The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was quick to hold an emergency session on January 5 because a Jew dared to walk on the holiest site in Judaism, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Two days earlier, that Jew, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister, had made a quiet, 13-minute tour of the site.

It was early December when The Chosen Comedy Festival came to Miami. It had been a tough few weeks for Jews.

Kanye was on his “I love Hitler” tour and it seemed like too many people wanted to hear what he had to say. The New York Times was running regular pieces about problems they saw in the Haredi

“In our city of Antwerp, we have morei horaah and poskim who have completed the Dirshu Kinyan Halacha program, both the first five-and-a-half-year machzor and the second five-and-a- half-year machzor. They have covered all major areas of horaah and are incredibly learned and expert morei horaah!” Those were the words

After many years of slavery in Egypt, the time has come. God can easily take the people out of Egypt. What is standing in the way of this revolution of leaving Egypt? It’s not just Pharaoh and the Egyptians who stand in the way; it’s the Jewish people, too.

At the beginning of the parsha, we read

The question is ancient. If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, then it was God who made Pharaoh refuse to let the Israelites go, not Pharaoh himself. How can this be just? How could it be right to punish Pharaoh and his people for a decision—a series of decisions—that were not made freely? Punishment presupposes guilt. Guilt

Parshat Va’era

The bulk of parshat Va’era revolves around the first seven plagues visited upon the Egyptians, the warnings given to Pharaoh and his stubborn refusal to free the slaves. We would be mistaken, however, if we saw these afflictions simply as a prelude to the redemption from Egypt. For,

Well, my friends, we’ve come to another exciting episode of “What’s Going on in My Brain?” Each week, you get a glimpse inside the workings of my mind for your entertainment and possible edification. By sharing my unique and interesting perspectives, I hope to enlighten and offer new vistas for others to cogitate

Why two days Yom Tov outside Israel and one day Yom Tov in Israel? The answer to this question depends on the answer to another basic question, namely, how many days constitute a month in the Jewish calendar?

The rebirth of the moon, approximately every 30 days, determines the number of days in the

Because Masechet Avot initially consisted of five perakim, the fifth perek’s last words are also the last words of the masechet and are, therefore, especially important. The last words are a

This zemer, song, was authored by Yisrael ben Moshe Najara (c. 1555- 1625, biography is below). His name ישראל is spelled by the first letter of each of the five stanzas.

Surprisingly, the first three paragraphs of this zemer are based on a statement by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. At Dan.

Question: I learned that the mezamen (leader of zimun) should recite—if not all of Birkat Hamazon aloud—at least the first beracha and the ends of berachot. Most people do neither. What should I do and/or tell others to do?

Answer: There are two reasons for mezamen to recite aloud parts of Birkat

Jews came from far and wide to the modest Bnei Brak apartment of Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, zt”l, the Steipler Gaon, to consult and discuss Torah topics, and seek the blessings and advice of the one of the generation’s great sages and poskim (guides) in halacha. As the renowned author of the multi-volume “Kehillos Yaakov on the