“And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai desert, ‘Anyone who does not make himself ownerless like the desert cannot acquire wisdom or Torah, and therefore it says ‘in the Sinai desert.’” (Bamidbar Rabbah 1:7)

A hefker, ownerless, object is of such little value to its owner that he formally

Our parsha begins with the census of Bnei Yisrael—with Hashem “counting” Bnei Yisrael. Hashem counting Bnei Yisrael is an expression of His endearment for us (see first Rashi in our parsha), which, ultimately, could show us the inherent value, importance and unique purpose of every Jew. From this idea of Hashem counting us, we could

The Talmud notes that there are two sections in the Torah known as tochacha, each containing a litany of dire warnings. Both are read at significant points in the calendar, one—Parshas Ki Savo—shortly before Rosh Hashana, and the other—Parshas Bechukosai—shortly before Shavuos. The placement in the calendar implies the

Annual tribute to OTS founder, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, to be dedicated this year in memory of Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee, HY”D.

Now in its fourth year, the international Ohr Torah Stone educational network will once again be holding its annual “Pre-Shavuot

There was a fellow I’d see occasionally whom I would encourage to learn in our yeshiva. He was always very cordial and polite, but he never took me up on my offer. I finally decided to be more direct: “There are so many Torah learning opportunities at our yeshiva. Is there a reason why you aren’t taking advantage of them?” I asked.

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In the age of photography, often, an epic event is best captured by an iconic photo.

The six-day war was a grand historical shift. Hashem created His natural world in six days, and He recreated modern history in six days of June. Everything

“If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them.” (Vayikra 26:3).

Much ink has been spilled explaining this pasuk. The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh has 42 different interpretations of this pasuk. We will highlight an important and relevant lesson derived from this pasuk by the

Whatever the challenge or difficulty, we do so much better when we do not experience it alone. As Rashi in this week’s parsha makes clear: “‘I will scatter you amongst the nations.’ This is the harshest measure. When members of a country are exiled to a single place, they see each other and take comfort from each other. The Jewish

“You are not paying attention,” said the frustrated wife after realizing she was saying the same thing repeatedly and her husband was not listening.

“Can I have your attention?” Begged the teacher, pleading with his pupils to focus their distracted minds back on the class discussion.

The bulk of parashat Behar relates to matters concerning shemitah in the yovel. We are given laws dictating that every seventh year the land must lie fallow. This is shemitah. After a series of seven shemitah cycles, that is to say after 49 years, the 50th year will be the yovel year. In this year, not only will the land lie fallow, but

Behar-Bechukotai is a double Torah portion that contains some of the most profound and challenging commandments of the Torah, including the laws of the Jubilee year, the laws of the sabbatical year and the blessings and curses that will befall the Israelites depending on whether they obey or disobey God’s commandments.

America now, in terms of the vast growth of Torah Judaism, is a vastly different place than it was in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Most people attribute this change to the yeshivos and kollelim, but there is another important factor.

If there are no kollel wives, there are no avreichim. If there are no