as I hear the word semicha I think of support; as if you are someach on a person; you can rely on that person.
Once I asked him how many generations back his family were rabbis? He answered at least ten, but probably going all the way back to Moses. And you felt that you were learning Torah – and stories! – from rabbis going back to Sinai.
Faith is a hard concept to grasp. However, faith or emunah and relying on a supreme being to get us through the tough times is how we are different from other nations.
By Keshet Starr
The figures in Genesis don’t just passively go about their lives; they yearn, they rage, they see the with jealousy, they love, they cry, they mourn.
This is what Genesis means to me. We start with the creation of the world. And we go through the Torah again. It is a brilliant time and a brilliant feeling.
Rosh Hashana helps us reset, recognizing that Hashem is the Creator of the world and is continuously involved in the world.
By Hillel Fuld
In both the Torah and life itself, establishing a robust foundation is imperative for unlocking our full potential. Genesis, in this context, is our why, and no other starting point would suffice.
Because the Torah is timeless. It’s for 1st graders. It’s for 12th graders. It’s for everyone in between and beyond.
By Eli Lebowicz
It was a full-circle moment because I had recently opened my yearbook from 12th grade and saw that for the section that guessed what everyone will be doing in 10 years, mine apparently said, comedian.
By Avi Ganz
While a dictator may rule over or control many people, an absolute monarch possesses both unlimited power and a sense of being beholden to his kingdom.
My favorite part of school restarting is the sound of children davening filling the hallways. Each one different, their voices come together in unison.
Leaders should be reminded of their privilege and literally feel the weight of their responsibility, whether it entails actual power or (only) a mandate to exemplify grace and dedication to public service.
That moment was a personal Rosh Hashana for me. When I felt anxious or fearful, I was able to remember that crowning Hashem gives peace of mind.
By Akiva Kra
Seeking mechila enables us to confront our past mistakes, paving the way for fewer errors in the future. It's an acknowledgment of our imperfections and a genuine desire for self-improvement.
It’s a two-step dance: the injurer needs to be able to humble themselves by admitting they were in the wrong and to ask for forgiveness. The injured party needs to consider whether the pain they feel is too great to let go, or whether carrying it around is poisoning them.
The pre-Yom Kippur mechila rush does no one any favors – but everyone who comments on this speaks from the perspective of those who ask for it.
By dvora
As we travel the maze of life, sometimes gloomy and overwhelming, the inclusion of the yud, Hashem, brings faith and hope. It allows us to exit the darkness, as we are led to His light.
How do you forgive those who are chayav mita, deserving of death for murdering their victims’ future on so many levels, emotionally, physically, socially and financially?
It's not the time for individual recognition but to shed our persona and unite in one unified voice of prayer and teshuva.
By Martin Bodek
Fun fact: I originally thought the word prompt said “kvittel,” and I wrote several versions of what the lifecycle of a kvittel is once it’s placed in the Kotel. I noticed my error and did teshuva really quick.
In Israel, on Yom Kippur, everyone – religious, traditional, secular – is wearing white. We all stand as equals.
When you remember the kittel has no pockets, as we can’t bring anything with us at death, the message is apparent: our most meaningful experiences in life have nothing to do with our possessions.
On all of the occasions that a kittel is worn it symbolizes beginning life again with a clean slate and with the commitment to continue pursuing a higher level of spirituality.
While it is true that youngsters lack the capacity to appreciate the full meaning and implications of these episodes, I wonder if adults are sometimes guilty of projecting their own discomfort in discussing these matters onto children.
Avraham turned his inner world inside out for G-d, such that G-d should reverse the world’s course for us.
The shofar that is sounded during Rosh Hashana is connected to the ram that was substituted for Yitzchak and what living as a frum Yid is predicated on – fear and love of G-d.
In all the Torah, restraint is most strongly exemplified by Avraham Avinu working against every human impulse he had, and Yitzchak, holding very still as his elderly father bound him tightly to slaughter him at Hashem’s mysterious command.
While there is a growing surge to read the Akeidah as a “misunderstood test” (an interpretation that has prima facie appeal), it is difficult to accept this conclusion when the Akeidah possesses a central place in our prayers and the Bible itself.
They say Hashem provides the cure before the disease; sometimes, like Avraham Avinu, we need only open our eyes and acknowledge how Hashem has placed those who can help us within our midst.
Hashem transcends time, existing in the past, present and future simultaneously. If we ask Hashem to judge us based solely on our existence in this frozen moment, we would fail miserably.
This was an extraordinary ram, one of G-d’s final creations made at the end of the six days of creation just before the first Shabbos (Avos 5:6). Its mission was predestined 2,000 years before it was called into service.
By Adina Broder
Since Hashem had all of this foreknowledge, wouldn’t it have been kinder for Him to create a small, weak animal to deposit in the thicket for Avraham to find?
By Sara Blau
So, what's a Jew living in the Diaspora to do with that feeling, if they are currently not in a position to pick up and move there?
While classically the Diaspora refers to geographic relocation and isolation, I can’t help but think about individuals who feel isolated from their communities as if in personal diasporas.
To all my loved ones and friends, and to everyone I know, when the time is right for you, leave the Diaspora and come join me.
Life rarely moves forward in a straight line. Likewise, we should not feel obliged to follow a logical and direct progression in our spiritual development.
At the same time, I yearn for the homeland. Israel is such a unique place. As comfortable as I am in the Diaspora, there is an inner call to return home.
I was always amazed by the lyrics of the Israeli folk song, Yesh lanu tayish, l’tayish yesh zakan – We have a goat, our goat has a beard…
I constantly struggle over the meaning of external manifestations of inner feelings. If I am feeling a certain way on the inside, is there any value in expressing it externally?
By Daniel Eleff
There is something beautiful about being instantly, recognizably Jewish. I have traveled bearded to seven continents and met all kinds of people who see the beard, tzitzes, and yarmulka and want to learn more.
By Anat Coleman
We no longer rely on these outward signs, like growing a beard, in the hope that others will treat us with respect; we've learned that respect is earned through action.
From the goatees of pre-war German rabbis and post-war American rabbis, to the never-groomed beards of Chabadniks, to the thick mustaches of religious Zionists in the 1970s and 1980s, facial hair can signal group identity and ideological affiliation.
When an officer claims that “they had no choice” but to follow the chain of command, this is proof that it’s not the case. We all have the ability to make choices. No one is absolved from acting morally.
Even though some may seem rude, or impatient, they still have my best interests at heart – even though they may give confusing and conflicting directions (seemingly on purpose).
By Ariela Davis
While everyone has the right to protest, no one should be able to shut down a highway, keeping people in need of medical attention away from hospitals and workers away from their jobs.
July 3, 2026 
