“What I see from observing the large tzibbur here and what fills me with awe, simcha and gratitude, is how in these very difficult times we can not only overcome the difficulties and persevere in our learning, but we can shteig even higher and reach even greater levels of learning, yegias haTorah and yedias haTorah!”

Moshe was arguably the greatest man to ever live. He scaled the heavens and split the seas. He liberated a nation of slaves and taught them about a God they couldn’t visualize but whose will they could study. For 40 years he piloted a rebellious nation throughout a barren desert on their way to a golden land. How does a man like Moshe develop? Perhaps his

This past week, on Monday, the 13th of Teves, my wife’s uncle, Meir Singer, passed away in Eretz Yisrael. I had visited him almost exactly a year ago, on the 12th of Teves. The experience of my visiting him was quite delightful.

My wife and I went to Eretz Yisrael for a nine-day trip. That was our

There are times when we feel that life is particularly challenging. We may be facing unusual circumstances, sickness, financial setbacks or trouble with a family member. However, this may not be the time to give in or give up. Sometimes we experience unusual opposition when something great is about to happen and our destiny is about to be

It is difficult to imagine a more unlikely scenario than the one described for us in the Torah as to the process of redemption of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. We can readily understand a personality of holiness and tranquility such as Aaron becoming the hero and redeemer of the holy people of Israel. We could also easily

Hashem appears to Moshe in quite an enigmatic scene: atop a mountain in a fiery tree. Moshe sees that this tree on fire curiously isn’t being burnt up, and decides to go check out the interesting sight. Not realizing he is on holy turf, Hashem notifies him not to get too close to the tree—אַל־תִּקְרַ֣ב

Pesachim 43a

The purpose of this article is to provide a general outline of the laws of chametz and should not be used as an answer to practical questions, which should be referred to your halachic authority.

What is chametz? What are the various categories of

A Tanach teacher of mine once bemoaned the prevalence of what he called the “kindergarten effect.” Because many of us in the Jewish community and broader Western world have been exposed to stories in the Torah since we were quite young, we have a tendency to accept and gloss over aspects of biblical narratives that, if we would approach

(Courtesy of Artscroll) It all began with a man named Reb Yisroel Zilberberg, who established an organization called Maftei’ach Shel Banim that focused on offering spiritual assistance to couples waiting to be blessed with children. His involvement in their lives began in a very modest way, with Reb Yisroel compiling Torah thoughts and

Daf Yomi is hard. Whether you use Artscroll, Koren, Mesivta or listen to a shiur, the commitment to learn an entire page of Gemara every day is a demanding one. And it’s not even about the time commitment necessarily. Some days you just don’t feel like getting up early for your pre-Shacharit shiur, or you’ve had a

(Courtesy of Hadran) Rabbanit Michelle Cohen Farber wakes up at 4:45 a.m. every day. One cup of coffee later, she powers on her computer and connects via Zoom from her home in Ra’anana to teach her first Daf Yomi lesson of the day—this one in Hebrew. By the time her youngest daughter leaves for school at 7:55

COVID-19 has changed everything. The past year has produced a seismic shift in almost every aspect of our lives and will continue to shape our identity for years to come. It is overwhelming to consider how much has changed in less than a year.

Among everything else, the pandemic has considerably altered