Miraculously, beyond all natural explanations and reasonable possibilities, Toras Yisrael, Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael are alive, well and thriving. This alone is the greatest chizuk and hope for challenging times.

While we’re going through difficult times, we have to bear in mind that Hashem has something good in store at the end of the process.

As devout Jews, we understand that surface appearances can be deceptive.

We must stay strong! We must hug our loved ones, create new relationships and remember to keep the atmosphere in our homes positive.

The thing that looks like the very source of evil and weakness may seem like a hopeless encounter with a frightening snake, but in reality, that snake is the source of your staff—your strength.

The Jewish community has been assaulted and persecuted so many times, but not only do the Jews bounce back, they actually surge further ahead.

Since October 7, our family has received tremendous strength from the outpouring of love, tefillot and acts of chesed. . . . We feel the incredible embrace of the Jewish people, not only in South Africa and in Yad Binyamin, but all around the world . . .

Tens of thousands were moved by this mother’s ingrained faith and by her insistence that the tragedy had meaning, even if the meaning was concealed.

With antisemitism reaching levels not seen in decades and Israel locked in a devastating war, what is there to laugh about? 

We stepped into the hallway and immediately noticed keffiyehs everywhere, anti-Israel signs and students clustered by the windows looking down at the swelling protest . . .

Amidst all this, the entire Jewish community on campus—Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular—demonstrated inspiring achdut. The Jewish connection on campus has never been stronger.

When I return to campus, the antisemitism is still there, but I have gained a newfound resilience, the knowledge that wherever I go, my people stand by my side.

Every single day in my math class, I hear the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” I’m ashamed to be in the same institution as these people.  

I’m not sure what the future holds for Jewish and Orthodox life at Harvard. Much will lie in the hands of the university.

In the days and weeks after the Hamas massacre, Jewish students on campus started receiving chizuk (support) from the broader Jewish community. 

October 7 pushed teens to think: who am I? And many of them made a choice—they are choosing Judaism.

Israelis certainly acknowledge that their world has been intrinsically changed post-October 7, and American Orthodoxy must do the same. We must recognize that our community has been profoundly altered and our communal psyche shaken.

Misconception:1 Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki [1040–1105 CE]) wrote his famed commentary using “Rashi script.” Fact: “Rashi script,” a script based on an earlier Sephardic cursive script, was used by the early printers (late fifteenth century) to distinguish Rashi’s commentary from the holier Biblical text. It has nothing to do with Rashi the person, who likely […]

Practically speaking, if a consumer wants to take on the practice of yoshon, what does he or she need to do?

From simple to sophisticated, here are a few Pesach-friendly and brunch-friendly recipes that will be far kinder to your belly than another matzah and cheese sandwich.

The Book of Kohelet is often regarded as particularly challenging to study due to its enigmatic and philosophical nature.

Gan Shoshanim, vol. 1, 3rd ed. (Hebrew); Isaiah and His Contemporaries; Covenant & Conversation: Family Edition, 2 vols. 

I never thought to appreciate how my son’s warmth and charm would serve him in the army, enabling him to easily form close bonds with his fellow soldiers, bonds so essential, as these brothers would be called upon to support and protect one another, possibly with their very lives.

When the Jewish nation is in pain and suffering, there is no need for a reminder that we love and respect each other. 

Hasidus Meets America; My Grandmother’s Candlesticks