When Jews are drafted into inhospitable armies in the diaspora, they are required to work on Shabbos and eat non- kosher food or face severe punishment. Effectively, they are coerced to violate Torah prohibitions. Historically, this raised many questions as...
I. Amalek Today With the October 7th Hamas attacks and the subsequent war, many have discussed the concept of the timeless war against Amalek. Amalek is the paradigm of the enemy of the Jewish people, a nation that attacked...
When a soldier moves position on Shabbos, he has to carry with him his gear as a matter of self- preservation, piku’ach nefesh. What about his personal items? Can he carry his tefillin with him so he can...
I recently drove on my own from Brooklyn to Monsey for a wedding. I wanted to listen to 10 minute mini-shiurim but because I was driving alone, I would not be able to manipulate my phone to switch...
I. Five Days of Megillah Earlier this month, I was notified that the IDF Rabbinate faces a shortage of Megillah scrolls. There are a number of ways to handle this, including paying scribes to quickly write more megillos. I...
In 1927, when Rav Ahron Soloveichik was 10 years old, he sent a letter to his older brother Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, who at the time was studying in Berlin. The young Ahreleh wrote an impressive essay, which is...
Kohanim are the descendants of Aharon, the priests of our people. In past eras, a kohen had a special role in the nation. Even today, a kohen retains certain privileges and obligations, such as being called first to the...
Genocide, the targeted killing of a people, is not a modern invention. Many have tried to kill the Jews, the biblical Haman being perhaps the most famous ancient example. Other nations have also faced genocide, some even suffering from...
The 1848 (5608- 9) cholera epidemic has become famous in Jewish history because it was the moment when the 37- year old Rav Yisrael Salanter first took on a leadership role. Rav Dov Katz, in his Tenu’as Ha-Mussar (vol....
In their first three years, trees produce fruit that are orlah, which we are forbidden to eat or derive any benefit from them. We exhibit the important trait of patience in order to give the tree time to grow...