by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
Reward for Mitzvoth Why does the Torah mention only the material reward which is given to one who upholds the commandments; why is the spiritual reward – a reward which awaits the deserving in the World to Come – only hinted at? Many answers have been given to this famous question, and all of them … Read more
On the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, 5708 according to our counting from the Creation of the World (May 14, 1948) when the establishment of the State of Israel was declared, the Jewish nation, after two thousand years of exile, merited to once again fulfill the mitzvah of settling the Land of … Read more
Pondering Passover Rabbi Eliezer Melamed SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TWO NAMES Two terms are mentioned with regards to this holiday in the Torah: Chag Hamatzot (“The Festival of Unleavened Bread”) and Chag HaPesach (“The Holiday of the Pesach Sacrifice”) These names are parallel to two aspects of the festival – one is the crystallization of the … Read more
Gilad Shalit Once again, the left-wing with assistance from the media is organizing dances around their golden calf. This time it’s the demand to do everything possible to return Gilad Shalit home. They compose songs, light candles, etc, all to intensify the dancing around the new golden calf. Professional demagogues compete with each other spreading … Read more
The Commandment to Settle the Land of Israel (Part 1) Rabbi Eliezer Melamed The Commandment to Settle the Land of Israel The commandment, or mitzvah, to settle the Land of Israel is obligatory upon both the individual Jew and the Jewish nation as a whole. The mitzvah requires that the nation conquer and settle all … Read more
Blessings Over Joy Rabbi Eliezer Melamed Thanking God for Both the Good and the Bad The objective of pronouncing blessings is to cause us to always remember the Creator, Who watches over all of His creatures at every moment. By blessing we are repeatedly reminded that God does not reside in some detached and lofty … Read more
The Month of Adar The Sages of the Talmud teach that when the month of Av begins, we lessen our joy; when, though, the month of Adar begins we increase our joy. They, in fact, are subtly telling us that there is no coincidence in the world, and that each season has a unique character … Read more
“Thou shall not stand aside when mischief befalls your neighbor” The Torah commands one to save someone who is in danger. As the Torah also obligates one to return lost items to a neighbor “and you shall return it to him” (Dvarim 22:2), even more so is it a mitzvah to save another persons life. … Read more
The Commandment to Settle the Land of Israel Settling the Land: Planting Trees and Economic Development We have learned that the commandment of settling the land of Israel does not involve only conquering it, but also requires the settling and developing of every part of it. The Ramban stresses this point saying “We should not … Read more
The Suffering of Rabbi Kook Rabbi Kook was completely taken up by his responsibilities. He did not flee from the demands of the Rabbinate, demands which called for answering thousands of questions from all corners of the world, sitting in judgment of Torah-court cases, writing requests and recommendations for the needy, and caring for numerous … Read more