Parshas Vayelech
Rabbi Berel Wein The parsha of Vayelech is the parsha that contains the smallest number of verses – only thirty – of any other parsha in the Torah. It also is the parsha that usually coincides with Shabbat Shuva, the holy Shabbat between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The words of the parsha are part […]
Rav Kostelitz Video Parshas Nitzavim
Parshas Nitzavim
Rabbi Berel Wein In emphasizing once again the eternal validity of G-d’s covenant with the Jewish people, Moshe addresses his words to the entire nation. All classes of society are included in the covenant – the heads of the people, the judges, the wealthy and powerful, the poor, menial and manual laborers, and those whochop […]
Considering Teshuva
Rabbi Zvi Teichman In one of the last pre-covid community-wide events, I had the privilege of serving on a panel of Rabbonim, dear friends, in a public forum entitled ‘Considering Teshuva’. Two of the questions I was asked to address regarded the issues of dealing with the inevitable slumps one faces in this yearly, most […]
Ki Savo
Rabbi Berel Wein One of the bitterest curses that the Torah describes in the tochacha, which forms a major portion of this parsha, is that all our efforts will be for naught, all our ambitions, ideas and struggles ultimately pointless and of no lasting value, unless we build strong family ties and encourage harmony. There […]
Let’s Call a Spade a Spade
Rabbi Zvi Teichman When going out in battle against their enemies there is a vital tool that must not only accompany the soldiers at all times, but must also be placed in the exact location on their belts, the left side, where their swords were suspended from. (תרגום יהונתן, לקח טוב) ויתד תהיה (דברים כג […]
Parshas Ki Teitzei
Rabbi Berel Wein This week’s Torah reading begins with all the ills that can befall a domestic society. These include lust and exploitation of other human beings, especially women by men in a dominant male society, unhappy marriages, dysfunctional families and disputes over inheritances that wreck family life. Seriously troubled, rebellious, and violent children that […]
Parshas Shoftim
Rabbi Berel Wein Following the decisions of the court and judges of one’s time – even if one personally disagrees with those judicial conclusions – is the subject of this week’s parsha. This leads to a later concept in halacha of a zakein mamreh – a leading scholar, a member of the Sanhedrin itself, who […]
We Are All Special Children
Rabbi Zvi Teichman One of the most endearing descriptions of our relationship with G-d is expressed in Re’eh. You are children to Hashem… (דברים יא א) We are a beloved child to Hashem. His attitude towards us can only be approximated by our fathoming the love of a human loving father to his child and […]
Parshas Re’eh
Rabbi Berel Wein There is a shift in mood in the book of Devarim beginning with this week’s parsha. It no longer is a review of the events of the desert or of the Exodus from Egypt. Moshe no longer will concentrate on the faults and failures of the generation that left Egypt – a […]