Chag Ha’Succos - Chag ha’Assif, Shemini Atzeres - Simchas Torah 5785. The culmination of the annual cycle of the shalosh regalim (the three yearly festivals - Pesach, Shavuos, and Succos), the end of all of our avodah b’teshuva that began on Rosh Chodesh Elul, through...
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a day of teshuva, tefilah, and tzedaka (with the giving of tzedaka in advance of this day). It is our heartfelt and fervent prayer that our avodah in these three all-encompassing realms - repentance, prayer and charity -...
As I sit at my desk and pen these words, on the eve of the new year, as Rosh Hashana 5785 prepares to enter, and Elul 5784 prepares to depart, the face of Ori Danino HY”D smiles at me. Ori’s smile beams from the card...
Dear friends, As we prepare for R”H and the yomtov season with so much physical labor and effort, here are some of my recent podcast interviews that may interest you. These are all available on major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple podcasts, etc). Please enjoy and feel free...
In Parshas Nitzavim, the first of this week’s double parshios - Netzavim-Vayelech - the Torah highlights the mitzvah of teshuva, repentance and return. Not for naught is this parsha always read before Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Elul. Elul is the month when...
In parshas Ki Savo, the Torah enumerates the second set of klalos (curses) that are found in the Chumash. The first tochacha (rebuke) is found in Bechukosai (Vayikra Ch.26 - the forty-nine curses given Har Sinai), and the second set is found in our parsha. ...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Ki Seitzei, we are commanded regarding the mitzvah of ha’shavas aveidah, returning a lost item to its owner. The pasukim instruct us: לֹֽא־תִרְאֶה֩ אֶת־שׁ֨וֹר אָחִ֜יךָ א֤וֹ אֶת־שֵׂיוֹ֙ נִדָּחִ֔ים וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖ מֵהֶ֑ם הָשֵׁ֥ב תְּשִׁיבֵ֖ם לְאָחִֽיךָ - you shall not see the ox of...
Towards the end of Parshas Shoftim, the Torah deals with the topic of going to war. כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל-אֹיְבֶךָ, וְרָאִיתָ סוּס וָרֶכֶב עַם רַב מִמְּךָ--לֹא תִירָא, מֵהֶם: כִּי-ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ עִמָּךְ הַמַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם - When you go out to war against your enemies, and you see horse...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Re’eh, the Torah commands us regarding the shalosh regalim: Pesach, Shavuos and Succos (Devarim 16:1-17). It is these three festivals that shape our calendar year and together, they form the foundations of our nation. Pesach commemorates the miraculous Exodus from Egypt,...
In Parshas Eikev, the beautiful and stirring words of Moshe Rabbeinu, during the last days of his life, continue to inspire, elevate and teach us. One of the main themes of the final teachings of Moshe is the topic of our beloved Land, Eretz Yisrael. ...