One of the strangest teachings in Chazal comes from the Midrash on Yam Suf: even Datan and Aviram, those consistent rebels against Moshe and Hashem, merited the sea to split for them. The Torah records that they did not leave Egypt with the nation at first, and yet when they finally came to the sea,…

The Torah demands joy, yet life often brings sadness, melancholy, and even crushing depression. How are we to understand this tension? Is depression a sin, or is it an illness? Our tradition and the teachings of Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski z”l offer a framework that separates behavioral sadness from medical depression, allowing us to…

Devarim 12:1–3: “These are the statutes and laws you must carefully keep in the land that Hashem, the God of your fathers, is giving you… You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations served their gods… tear down their altars, break their pillars, burn their Asherah trees, and obliterate their names.” This begs…

Sinas chinam — baseless hatred — is one of the most misused concepts in modern Jewish discourse. People often repeat, without much thought, that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of “infighting among the frum.” Some even blame Shammai, Hillel, or the religious community at large. But this is historically and theologically false. — …

The world loves a certain kind of story: “I built this. I made it. No one helped me. I’m self-made.” It’s the American ideal — the lone individual who rises from nothing by sheer grit and genius. Clean. Inspiring. And false. Because no matter how polished the story is, no one is truly “self-made.” Not…

Textual Trigger: “If a Person Has Food in His House” כיצד — אם יש לאדם מזונות בתוך ביתו ומבקש לעשות מהן צדקה… Note the plain language: it speaks about present, tangible surplus—“provisions in his house.” It does not talk about savings accounts, investment funds, or future reserves (e.g., weddings). The obligation to give activates when…

1 – Ma’aser to the KehillahIf every truly wealthy Jew gave ma’aser kesafim faithfully, directing those funds to rabbanim and kehillos for public needs, the communal budget would be solid and capable of meeting real demands. 2 – Full Family ResponsibilityHalacha obligates a person to first provide for himself, then his parents, children, and extended…

The Torah teaches that victory and survival are not about numbers, might, or human advantage. They rest on God’s promise and our loyalty. When facing enemies greater in number and strength, we are commanded: לֹא תִירָא מִפְּנֵיהֶם (דברים ז:יח) “Do not fear them.” (Devarim 7:18) Just as God brought Pharaoh and Egypt to their knees…

Regulating the Calendar, The Majesty of Creation, The Symbol of the Jews’ Resurgence, The Jews as a Conduit of Holiness, and the Precision of the Molad 1. The Torah entrusts us with the sacred duty of sanctifying the beginning of each new month, marking the rebirth of the moon within its cycle. This is not…

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה’ אֶחָד — Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is One — is the eternal declaration of the Jewish people, affirming complete loyalty to the Creator. Rashi (Devarim 6:4) explains that in our current stage of history, only Israel recognizes Hashem’s Oneness. But in the future, after the final…