All in Israel

Last week’s parsha concludes with the commandment to destroy the nation of Amaleik. This week’s parsha begins by listing the unique mitzvos ha’teluyos ba’aretz, or the mitzvos that are only able to be fulfilled in the land of Israel, starting with bikkurim. Rashi often asks what the connection between two seemingly unrelated parshios is, but he is curiously silent here...

Given the seemingly ongoing precarious situation in Israel I would like to share some thoughts on the topic of אַחְדוּת/Achdus that I once heard from one of my rebbeim. The value of Achdus is practically undisputed. All agree that the value of unity is intrinsic and important to Judaism. There are, however, two fundamental misunderstandings when it comes to Achdus...

If you’ve ever tried learning Modern Hebrew, you may have noticed that it isn’t the same as the Hebrew you learn in Tanach or Chazal. In fact, it’s far from being that Hebrew. The vocabulary is partially made up and borrowed from other languages, the grammar is more limited and in some cases innovative, and the pronunciation is supposed to be kind of like Sefaradi for European Ashkenazim...