Torah

What the ma'apilim teach us about faith and judgment

The story of the spies shows how belief in destiny can falter in fear or slip into reckless overconfidence.

Overconfidence, underconfidence –both negative.
 The Grapes of Canaan by James Tissot (circa 1900). Although the 12 spies brought back a cluster of grapes so large that it took two men to carry it, only two of the 12 brought back a good report of the land.

Joshua's spies chose faith over fear - can Israel do the same?

An illustrative image of New Israeli Shekels in a wallet.

Your Investments: The spies and fear of financial success

Truth

Parashat Shlah: The absolute truth


Light unto the nations: Rivkah Lambert Adler and teaching Torah outward

The concept of illuminating the nations of the world was always envisioned as one of prophetic destiny rather than real obligation. Author Rivkah Lambert Adler confronts this very notion.

A SEPHARDI Torah scroll is rolled to reveal the first paragra ph of the ‘Shema’ prayer.

From exile to ecstacy? Israel’s enduring resilience in the face of crisis - opinion

Life for the Jewish people, and virtually anyone who comes within our circle, is unpredictable.

‘CHILDREN OF Jacob Sell Their Brother Joseph,’ by Konstantin Flavitsky, 1855.

What honoring our parents teaches us about faith, logic, and Judaism

The mitzvah of honoring one's parents is not a narrow religious demand but a foundational moral duty.

RED HEIFER

Parashat Beshalach's lessons on unity, shared risk, and IDF service

A segment of Israeli society – largely comprising traditional, Religious-Zionist, and secular Jews – carries the overwhelming weight of military service.

A STATUE of Deborah dated 1792 stands in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Parashat Beshalach: The joy of ‘mitzvot’

Recounting for the first time the story of an entire people who, after long years of harsh and grueling bondage, emerge into freedom.

JOSEPH’S TOMB in Nablus.

Moral, legal issues with Israel’s terrorist death penalty - opinion

Ben-Gvir’s law treats non-Jewish lives as unequal, risking Israel’s moral and global standing.

Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir walks inside the Knesset, on the day US President Donald Trump delivers remarks, in Jerusalem, October 13, 2025.

Collapse of responsibility in the name of faith - opinion

Parashat Bo warns: true faith demands responsibility, that honoring life means accountability and protecting the vulnerable.

Ultra-Othodox Jewish men block a road and clash with police during a protest against the autopsy of toddlers who died in a daycare, on Tuesday. These protests were not about honoring the dead, but about avoiding accontability, the writer argues.

Grapevine: Jewish-Irish eyes are smiling

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 THE NEATLY tucked-away Antopol Martyrs Synagogue.

Parashat Bo: Jeremiah’s timeless promise to Israel

Empires crumble, pain persists, yet Israel survives; Jeremiah’s words offer reassurance across generations.

Exodus from Egypt (Edward Poynter)

Parashat Bo: The world is catching up, again

'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion' was a crude forgery that peddled the myth of a clandestine Jewish cabal manipulating institutions under the guise of doing good.

Gold.