"Rabbi Chanina the deputy [High] Priest said, pray for the welfare of the government (literally, “the monarchy”), for if not for fear of it, a person would swallow his fellow live." Some people astound me. Rabbi Yosef of Couci, the author of Sefer Mitzvot Hagadol, suffered...
I was riding a bus in Israel for the first time. I already new that Israelis were news hungry, so was not surprised to hear the news being played over the bus’ speakers. Then I heard a reporter comment about President Carter, “Mah inyan Shemittah...
Isaac said “the voice is Jacob’s voice” (Genesis 27:22) uttering words of the Unification of the Name and the study of torah. Moreover, when they announced in heaven, “the voice is Jacob’s voice,” the heavens quaked. Isaac gave Jacob ten blessings [one for each of the ten statements
The 5th of Iyar is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Meir Auerbach (1815-1878). Born in Dobri, he became the Rav of Kalisch, then made aliya to Eretz Yisrael in 1860, replacing Rav Shmuel Salant (who was traveling) as Rav of
“Accursed is the ground because of you; through suffering shall you eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.” (Genesis 3:17-18) The only part of the curse that...
Jacob was in great distress, [for] he feared that his father might recognize him and discover the [deception]. Then Esau’s spirit entered him [so that he would resemble Esau] and he cried, “Hashem, deliver my soul from lying lips” [i.e., from
