“…And G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it he abstained from all his work that g-d created to do…” – Bereishit 2:3 וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹקִים אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים לַעֲשׂוֹת – בראשית ב, ג On the seventh day from the start of Creation, G-d rested from His creation […]

“…And to Zevulun he said: “rejoice, Zevulun, in your departure, and Yissachar, in your tents…” Devarim 33:18     ולזבולן אמר שמח זבולן בצאתך ויששכר באהליך – דברים לג, יח Moshe’s blessing to Zevulun and Yissachar distinguishes itself by its emphasis on their roles being a source of joy, “Rejoice, Zevulun, in your departure, and Yissachar, in your tents.” This can be […]

“….I have one easy Mitzvah, called Sukkah. Go and do it…” – Immediately, each gentle will build a Sukkah on his roof. G-od will make the sun blaze, and they will kick the Sukkah and leave. This test is justified as sometimes Jews must sit in the Sukkah while still in the summer season as well. But if it is […]

“…G-d came from sinai, he shone forth to them from seir, he appeared from mount paran; he came with some of the holy myriads; from his right hand was a fiery law for them…” – devarim 33:2 ה’ מִסִּינַי בָּא וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ הוֹפִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן וְאָתָה מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ מִימִינוֹ אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ – דברים לג, ב The Talmud (Avodah Zarah […]

“…And Moshe came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and hoshea son of nun…” – Devarim 32:44     ויבא משה וידבר את כל דברי השירה הזאת באזני העם הוא והושע בן נון – דברים לב, מד The Torah recounts the first time that Moshe and Yehoshua jointly addressed Bnei Yisrael: “And Moshe came […]

“…He found them in a desert land…” –  Devarim 32:10 ימצאהו בארץ מדבר – דברים לב, י Rashi explains this verse as praise of the Jewish people: “G-d found them faithful to Him in a desert land, for they accepted His Torah, His sovereignty and His yoke upon themselves.” Why does the Torah refer to the Jewish people’s faith as something […]

“….Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, and i will speak these words into their ears…. (Devarim 31:28)

In this short powerful lecture, Rabbi Anava discusses are things that “appear” to be bad in reality really that bad?            

“Assemble the people… in order that they hear, and in order that they learn and fear Hashem, your G-d, and they will be careful to do all the words of this Torah. …and now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the children of Israel; place it into their mouths…” – Devarim 31:12-19 הַקְהֵל אֶת הָעָם . . […]

….Assemble the people: The men , the women and the children, and your strangers in your cities, in order that they hear, and in order that they learn and fear G-od, your G-od and they will observe to do all the words of this Torah…. (Devarim 31:12)   Hakhel is observed every seven years, in the year following Shemitah. Why […]

“….This day I am one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer go or come…..”(Devarim 31:2) The Talmud (Kiddushin 38a) explains: ‘This day’ need not be stated; why then is it stated? It teaches that G-d sits and completes the years of the righteous from day to day and month to month. The Tanya (Igeres Hakodesh 27) teaches […]

The name Rosh Hashana, meaning “head of the year”, tells us that this holiday is not only the day on which a new year on the Jewish calendar begins, and when our deeds of the last year are judged. If it were, names like “Start of the Year” or “The New Year” would be more appropriate than “Head of the […]

The Talmud tells us (Tractate Makkot 23b) that there are 613 commandments in the Torah; 248 Positive Commandments (do’s) and 365 Negative Commandments (do not’s). However, the Talmud does not provide us with a list of these commandments. Several great Jewish scholars have compiled a complete listing of these commandments. Although they all agree on the vast majority of the […]

Parashat Ki Tavo “…..Yet until this day, g-d did not give you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear. i led you through the desert for forty years… you must safeguard the words that constitute this covenant….” (Devarim 29:3-8) …ולא נתן ה’ לכם לב לדעת ועינים לראות ואזנים לשמוע עד היום הזה; ואולך אתכם ארבעים שנה במדבר.. […]

This mystical portion of the Zohar is recited by many chassidim before themincha prayer on Shabbat eve and by most Sephardi communities before the Shacharit and the Mincha prayers every day. (translation by AvrahamSutton) The prophet Elijah, of blessed memory, opened, and said: Eternal Hidden Master of the worlds! You are He whose Unity is infinite and absolute, and therefore indivisible. You are He [the First Cause], transcendent beyond all that is […]

“….And he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people ….” (Devarim 26:5) וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה וַיָּגָר שָׁם בִּמְתֵי מְעָט – דברים כו, ה And he went down to Egypt – forced by Divine decree. —Passover Hagaddah If Yaakov’s descent to Egypt was by Divine instruction, why did Yaakov feel forced? Could it be that Yaakov, […]

“……..When a man takes a wife… “(Devarim 24:1) כי יקח איש אשה ובעלה והיה – דברים כד, א Once the Torah was given, the Jews were commanded that when a man desires to marry a woman, he must acquire her as a wife in the presence of witnesses and only after this does she become his wife. This is stated in […]

“….You may offer interest to a gentile, but to your brother you shall not offer interest….” (Devarim 23:21) לנכרי תשיך ולאחיך לא תשיך – דברים כג, כא Offering – and taking – interest from “your brother” is prohibited; from people at large, by contrast, it is permitted. It is a positive mitzvah to lend money to a gentile at interest, […]

A great long class about the mystical depth of the month of Elul. Information you want to know to really take advantage of the special month getting ready the right way for the coming new year     Part 1   Part 2        

Elul is known to be a very powerful month to do Teshuva and fix our actions from the past year and prepare the right way for the coming new year. The essential class with clear things out and help prepare the right way for the coming new year     Part 1   Part 2