In this all-encompassing sixteenth blessing, we ask Hashem, “Shema koleinu – Listen to our voices.” In his sefer Beis Elokim, the Mabit explains that we choose to say the words our voices, to ask Hashem that even if...
The pasuk in this week’s parashah states (7:7) “Moshe was eighty years old, and Aharon was eighty- three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.” Why does the Torah tell us their ages? Reb Shimon Shwab zt’l explains that mentioning their...
Taking ozempic, wegovy, and the new wave of weight loss treatments. Is it allowed halachically? Those of us who are learning Daf Yomi are now learning Mesechata Bava Kama and the premise of Mesechta Bava Kama is that you’re...
Surprisingly, the Torah in Parashat Vaera interrupts the story of the Exodus from Egypt with a genealogical record of the first three of the tribes of Israel – Reuben, Shimon and Levi. It lists the names of...
Three Boys Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging of how great their fathers are. The first one says: “Well, my father runs the fastest. He can fire an arrow, and start to run, I tell you,...
For most of the 20th century, the vast majority of Jews in the United States identified with the Democratic Party and voted for Democratic candidates. Even now, according to Pew, seven in ten Jewish adults identify with or lean...
A soldier in active times, which sadly we find ourselves at the time of this writing, often has only a few minutes a day in which he can learn Torah. In this extremely limited time, what should he...
Parashat Shemot begins by listing the names of Yaakov Avinu’s sons who had come to live in Egypt. At first glance, this list is entirely unnecessary. We just read several parashiyot about the story of Yaakov’s family,...
The Difference Between ‘Melacha’ and ‘Avodah’ We are told that after Moshe Rabbeinu came to Pharoah and asked him to free the Jews, Pharoah reacted negatively. The King of Egypt commanded the taskmasters to withhold the straw necessary for...
