June 23, 2025

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Rabbi Reuven Taragin

Rabbi Reuven Taragin is the dean of overseas students at Yeshivat HaKotel.

Articles by Rabbi Reuven Taragin

The Significance of Our Actions

Created Only After Man Human beings are different than the rest of the world’s species. We are the only ones who believe that our lives

God’s Faith in Man

Creation The Torah begins with Hashem’s creation of the world. It tells about each step of creation, but nothing about the thought process behind them.

When We Lose Faith in Ourselves

Faith in Mankind The Jewish people were nervous and scared. Forty days had passed, and Moshe had yet to return from Har Sinai. They approached

True Freedom

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי … וְהַלֻּחֹת מַעֲשֵׂה אֱלֹקים הֵמָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּב מִכְתַּב אֱלֹקים הוּא חָרוּת עַל הַלֻּחֹת (שמות לב), אַל תִּקְרָא חָרוּת אֶלָּא חֵרוּת, שֶׁאֵין

Life in the Corridor

רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לִפְרוֹזְדוֹר בִּפְנֵי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הַתְקֵן עַצְמְךָ בַפְּרוֹזְדוֹר, כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס לַטְּרַקְלִין: הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, יָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים

What We Want

 הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ כִּרְצוֹנֶךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ. בַּטֵּל רְצוֹנְךָ מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל רְצוֹן אֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ. (אבות ב:ד) Rabban Gamliel—the son

The Real Reason We Are Hated

Though the Seder night focuses on Yetziat Mitzrayim, we also mention antisemitic episodes that preceded and followed the events in Egypt. The very first Jews

A Time of Confusion and Clarity

Veha’ir Shushan Navocha The Jews of Shushan were confused. They considered Shushan and the Persian empire their home and viewed themselves as central to its

Fully Focused on What Matters

True Pleasure Last week, we saw that Rebbe Yaakov describes our world as the “corridor” that leads to the “palace” of the next world, where

Life in the Corridor

רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לִפְרוֹזְדוֹר בִּפְנֵי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הַתְקֵן עַצְמְךָ בַפְּרוֹזְדוֹר, כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס לַטְּרַקְלִין: הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, יָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים

How to Respond to Suffering

Express Our Faith The mizmor dedicated to Shabbat ((Tehillim 92) encourages singing Hashem’s praises: “Tov l’hodot laShem u’l’zamer l’shimcha elyon.” It continues with the famous

Acheinu: Connecting to Our People

Death as Ingathering Whereas Lech Lecha and Vayera depict the lives of Avraham and Sarah, Chayei Sarah describes the transition from them to the next