SHLACH

Lead, don’t concede!

Who was the mysterious “wood gatherer” & what was his sin?

Am I Jewish?

Permission to be Proud

Two Kinds of Fear

Big, Small, and Giant

The Contemporary Mitzvah of Living In the Land

In light of increasing instability around the world, including anti-Semitism, international inflation, eroding family values, and more, and in view of this week's Torah portion of Shlah that recounts the story of the Spies and their sinful negative report about the Land of Israel – we bring you the following article by the newly-appointed Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, the renowned Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon.

Don't Just Go Out Scrambling

Many professions depend on ratings – politicians, businessmen, artists, and even rabbis – their livelihood is dependent upon the love of the public, and therefore they collect and "gather" votes, likes, sympathy from the media and applause.

Assembling Reminders

You are driving ever so slightly above the speed limit. You see a police car in your rear-view mirror. You slow down. That is precisely the psychology behind the mitzvah of tzitzit in this week’s parsha.

Testing G-D

Each test in turn failed to achieve anything other than harming that generation and dooming it to destruction, never to enter the land of Israel.

“Their Shadow has been Removed”

Yehoshua and Kalev tried to convince Bnei Yisrael to follow their advice and not the wicked spies. They said “Their Shadow has been Removed”. What did they mean by this?

Who is your tour guide?

Who is your tour guide? That makes all the difference.in how you deal with the Giant problem.

How Not to Desecrate Shabbos

The story of the mekosheish, the man caught gathering wood on Shabbos, in Parshas Shelach, contains a host of conflicting and unusual midrashim. The story also serves as a springboard for many halachic and hashkafic issues.

For God's Sake Don't Go To Israel

Israel National Torah

Clarifying the spies' argument for not entering the Land of Israel...and then clarifies why it's so important to enter the Land anyway.

Confidence

One of the fundamental tasks of any leader, from president to parent, is to give people a sense of confidence: in themselves, in the group of which they are a part, and in the mission itself.

The "Can-do!" People

The Torah is not a book of Fairy Tales. Fairy tales almost always have happy endings, but not every story in the Torah has a happy ending.

The land of Israel

The land of Israel has always posed a problem for the Jewish people. On one hand, it is and always has been our national homeland. On the other hand, the record of the Jewish people in the land of Israel, and their behavior and attitudes, has often been a spotty one.

What Does a Jewish State Entail?

Our Parasha refers to the different reactions of three groups. Yehoshua and Kalev returned from their mission to Eretz Yisrael with reinforced belief in Hashem. The ten spies returned confused and lacking in belief. The Ma’apilim tried to reach Eretz Yisrael after Hashem had commanded them not to.

The Holey Donut

What brocha should I recite before eating a donut? Does it make a difference whether it is an American-style, hole-in-the-middle donut or an Israeli-style jelly donut? Must I separate challah from the donuts I am frying for Chanukah? I just purchased a donut shop that is quite distant from any Jewish community. Must I make sure that challah is taken?