In Judaism there is a concept of a Sabbatical year: a shemitta year, when the agricultural land in Israel is given a rest in the seventh year of  it’s seven year cycle in order to increase its fertility and productivity after that.  This is a very powerful commandment which even seems counterintuitive because the Torah promises […]

This week’s Torah portion is Noach. This is the perfect time to again publicize the sheva mitzvahs Bnei Noach (Noachide laws). The following 7 commandments (sheva mitzvahs Bnei Noach) were given to Noah by God for all humankind to keep. The Jewish nation was given 613 commandments at the time of the giving of the

Does anything change with a new Prime Minister in Israel?  The political dynamics might….but our goal to bring Moshiach does not change.   We are not impressed with politics. We are not impressed with the formation of a new government in Israel (especially a far left leaning govt which capitulates on matters of importance for security).

 As the Israelis go to the polls, I would like to share a really beautiful video by Rabbi Greenberg on the security of the land of Israel and the concerns that would affect the election results. https://collive.com/the-rebbes-opinion-before-elections/ Please also look at my website section on security of the land of Israel to learn more and

The latest “fashion” seems to be anxiety. Everyone seems to be suffering from some sort of anxiety disorder. Why is it that so many people experience so much anxiety these days? What is anxiety? Where does it stem from? One of the deep causes of anxiety relates to our relationship to G-d. We grow up

So what does it mean when we say Pesach is the season of our freedom: zman cheruteinu?  Of course we commemorate leaving Egypt and becoming a free nation. But we know that every Jewish holiday is not just about commemorating the past. Each holiday is applicable on a spiritual level even today. So what is

The other day I was watching a documentary about the chareidi (religious) Jews in Israel and the controversy with the secular Jews. As usual it portrayed the religious Jews in a negative light, focusing more on the so called “enlightened” views of the secular society. A totally non Jewish perspective, as usual.  And it made

17th of Tamuz again…..so why do we fast for something that happened in the past?   Okay, we could say we are fasting so as to prevent future problems and avert negative situations. That is true as well. But the fact is, for a Jew, it is not really the past. Because the destruction of

It is the beginning of the new month of Adar. This is certainly one of the best months of the year for the Jewish people: a month of good “mazal”. A month of joy. In fact, the Torah tells us that when Adar enters, we must increase in joy. But how do we do that?

What is it about difficult situations in life that cause people to feel so depressed and to lose their chayus or their positivity?  I think part of the reason is that all of us imagine how we would like our lives to be. We imagine ourselves growing old with our spouses, taking vacations, traveling together