Rabbi Chanan Morisson “All who mourn [the destruction of] Jerusalem will merit to see it in its joy.” (Ta’anit 30b) At first glance, this statement seems peculiar. Why did the Sages say that those who mourn Jerusalem’s destruction will merit seeing it ‘be-simchata’ – ‘in its joy’? It would be more logical to say that … Read more
We are in the midst of mourning for and yearning for the absent House of G-d. by Moshe Kempinski The book describing the people’s journey through the wilderness (the book of Numbers) is reaching its completion. It is not happenstance that this book of Bamidbar is culminated in the midst of the “three weeks of … Read more
Moshe Kempinski At the end of last week’s Torah portion we hear of Hashem’s instructions after the failure of some of the Israelite with the Midianite women and we then hear of Moshe’s directions; “The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them before the Lord, facing the sun, … Read more
by Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Exploring the contemporary meaning of the first tragedy that occurred on the 17th of Tammuz, the breaking of the tablets at Mt Sinai. The fast of the 17th of Tammuz commences a period of mourning of The Three Weeks which concludes with the fast of Tisha B’Av. The Talmud records that … Read more
. BY MICHAEL OREN And got it stomped on. Israel’s former ambassador to the United States on the president’s naiveté as peacemaker, blinders to terrorism, and alienation of allies Days after jihadi gunmen slaughtered 11 staffers of the Charlie Hebdomagazine and a policeman on January 7, hundreds of thousands of French people marched in solidarity … Read more
by Elliot Mathias BDS is an opportunity to educate young Jews and non-Jews about the validity and nobility of Israel’s cause and values. Last week a summit was convened in Las Vegas by pro-Israel billionaire Sheldon Adelson, focusing on how to defeat the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. The summit was … Read more
Rabbi Chanan Morisson “And [the spies] began to speak badly about the land that they had explored.” (Num. 13:32) A dispirited discussion took place at Beit HaRav, Rav Kook’s house in Jerusalem, not long after the end of World War II. The Chief Rabbi had passed away ten years earlier; now it was his son, … Read more
by Elad and Lital We love Israel and know best the moral dilemmas we faced. Lital and I participated in the 6th “Israeli Soldiers Tour,” speaking on campuses, high schools, synagogues and churches throughout the Northeast. This included John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) staged a “die-in” last … Read more
