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.

"Zakhor" Before Purim

Amalek sought to demonstrate, by attacking the spiritually weak, those whom the Clouds of Glory had cast out, that the secret of Israel's power lay in their observance of the Torah and its commandments, that they possess no intrinsic sanctity.

The Three Shepherds

Rabbi Avraham Elkanah Kahana Shapira's regular classes at the yeshiva and in his home were, more than anything else, what transformed the yeshiva's students into Torah personalities immersed in the sea of the Talmud and guided by sound reasoning

The Mystery of Purification - and National Revival

Parashat Para

The return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel spells the return of the soul of Israel, lost for thousands of years in the Exile, to the Eternal People as they themselves return to the vibrancy of full-fledged natural life in the land of their birth.

Amalek Against Jerusalem

The words of the verse, “First among nations is Amalek,” are coming true in our own time. An international attack is being waged upon Israel - especially upon its spirit, the Divine spirit whose practical expression is the rebuilt city of Jerusalem.

Choosing a Place of Prayer

Abraham used to establish a fixed place for prayer. A fixed place of prayer creates a firm bond between the worshiper and his prayer. It transforms the supplicant's worship into a firm foundation and unchanging element in the structure of his life.

Chanukah - An Eternal Light

Unlike Greek thought, Judaism teaches that all of man's actions possess value and make an impression upon the heavens and earth - momentarily and eternally. The morality of man is not mere courtesy; our commandments are not some external performance.

The Sanctity of Hanukah

What reason is there, in our day, to rejoice over the return of Jewish self-rule in the Second Temple era? After all, we see that, at any rate, the Temple was eventually destroyed, and the Jewish people were exiled from their land.

"Each According to his Camp"

We cannot be satisfied with strengthening only one portion of the people, no matter how important its task be. We must designate persons for each of our national goals, whether the strengthening of the Torah or the building of the nation.