Balak realized that Midyan and Moav, the erstwhile enemies, would have to make a truce and gang up as allies against Israel. But since G-d was on Israel’s side, there was no way he could prevent the ...

Balak precedes the Fast of the Fourth Month (that’s what the navi calls Shiv’a Asar b’Tammuz) almost 80% of the time. That includes, in Chutz LaAretz, the years when Shavuot is Friday-Shabbat an ...

Rabbi Raphael Isaiah Azulai, a name less known than that of his illustrious father, nonetheless carved out a life of Torah and leadership. Born in Jerusalem around the year 1743, he was the Chida’s ...

After Mr. Ploni finished telling his story, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said, Now I know why I smell Gan Eden on you. The neshamos you buried are clinging to you.

Balak was evil – he did not want to elevate himself to the level of Am Yisrael, he wanted to reduce Am Yisrael down to his level, or even lower.

One may not sell lions to Gentiles, according to the Talmud, because lions can cause injury to the public (Avodah Zarah 16), to put it mildly.

You decide which yeshiva you want to go to. Don’t tell me your decision. When the day comes to leave to yeshiva, take your suitcase, go to the yeshiva, and I don’t want to kno ...

According to he Netziv, If Jews live distinctive and apart from others they will dwell safely, but if they seek to emulate ‘the nations’ they ‘will not be reckoned’ as anything special at all.

The respect component of the relationship comes from appreciating the other person’s differences – when you admire, or at least accept, the qualities your spouse has that you don’t.

Basketball, Goodman asserts, is a vehicle that facilitates empowerment, and he’s confident that basketball will help these children emerge from a pervasive “down” state of mind and life in limbo ...

Though the Shulchan Aruch agrees with the Rambam’s broad prohibition, his final clause might offer some room for an answer. It is permitted to note the beauty of an idolator if the focus of the comm ...

To speculate on the specific causes or to identify individuals as Divine agents is presumptuous and irreverent. To view the larger movement of history not only through the lens of politics, but ...