When a person honestly searches for truth, the logical approach is simple:Start where the subject is treated most seriously.If someone wants to understand advanced physics, he goes to the top researchers and professors who dedicated their lives to the field. If someone needs complicated surgery, he searches for the specialist who spent decades mastering one…

The Ramchal writes in Derech Hashem that the purpose of creation was for Hashem to bestow good upon another besides Himself. But since true perfection exists only in Him, the greatest possible good is not merely pleasure, survival, or comfort. The highest good is for creation to cleave to Him — to connect itself to…

Rav Moshe Cordovero explains that Hashem does not merely forgive sin in a simple sense. Rather, He continues sustaining even the very destructive force created by the sinner himself.Chazal teach in Pirkei Avos that when a person performs a mitzvah, he creates a defending angel, and when he commits an aveirah, he creates a prosecutor.…

One of the great historical and theological disputes between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam centers around the question of revelation, continuity, and whether God replaced the covenant given at Sinai.Judaism views itself as fundamentally different from later religions because its foundation is not based upon the testimony of one individual prophet alone, but upon a national…

Part 1: The National Revelation at SinaiOne of the most fascinating realities in religious history is that Christianity and Islam often use against each other the very same arguments that Judaism originally used against them both.Judaism begins with a national revelation. The Torah does not describe one individual entering a cave, seeing a vision, or…

מה יפו פעמיך בנעלים בת נדיב — “How beautiful are your footsteps in shoes, daughter of nobility” (Shir Hashirim 7:2).The Midrash explains that the word נעלים does not only mean “shoes.” Its root, נעל, also means “to close” or “to lock.” The plural form hints to two forms of ne’ilah — one connected to Sukkos…

מה יפו פעמיך בנעלים בת נדיב — “How beautiful are your footsteps in shoes, daughter of nobility” (Shir Hashirim 7:2).The Midrash explains that the word נעלים does not only mean “shoes.” Its root, נעל, also means “to close” or “to lock.” The plural form hints to two forms of ne’ilah — one connected to Sukkos…

Chazal describe two very different kinds of suffering, even though from the outside they may appear identical. One type comes to cleanse a person from sin and restore spiritual balance. The other comes not because of sin at all, but because Heaven wishes to elevate a person to a greater level of eternal reward.The first…

Part 1 — The Measure of a ManThere are generations in which honor is measured by wisdom, character, faith, or kindness. But there are also generations where a man’s value is measured almost entirely by his wealth. In such a world, people begin chasing money not merely as a tool for survival, but as the…

1. To explain to many of my non-religious Jewish brethren what is happening in the world, one must first understand a basic principle of Torah history: the world operates in cycles.2. Just as there is wind, rain, heat, and cold—natural systems embedded into creation—there are also spiritual systems embedded into history.3. When the Jewish people…