Would anyone describe Kabbalas HaTorah as “groovy”? Long before the 1960s, the Torah used the phrase “seeing sounds” (ro’im es ha’kolos) to describe the Jewish people’s experience at Har Sinai (Shemos 20:15). Far out. The first Gerrer Rebbe,...
Parashat Yitro recounts one of the most pivotal events, if not the most pivotal event, in Jewish history—the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai. The Midrash famously teaches that before giving the Torah to Beneh Yisrael, Hashem first...
Parshas Yisro. The parsha that tells of our nation receiving The Aseres Hadibros. A most monumental moment in the history of our people. A time when HaShem Himself spoke to all those assembled at...
Dear Rabbi and Shira, Thanks for your column. I look forward to reading it each week in The Jewish Vues. Here is my issue. At what point should a person start dating?...
When one begins construction in an area which contains fruit trees the question arises if one is allowed to cut them down. This is a very common issue when doing construction in the mountains where there are a lot of...
I. Shabbos and Popular Culture Stop, in the Name of G-d is a surpris- ing book of praise for a traditional Jewish practice by a leading Christian figure. Charlie Kirk, the right wing polit- ical activist and devout Christian,...
In the beginning of Parashat Beshalah, we are told that as Beneh Yisrael left Egypt, Moshe made a point of bringing with him Yosef’s remains. Many years earlier, before Yosef died, he made his brothers promise that...
I would like to share a Medrash in Shemos Rabbah that does not refer directly to a verse in Parshas B’Shalach, but rather refers to a pasuk in Psalms regarding an incident in Parshas B’Shalach: “Our fathers in...
Last week, we started discussing the fundamental attribute of middah k’neged middah, measure for measure; how Hashem punishes and rewards to exactly match a person’s own behavior. We cited the Rambam who says that this is a thread that...
The Chofetz Chaim asks: Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu split the sea only after Bnei Yisrael entered it? This is a lesson for all generations: A person must do hishtadlus; he must jump into the sea. He mustn’t be idle....