The prayer was very carefully worded. It does not endorse the policies of the politicians leading the State of Israel. It has us asking Gd to bless those people with wisdom and the ability to follow Gd’s instructions.
Peace and security – isn’t that what we want?!
Torah values and esteems peace so much that it notes and credits all those who effected peace, while also specifying the exact number years of peace each succeeded to achieve.
Aliya is a tough process for normal people. Olim appreciate all the help they can get to make the transition to Israeli life as pleasant as possible – Klita N’ima, and even for deciding if they’ll make aliya. Should you make aliya? Could you make aliya? Will political realities FORCE you …
In the summer of 1986, my mother turned seventy years old. She had been a widow then for the same amount of time as she had been married. To mark the milestone, my brother, my then husband, and I held a surprise birthday party for her. The pictures that sit …
B”H The core and essence of Judaism is Am Yisrael’s exodus from the galut in the Land of Egypt. And Pessach is the holiday that celebrates and prepares us for just that, the exodus. That is, The Exodus is THE paradigm journey. It is a concept and reality at the …
There is a battle raging in Israel and sadly, it is between Ultra-Orthodox Jews and non-Ultra-Orthodox Jews. On the bright side, it is a battle that unifies many diverse communities. On the negative side, they are unified against one of our own. In the last few weeks, the debate has …
B”H Bayamim hahem – those days just as today. Am Yisrael has been up against more than one Final Solution plan to completely wipe us out. With all the merriment of Purim, we still need to remember that our joy and celebration are because we were able to not only …
B”H Since the “indigenous” issue has cropped up yet again, I will add my two cents in hope of helping it finally be laid to rest. Basically, the question is simply: ‘Is Am Yisrael indigenous to Eretz Yisrael?’ The answer, though, is not so simple. The answer is neither yes …
That we, Am Yisrael, on the brink of our exile, vowed to Hashem that we would not return en masse to Eretz Yisrael before the geula – whereby the Mashiach would ingather us home (kibbutz galuyot) – that is undisputed.
What is disputed is only whether the vows are still valid and in effect.
It is high time we break out of this terrible impasse and deadlock. It is high time we respectfully request all the rabbanim to come together to provide a concrete Step No. 1 – if not Nos. 2 and 3 too – to finding a solution to the rift, as we also request all to acknowledge and accept Torah.
How can it be that there are Jews right here in Eretz Yisrael who know nothing about Torah and Judaism?!
The closer we get to geula, the stronger and clearer the rift and antagonism between Am Yisrael and the Erev Rav. It all boils down in the end to Am Yisrael versus the Erev Rav, though the two opposing camps are still intertwined and mixed together. Am Yisrael stands with …
