Pinchos Lipschutz

This week, we begin Sefer Shemos, the Sefer Hageulah. It is the sefer that tells the story of how a broken, enslaved people rose from

In the years before the war, a young bochur learning in the famed Mir Yeshiva was presented with a rare and amazing opportunity. He had been invited to spend the nights of Pesach at the Sedorim of the great Chofetz Chaim.

Following the news these days can leave a person feeling whipsawed. One day, the United States and Israel are striking Iran, determined to dismantle its

This week again, the news can lead a person to feel uneasy. Talks to end the war with Iran and curb their nuclear ambitions failed to materialize. The Israeli ceasefire with Lebanon was extended, but Hezbollah continued its attacks on Israel. The Israeli Supreme Court ramped up its war against

As we learn the parsha each week and study the words of different meforshim , there are, invariably, ideas in the Torah that feel less like commentary and more like a quiet unveiling of history itself. The Meshech Chochmah in Parshas Bechukosai offers one of those. In a few penetrating lines, he not only explains the Tochacha , but maps the spiritual psychology of golus and the conditions that make the geulah possible.

This week's parsha of Bamidbar opens a new sefer in the Torah and introduces the counting of the Bnei Yisroel and the precise arrangement of their encampments as they journeyed toward the Promised Land. Chazal instituted that Parshas Bamidbar is always lained on the Shabbos preceding Shavuos , and that connection is deeply significant. As we stand at the culmination of the days of Sefirah , during which we prepared ourselves for Kabbolas HaTorah , the lessons embedded in this parsha become especially relevant.

Mountains are central to our history. The first mountain we encounter is Har Hamoriah, where Avrohom Avinu approached to bring his son Yitzchok as a korban

Iran hung over Israel, the United States, and much of the Arab world like an albatross for nearly half a century following the Islamic Revolution of 1979. During those decades, successive American presidents promised to contain the regime, restrain its ambitions, or reform its behavior. None succeeded.

Among the many tragic episodes recorded in the Torah, few are as perplexing as the story of Korach. Korach was no ordinary man. Chazal tell us that he was exceptionally wealthy, exceptionally wise, and among the distinguished leaders of Klal Yisroel . He witnessed the greatest revelations in history. He stood at Har Sinai, accepting the Torah and hearing Hashem's voice call out. He experienced Yetzias Mitzrayim. He lived among a generation that saw open miracles daily.

For many people, this Shabbos marks the beginning of the “Country Season.” Tens of thousands of Yidden head for the hills, to their summer homes, to what we used to call bungalows, although, by now, most are anything but.