Revivim

Redeeming Jewish captives, protecting wounded terrorists

A halakhic analysis of two dilemmas with which Israel has to contend.

Israel's Sovereignty on the Temple Mount

Islam and Arabs respect the ruling power and accept its sovereignty, provided it demonstrates strength and authority. Take away the rights of ungrateful East Jerusalem Arabs.

Should Israel go for a decisive or partial victory?

The government is too weak to pursue a decisive victory, but the fortitude of the public may lead to a partial one. And demographics are on our side.

Coping with terrorism through faith

Terrorism tries to sow panic and cause the public to give up. Israelis are finished with delusions of peace, so terrorism will not achieve its goal, but a rational, gradual, and realistic means of teaching the Torah view must be proposed.

The Death of the Righteous

The leaders in building the country in our times are those who cling more firmly to the Torah. They also cling to the frontlines of settlement in the Land of Israel.

The Meaning of Shmini Atzeret

Why is there an extra holiday added on to the Sukkot holiday.

Together in the Sukkah

The mitzvah of joy on Sukkot includes not only family members, but also the poor and lonely. A primer for the holiday.

Yom Kippur - A Day of Liberty

Afflicting the body and soul on Yom Kippur releases one from the shackles of the body and the material, and allows one to connect to the root of his soul.

Rosh Hashana - Expressing the Acceptance of G-d's Kingdom

The central theme of Rosh Hashana should be part of our appearance and actions.

Understanding Selichot

All about the custom of reciting Selichot for the Salvation of the Clal

Monetary Torah Laws at the Close of the Shmitta Year

What is shimittat ksafim, when does it apply and what is the pruzbul?

Rabbi Kook: Halakha and the Rabbinate

The iconic first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel had a unique way of approaching the Rabbinate and halakhic determinations.

Far More than 13 Million

How you count the Jews makes all the difference

Changing the Law to be What They Want it to be

The Attorney General should be fired for attempting to render meaningless the Law against Fraud in kashrut.

Tisha B'Av on Motsaei Shabbat: A Primer

The transition from Shabbat to the Fast of Tisha B’Av * How to make havdalah when Tisha B'Av falls on Motzei Shabbat * The halakha for pregnant and nursing women when Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat, and is postponed to Sunday

When Av Arrives, We Curtail Our Joy - but How?

A careful elucidation of the various expressions of ‘curtailing our joy’ - what is allowed and what is not.

The Mitzvah of Settling the Land of Israel

Granted, we are not yet in control of the entire Land, and we are partially dependent on the nations of the world, but we are actually fulfilling, once again, the mitzvah of Yishuv HaAretz.

Soaps and Cosmetics Kosher for Passover? (And a review of Pesach laws)

How to manage the cosmetics and medicines issue on Passover.

Homosexuality: The Malady of Our Generation

Many people are afraid to express the position of the Torah on this issue, and give in to the power of today's liberal paganism.

The Laws of 'Brit Milah'

This first commandment to the Jewish People symbolizes the history of the chosen nation - and much more.

Halakha on Abortion of Fetuses with Severe Abormalities

A fetus is considered a living entity in regards to certain laws, but there is no penalty of death for taking its life. What do the rabbinical decisors say?

At What Age Should One Marry in Our Times

Torah studies and acquiring a profession take longer, so how does this affect the obligation to get married by a certain age? What about postponing having a family after marriage?

The History of the Heter Mechira

The heter mechira came about in the first shmitta year, 5649 (1888), after thousands of years in exile. Some opposing poskim changed their positions when they saw how urgent the situation was. Anti-Zionism caused more opposition.

How Binding is Minhag?

Should a person continue praying in the traditional style of his fathers’, or can he change? Educate children about the importance of marriage, and don’t stress the problems.

The Haredi Boycott of Heter Mechira Fruits is Unsustainable

The only logical explanation for the fierceness of haredi opposition to the heter mechira is that they associate it with Zionism

Rabbi Goren and the Temple Mount

The controversy with the Wakf is a nationalistic issue, but there is also an halakhic issue on which rabbis disagree. The late Chief Rabbi Goren tried to arrange a mass prayer on the Mount in 1967 and was stopped by the government.

Thoughts on Sukkot

Sukkot is a time for Jewish unity and, in the future, for all nations of the world to come to Zion.

The Desecration of God and the Torah

Waking to the Call: Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael

If we had dedicated ourselves to redeveloping the Nation in Eretz Yisrael, then the resettlement of the Land, in accordance with the words of the Prophets, would have filled the hearts of our people with awe, and brought wanderers back to the fold.

Individual Atonement is Rooted in Communal Atonement

Atonement on Yom Kippur emanates from the brit (covenant) of love which God made with our forefathers. Fasting on Yom Kippur releases the soul from its material bondage and desires, revealing its true, good aspirations.

Light the Hanukah Candles Together

According to the Sephardic minhag where the head of the household lights the Hanukah candles, can children also light with a bracha? Is it better to light the candles on time, or wait for a delayed spouse?

Uproot Terrorism from its Islamic Source

Western intellectuals ignore the human longing for a life filled with faith, content, and idealism that leads people to religion. And on the other hand, will Europe be able to free itself from anti-Semitism?

The Sin of the Spies - Today

The Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) is not the problem of Jewish existence – the Land of Israel is the solution.

Inheriting the Land of Israel on the Temple Mount

Rabbi Melamed writes what late Religious Zionist leader Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook would have decided about the halakhic question of ascending the Temple Mount had he seen the political situation today.

Adoptive Parents

Note that there is information about the Shmitta year at the end of the article.

Spiritual and Material Joy: A Shavuot Primer

The joy of the Shavuot holiday is both spiritual and material. A true enjoyment of the holiday this year entails knowing how to go from Sabbath observance into yomtov, in addition to the laws of the yomtov itself.

The Pain of Childlessness

When a childless couple overcomes their sadness and unites with devotion and passion, they become partners in bringing down souls to the world, giving them sparks of soul from their union.

Judgment on the High Holidays

In the opinion of many Jewish law authorities, the principal judgment on the High Holidays concerns the World to Come * Life in the World to Come is divided into two stages: the World of Souls, and the Resurrection of the Dead * "The reward of a mitzvah, is a mitzvah" – one who is judged for life on Rosh Hashanah will have events occur during the year that help him continue ascending spiritually * In general, the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished, but the factors of judgment are profound and complex * Why do the righteous sometimes suffer, and the wicked live the good life in this world * Reward and punishment is according to the intensity and effort of the test * The effect of the judgment of ‘Clal Yisrael’ on the individual* What is Man judged for during the High Holidays?

An Enduring Name, Better than Sons and Daughters

Dealing with the reality of infertility, both emotionally and spiritually.

Did the Rabbis Invent a Prohibition?

It is a mitzvah to marry by the age of twenty and no later than twenty-four Postponing pregnancy is similar to postponing circumcision to the ninth day.