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The Gemara asks: Where is Esther hinted to in the Torah? Chazal point to this week’s parsha:“וְאָנֹכִי הַסְתֵּר אַסְתִּיר פָּנַי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא” — “I will surely hide My face on that day.”The words haster astir allude to Esther, and to Hashem’s hiddenness in the Purim story. The Ramban explains: hester panim means Hashem withdraws His…
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In this week’s parsha, Nitzavim, the Torah tells us: “And you shall return to Hashem your God, and listen to His voice… with all your heart and all your soul” (Devarim 30:2). Notice — the pasuk doesn’t say “return from sin”, but “return to Hashem.” Teshuva is not about running away from suffering or punishment.…
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Standing Together in Unity Parshat Nitzavim opens: “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem” — you are all standing here today. Every Jew, from leaders to water carriers, stood together before Hashem. Chazal teach this is arvut — kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh — we are responsible for one another. That unity is not only the opening of…
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It’s easy to make promises about what we’ll do if we have abundance.“If I win the lottery, I’ll give so much tzedaka. I’ll do endless chesed.” We’ve all said it, at least in our hearts. But here’s the truth: the challenge isn’t in making those promises before the blessing comes—it’s in following through once it…
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Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the mitzvah of bikurim, the first fruits a farmer brings to Yerushalayim. But more than just produce, bikurim is a declaration of bitachon (trust in Hashem). The Sifrei explains that in the farmer’s words— “Arami oved avi, vayered Mitzrayma… We went down to Egypt small in number, became great, were…
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Ki Teitzei – The Two Battles We Fight Parshas Ki Teitzei begins with war and ends with war. But they’re not the same war. At the start, Chazal tell us the Torah speaks about the inner battle—the war with the yetzer hara. At the end, it speaks about the outer battle—the war with Amalek. Inside,…
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Shiluach Hakan, Honoring Parents, and the Power of Bitachon You’re walking a quiet trail and see a bird’s nest. A mother bird hovers protectively over her young. The Torah says: send away the mother, then take the eggs, “it will be good for you, and your days will be lengthened.” Ramban explains this mitzvah cultivates…
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Climbing the Right Mountain We’ve all heard of rock bottom — when a person loses everything and only then realizes it’s time to change. But Parshat Shoftim warns of another danger that’s spoken about far less. When you spend so much time climbing the mountain of success — money, fame, luxury — only to reach…
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Hashem wants us to love one another — not only in words, but in how we see, judge, and treat each other.Parshat Shoftim opens: “V’shaftu et ha’am mishpat tzedek” — judge the people with righteous judgment. The Rachmastrivka Rebbe explains that we begin Elul with Shoftim because as we prepare for Rosh Hashana and our…
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Jerry Seinfeld has a great bit about how easy it is for kids to make friends.You meet a kid at the park, he likes slides, you like slides—boom, best friends. But as adults, it’s different. You meet someone and start comparing: You can line up a hundred points of similarity, and yet we focus on…
