148 Lessons
Daily Chizuk Our Brothers - The Entire House of Israel
Everyone of us can alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters and bring the hostages home and hasten the successful end of the war. Here's how.
G-d's leadership in the world Can Z'chut Avot Ever "Run-Out"?
How does Z'chut Avot (merit of our fore-fathers) work? Why should their actions thousands of years ago, still be effective, say if over the more than 100 generations, we may have done many more sins that eventually out-weigh even their many merits? And if so, does that mean that there possibly may not be a ge'ula (redemption), if we really don't deserve it? Especially today, when most Jews (especially outside of Israel), aren't that observant, this topic is particularly pertinent. As usual, Rav Kook zt"l has an innovative approach to the topic. (Rav Kook, Ayn Aya Shabbat v, 31)
Subjects of Jewish Thougts Is Religious Faith Simply a Matter of Convenience?
Isn't it simply "convenient" for us to believe that there is something above and beyond the material world? It is not just "convenient" to believe that there is a G-d Who sees everything and thus gives meaning to life? Could it be that it is just this "convenience" that causes us to believe in G-d?
Subjects of Jewish Thougts How can I trust the transmission of the Torah?
Our faith is based on 600,000 adult males who saw with their own eyes and experienced receiving the Torah at Sinai, and transmitted this to the generations afterwards. Why shouldn't we say that, just like other people had folklore and legends that they believed, we also had such tales throughout the period of the Judges and First Temple, and that at the time of Ezra the Scribe, he gathered them all together into one book that we now call the Torah? After all, the Talmud says that during his time, parts of the Torah were forgotten and he reinstated them.
Subjects of Jewish Thougts How Can I Trust the Truth of Sinai?
How do we know that Moshe Rabbeinu did not do some kind of magic of lights and pyrotechnics that caused the nation to believe that that's what happened?
Subjects of Jewish Thougts How Can I Believe In G-d if I Can't See Him?
How Can I Believe In G-d if I Can't See Him?
Subjects of Jewish Thougts Do Our Prayers Make a Difference?
The Torah teaches us that there is Reward and Punishment in this world for our deeds. We see this in many places...We also see the power of our prayer in this framework...But on the other hand, we certainly cannot force G-d to change His mind, and we must accept what is decreed upon us...My question therefore is: The prayers that I recite, and blessings that I receive – do they have influence?
Jewish Thought Is the Faith of Israel the Absolute True and Correct Faith?
For me, as someone searching for the truth of life, my question is: Is Judaism 100% correct? I have tested the Jewish faith from many angles – its tradition, its logical proofs, its prophecies – and they all seem to indicate that Judaism is the right approach. But is there even the smallest possible chance that I am mistaken? Could it be that the tradition was corrupted, or that the events in the Torah exaggerated? Could the proofs be incorrect because we have forgotten to include one detail in the equation? Could it be that the fulfillment of the prophecies is simply an amazing coincidence? I would like to know: Is the path of Judaism and its faith absolutely certain?
Jewish Thought Study How Can We Know There Is a G-d?
How can we know with certainty that there is a G-d?
IDF Memorial Day A Tale of Two Fathers
After his first Shabbos ends with an unspeakable tragedy, Shimon Ilan’s resilience & faith paves the way for an unexpected friendship and inspires Yaakov Shwekey’s latest hit song Ein Davar Ra.
G-d's leadership in the world A Tapestry Of Diversity
Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we were all the same? We'd all get along so well! Right?
G-d's leadership in the world Signed At Sinai
When Alex Shafir was called to do a random act of kindness he discovers he was repaying a debt 30 years later!
Foundations of Faith Emuna From the Cradle
The main mitzvah upon which all the other mitzvot are structured is emuna, certainty of G-d. The Gemara tells us (Makkot 24) that the Prophet Habakuk "summed up" all the mitzvot into one, saying, "The righteous will live by his faith." Therefore, since we are obligated to teach our children to fulfill the Torah's commandments, it is clear that we must teach them emuna from a very young age – for that is the mitzvah on which everything else stands.
Having Faith in Hashem Israel's Faith, Step By Step
Israel's Exodus from Egypt served as a preparatory course for the nation's great future, foretold at the very beginning of its creation to its Patriarch Avraham: "I will make you into a great nation… and the other nations will be blessed through you" (B'reshit 12,2-3). The meaning of the phrase "great nation" in this context is that we will be "close to G-d." As written in Va'et'chanan, "Who is a great nation like Israel, to which G-d is so close." However, to reach closeness to G-d, several steps are required.
Subjects of Jewish Thougts How Free Is Our Free Will
Question about our free choice between Good and Evil
Having Faith in Hashem Pure Faith, Intellectual Faith
The relationship between the simplicity of faith and intellectual analysis
