parshat Matot

This week’s Sedra begins with a discussion of nedarim – vows & oaths. While the world holds that an oral contract is "only as good as the paper it’s written on," Judaism & the Torah place great emphasis on the power of speech.

Take it upon yourself, without a vow, to correct one thing in your life, and these days will work their true action - to add goodness in the world.

The beginning of this week's Torah portion of Matot focuses on certain important details pertaining to the laws of vows and oaths. A Torah-mandated oath is one by which one forbids himself to engage in one or more otherwise permitted activities. This leads us to ask a very fundamental question...

Can freedom and order coexist in the human sphere? Can there be a society which is both free and just at the same time?

Can freedom and order coexist in the human sphere? Can there be a society which is both free and just at the same time?

Explaining why G-d commanded Moshe to take vengeance against the Midianites and not the Moabites - the act of one woman who chose to advance the Jewish People's mission over her own physical and financial comfort.

One of the hardest tasks of any leader – from Prime Ministers to parents – is conflict resolution. Yet it is also the most vital. Where there is leadership, there is long-term cohesiveness within the group, whatever the short-term problems.