Journal

by R. Eliezer Melamed Matza, symbolizing our recognition that the spiritual roots of things are beyond our grasp even though God granted us the ability to operate within and improve the world, is the opposite of ĥametz. Therefore, on Pesaĥ, when we are engaged with the most fundamental elements of faith, we do not mix even one iota of ĥametz ...

Rabbi Professor Joshua Berman wrote the March essay for Mosaic Magazine about the historicity of the Exodus., Was There an Exodus?, and his follow-up Was Israel Taken out of Egypt, or Egypt out of Israel?. In his essays, Prof. Berman asserts that the Torah was familiar with royal Egyptian propaganda and in broad fashion appropriates motifs and terms from those ...

by R. Jeffrey Saks The recent discovery of the 12 second video clip of the Chofetz Chaim has rightfully fascinated the Torah world. Indeed, it may be enough to redeem the black hole of inanity which is the Internet, with its click-bait of cats playing with string and Charlie biting fingers. The opportunity to view this “visual talisman” of the ...

by R. Yair Kahn 1. One Parashaor Two The parasha of Vayakhel deals with the structure of the Mishkan and its vessels, while Pekudei focuses on the priestly garments. During a regular year, Parashat Vayakhel is read together with Parashat Pekudei. However, on a leap year, theseparsahiot are read separately. This leads us to a question regarding the relationship between ...

by R. Yaakov Ariel This book review appears in Hebrew on R. Ya’akov Ariel’s website, dated 23 Shevat, 5771. It is presented here in translation with permission, although the translation has not been reviewed. -ed. The title “Rabbi,” to our regret, has been eroded in our generation. Any young yeshiva student who has passed a test on the laws of ...

by Rabbi Rafi Eis Day school tuition continues to rise five years after the affordability crisis began.  Avi Chai, PEJE, the Orthodox Union, Yeshiva University, the Kohelet Foundation, and many other organizations have devoted significant resources in an attempt to solve the affordability crisis, helping schools raise revenue, cut expenses, and become more efficient.  These organizations have helped schools become ...

Based on a sicha by Harav Yehuda Amital Adapted by Rav Ronnie Ziegler Translated by David Silverberg Regarding the first verse of Parashat Vayikra, “And He called to Moshe,” Rashi writes, “‘Calling’ preceded every utterance, every speech, and every commandment. It is an expression of love, the expression used by the heavenly angels. To the gentile prophets, by contrast, He ...

by R. Eliezer Melamed The Need to Address the Issue of Homosexuality Recently, we have witnessed serious accusations, public and blatant, from members of the LGBT community against the religious community and the Torah. Their position is adamant and defiant: they are not willing to accept the validity of a position opposing sexual relations with a member of the same sex. ...

by Aron White The Problem of Torah Study The mitzvah to learn Torah confuses many people. On the one hand, the Sages make it crystal clear in numerous places that the Torah study is the primary value of Judaism – most famously “VeTalmud Torah KeNegged Kulam,” “Torah study is equal to all other commandments.” However, in the current environment, many ...

by R. Daniel Mann Question: Most people do not stand up when their parents enter the room. Is this due to the opinion that it is enough to stand for them once in the morning and at night?   Answer: We believe in the great significance of upstanding Jews’ common practices and in looking for halachic justification for them. However, ...