by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
1.The Ancient Tu B’Av Custom 2.The Attractive and the Noble 3.The Unattractive Ones 4.Sound Advice for Singles 5.The Unique Power of Tu B’Av The Ancient Tu B’Av Custom Israel never knew such wonderful holidays as Tu B’Av (the 15th of the Jewish month of Av) and Yom Kippur. On these days the daughters of Israel … Read more
Institution of the Fasts After the First Temple was destroyed, the Prophets instituted fasts marking the tragic events surrounding the Destruction and the ensuing exile of the Jewish People. This step was taken in order to prompt the nation to grieve and mourn over the Destruction and Exile. It was intended that by so doing, … Read more
In Remembrance of the Temple’s Destruction In the wake of the destruction of the Holy Temple a great change took place. It seemed as if after the destruction, and all that came in its wake, it would no longer be able to continue living in a normal manner.The Talmud relates (Tractate Baba Batra 60b):”Our Rabbis … Read more
War with the Arabs Question: With all due respect, Rabbi – do we have a choice? All the leaders of the world are pressuring us to withdraw from Judea and Samaria, and in their opinion, withdrawal will bring peace and security. How can you be so sure they are wrong, and that an agreement to … Read more
Postponing the Obligation to Have Children Question: I am a twenty-year-old woman and, God willing, I will be getting married soon. My question is this: Am I permitted, according to Jewish law, to postpone pregnancy for two years in order to finish the majority of my university studies without the burden of pregnancy and parenting? … Read more
Cure-Seeking through Blessings and Miraculous Remedies How should we view the practice some people have of approaching rabbis with requests for healing, miraculous remedies, and amulets? At “Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav,” under Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah Kook, there was no such dealing in the supernatural, and one did not go to request magical remedies or blessings from … Read more
What’s so bad About the Prime Minister’s Speech Question: I have read responses from right-wing spokespeople on Arutz 7, and all of them are disappointed and embarrassed about the Prime Minister’s speech. I don’t feel betrayed. What do you expect the Prime Minister to say in such an official speech? Do you expect him to … Read more
Poor Public Image Many are concerned about the bad image that resistance is liable to cause the settlers of Judea, Samaria. True, the issue of public image must be taken into account; the advice of Rabbis and experts must be sought so that people known in what manner to speak and how to act. On … Read more
The Sages teach (Sifri, Re’eh 53): “The Mitzvah of settling the Land of Israel is equal to all of the other Mitzvoth in the Torah.” This is due to the fact that, in addition to its own inherent value, the Mitzvah of settling the Land of Israel serves as a foundation for the healthy national … Read more
“A Spade With Which To Dig” The Mishnah (Avot 4:6) begins by teaching us the desired intention when studying Torah: “If one learns [Torah] in order to teach, he is given the means to learn and to teach; if one learns in order to do, he is given the means to learn, to teach, to … Read more