Parashiyot VaYakhel-Pekudei, Shabbat HaChodesh

“Hachodesh hazeh lachem rosh chodashim … ” This week’s special maftir reading taken from the 12th perek in Shemot, opens with Hashem’s declaration that “this month,” i.e., the month of Nisan, will be the first of the

After fifth-generation Tanna, Rabbi Meir died, his contemporary Rabbi Yehuda didn’t want an influx of Rabbi Meir’s students, whom he considered troublemakers (Nazir 49-50). He told his students not to admit any of Rabbi Meir’s students. “They aren’t coming to study, but to overwhelm me with halachot.” Nevertheless, one of Rabbi

Who generates the most excitement? I would venture to say it’s the Fed-Ex or UPS guy. (By the way, did you know Fed-Ex and UPS are merging? It’s going to be called “Fed-Up.” It’s happening on Tuesday, after they take the word “gullible” out of the dictionary.)

Mail can be exciting, but

וַיּעֲַשׂוּ כָל חֲכַם לֵב בְּעשֵֹׂי הַמְּלָאכָה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן עֶשֶׂר ירְִיעתֹ שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר וּתְכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי כְּרֻבִים מַעֲשֵׂה חשֵׁב עָשָׂה אתָֹם (שמות

Rabbi Meir of Premishlan would get up early each morning and make his way up the mountain next to his village to purify himself in the pool of water, at the summit. The townsfolk marveled at their elderly rabbi’s unbelievable ability to climb that mountain, even through the winter’s low temperatures and icy terrain. “Our rabbi is most

Rebbe Yeshaya Steiner of Kerestir, zt”l, “Reb Shayaleh,” was beloved and respected as a tzaddik, rebbe and miracle worker, who dedicated his life to the well-being of Jews. A gaon in Torah and paradigm of mesirus nefesh and ahavas Yisrael, Reb Shayaleh referred to himself as the “Aibishter’s Kecher—God’s Cook.” This was

לעילוי נשמת

יואל אפרים בן אברהם עוזיאל זלצמן ז"ל

Question: What are the rules of when one does and does not do nefilat apayim (putting one’s head down and partially covering it) during Tachanun?

ארוסין: This word has its origin in Tanach, where it is always spelled with a “sin.” E.g., ארשׂ (Deuteronomy 20:7). Many words were spelled with a “sin” in Tanach and then became a “samech” in later Hebrew. (Another example is סוטה. See Numbers, chapter 5, for the earlier שׂ spelling.) So, our issue is the meaning

Hashchatat Zakan

Nazir 41b

As a child, I always wanted to know what my father’s chin looked like. But I never got to see it. From the time I was born until the time he passed away 28 years later, the Dayan’s chin was always covered with a beard.

One of the pivotal moments of leadership in the Tanach is Moshe Rabbeinu’s appointment as leader. Hashem has to convince Moshe that despite his self doubts, he will, in fact, be a great leader. Showing children early on how to get beyond that self doubt and find that core value of מצוינות עצמית, commitment to best self—to

The first time I visited Congregation Sons of Israel in Manalapan, New Jersey, Rabbi Robert Pilavin handed me a letter written by the renowned posek, Rav Gedalia Dov Schwartz. The letter rested inside a book Rabbi Schwartz wrote during his short tenure at Sons, in the 1950s. Decades later, in 2007, I received semicha from Rav Gedalia Dov,

Editor’s Note:

Welcome to The Jewish Link’s inaugural chesed special section. The idea of highlighting and profiling some of our most inspiring organizations and individuals, many “in their own words,” follows along with our December issues which included special sections on gifts and giving. As always, we are very