Uncategorized
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Vayeilech
Christianity, Mendelssohn and Herzl And they will say on that day, Surely because my G-d is not in my midst, these evils have befallen me. But I will hide My face on that day, due to all the evil that they did, for they turned to other gods” (31:17-18). The question is: if they are…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Nitzavim
Not Like the Redemption Under CyrusG-d Favors the UnderdogThose Who Seek to Avoid Exile And Hashem your G-d will bring back your captivity and have mercy on you, and He will once again gather you from all the nations where Hashem your G-d scattered you. (30:3) The Abarbanel writes that we learn from this passage…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Ki Savo
We Accepted the Three Oaths at SinaiWe Will Not Be Redeemed by HumansYosef Mokir Shabbos And the Egyptians did evil to us, and afflicted us, and placed upon us hard labor. (26:6) The Hagaddah of Pesach connects the words “and the Egyptians did evil to us” with the verse in Shemos 1:10, “Come, let us…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Ki Seitzei
Staying Far from DangerPleasure from a Heretic’s TorahAvshalom Was a ZionistAmalek’s Attack on Emunah When you build a new house, you shall make a fence for your roof, and you shall not place blood upon your house, if someone falls from it. (22:8) The Gemora in Bava Kama 46a says that anyone who keeps a…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Shoftim
The Difference Between Achav and HerodWe Don’t Want an Announced RedemptionHonoring the Government “And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, who is the man who built a new house and did not dedicate it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the war and another man dedicate it.”…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Re’eh
These are new gods, so they are okayThe False Prophet’s MiracleLike Deer and Hinds “If a prophet or a dreamer arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder” (Devarim 13:2) The Satmar Rebbe once said, “In the old days, if you said that a Jew did something wrong for the sake…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Eikev
Relying only on HashemG-d Does Not Accept BribesSleeping in ExileThe Order of Shmoneh Esrei “If you say in your heart: these nations are more numerous than me; how will I be able to displace them? You shall not fear them; you must surely remember what Hashem your G-d did to Pharaoh and to all of…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Vaeschanan
Those who are in exile against their willThe Right Way to Consult a RabbiDon’t Break in Like a Burglar!Selling Land and Giving Up SovereigntyNo Strategies or Diplomacy “And Hashem will scatter you among the nations, and you will be left few in number in the nations where Hashem will lead you. And you will worship…
-
Parsha Pearls: Parshas Devarim
Why do you show yourselves?What Should We Pray During a War?Mass ImmigrationStopping the Spread of HeresyThe Power of the Holy Tongue “You have circled this mountain long enough; turn yourselves northward.” (Devarim 2:2) The Klei Yakar writes: Many say that this verse contains a penetrating lesson. It refers to both the immediate context and to…
-
Parsha Pearls: Matos-Masei
Is it a mitzvah or a sin?Does the Ramban Contradict the Three Oaths?The Ramban Does Not Advocate ConquestOnly with a Prophetic CommandFruits of Eretz Yisroel During ExileBasing Sins on the Torah And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes, to the children of Israel, saying: This is the thing that Hashem commanded. A man…