A person must never build himself up by degrading someone else:אַל תִּתְכַּבֵּד בִּקְלוֹן חֲבֵירְךָ“Do not elevate yourself through the degradation of your fellow.”This establishes the foundation. Rebuke is not supposed to be an instrument for asserting superiority. The purpose is correction, not humiliation.The Sefer HaYirah then warns against physical aggression. A person should not raise…

1. There is a fundamental confusion in the modern discussion about Judaism and the State of Israel. Because Jewish political circumstances changed dramatically over thousands of years, people assume that Judaism itself changed with them. 2. It did not. 3. The Torah remained the same. What changed were the circumstances in which particular Torah laws…

The world of kiruv (קירוב)—bringing non-religious Jews closer to Torah and a religious Jewish lifestyle—has changed considerably over the last sixty years. The objective has not changed. The generation has. The people being reached are different. The Orthodox community itself is different. The economic world is different. The people capable of financing kiruv are different.…

There are three fundamental questions that should shape the way a Torah Jew thinks about money. First: What is the purpose of money from a Torah perspective? What are we supposed to do with what we have? Second: To whom does our money actually belong? And third, which follows naturally from the first two: What…

The mystery of the Creator is בחירה חפשית — free choice. Free choice stands at the zenith of Creation because Gd needs nothing. Creation did not come into existence because the Creator lacked something or required something from man. Gd created the heavens, the stars, the moon, the planets, the animals, and finally the human…

Torah study occupies a unique position among all the mitzvos. Even if a person were to observe all 613 mitzvos with complete perfection and proper intention, the kedushah and spiritual light brought upon him through those mitzvos cannot be compared to the kedushah and splendor of the Torah that rests upon a person who immerses…

There appears to be a recurring correlation between the psychology of individuals or groups who feel oppressed, humiliated, deprived, rejected, or denied the dignity they believe they deserve and the way some of them behave when they eventually acquire substantial power. The original grievance may be real or perceived. It may arise from poverty, discrimination,…

A person may recognize that his actions are wrong and may even sincerely intend to change, yet convince himself that there will be time later. He imagines that he can first satisfy his desires, have his fill of them, and afterward withdraw from sin and return to Gd.The Duties of the Heart, The Gate of…

The Torah describes a particular danger that arises after a person has heard the words of Hashem’s covenant. This is not someone who never heard the covenant or does not know what the Torah demands. The verse specifically describes a person who hears the words of the covenant, but then begins an internal process through…

The spiritual DNA of the grandchildren of Abraham is to live differently from ordinary human nature, human notions, and human desires. The purpose of a Jew is not simply to follow whatever direction the surrounding world happens to be traveling. It is to recognize the Creator, to remain connected to Him intellectually and spiritually, and…