Torah Portion

Parashat Ki Teitzei: Words are tearing us apart

Elul is upon us. In a few weeks, we will confess our sins of the body, heart, and mind. This year, let us focus on the sins of the tongue, for they shape the confused, divided world we inhabit.

Parashat Ki Teitzei: The hidden enemy and the open enemy

The Torah reserves ‘abomination of the Lord’ precisely for this form of dishonesty.

Parashat Shoftim: A king who rules over himself

Parashat Re'eh: Divine consolation, both intimate and universal

Zion’s foundations will be laid with sapphires, we are reassured.

Parashat Re'eh: The gift of mercy

This is our ancestral heritage, passed down through the generations, and rooted so deeply that it is part of our very nature.

AUGUST 22, 2025ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

COMPASSION & MERCY: Haredi soldiers from the IDF Hasmonean Brigade take part in a beret march after completing seven months of basic and advanced training, at the Western Wall, Aug. 6.

Parshat Re’eh: Being engaged to God

We, the Jewish people, will find the courage to move beyond engagement, to build our home with God in Jerusalem, and to begin a new chapter in our ancient story.

AUGUST 22, 2025ByLEO DEE

PREPARING TO break the glass during a wedding ceremony: It represents a leap of faith; only once the glass is shattered can the covenant be sealed, the writer posits.

Parashat Eikev: Service of the heart

Prayer is one of the foundations of Judaism. A hallmark of the eternal Jew is speaking with his creator...Is it reasonable that such a central mitzvah is not directly addressed in the Torah?

AUGUST 15, 2025ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

AT MOUNT SINAI, the Jewish people were metaphorically ‘married’ to God.

Parashat Va’ethanan: ‘This good mountain’

What is this “good mountain” Moses refers to, and what is “the Lebanon”?

AUGUST 8, 2025ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

An ilustrative image of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Parashat Devarim: 'And from my students more than from all'

This dynamic of student inquiry and the teacher’s patient, honest response is essential for effective and meaningful learning – for both the teacher and the student.

AUGUST 1, 2025ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

An illustrative image of someone writing in a notebook.

Parshat Matot-Masei: Our stops along the way

Prayer can be an oasis along the way. Prayer can also parallel the journeys we take in life.

JULY 25, 2025ByRABBI MICHAEL M. COHEN

Parashat Matot-Masei: The gravitas of gratitude

Moses, the father of the nation, paved a path for generations to come: Nothing justifies an act of ingratitude. Ingratitude is never warranted in any situation.

JULY 25, 2025ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

An illustrative image of a note saying 'Today I Am Grateful.'

Parashat Pinchas: Every Jew is torn between hope and history

Moses does not stand alone on Nevo – we stand with him. Together, we gaze toward a future we build but may never fully enter. Together with him, many Jews look toward a land they may never cross.

JULY 18, 2025ByMOSHE TARAGIN

An illustrative image of a man in a robe on a mountaintop with the sun shining.

Parashat Pinchas: Zealotry: The impetus to do the right thing

The story of Pinchas reminds us that even someone who once acted boldly in zeal can also become a leader of peace and understanding.

JULY 18, 2025ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

Phinehas slaying Zimri and Kozbi, Jeremias van Winghe (1578–1645).

Parashat Balak: Others’ privacy is sacrosanct

Compassionate eyes and a kind heart – yes. Probing eyes and a gossiping tongue – no.

JULY 11, 2025ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ