Discover the Jewish tradition

The appearance of the Jewish people began with God’s commandment to our forefather Abraham to go up to the Land of Israel. There he would establish a large and blessed nation – a nation that would reveal God’s word to the world and bring blessing to all. The Lord said to Abram: “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you: I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3). Similarly, our forefather Isaac was promised: “All the nations of the earth shall be blessed through your offspring” (ibid. 26:4). Also our forefather Jacob was told: “All ...

Offering interest-free loans is a mitzva. The purpose of the mitzva is to enable people to meet their basic expenses when they have temporary financial difficulty. Therefore, a borrower may not use a loan to buy luxury items unless the lender has agreed to this. Lenders must document their loans, in order to avoid later unpleasantness about the amount or terms of the loan. The only person who is permitted to give an undocumented loan is someone who is ready to forgive a debt wholeheartedly if the borrower forgets about it. Sometimes borrowers are unable to repay a loan. In such cases, it is forbidden to make their lives miserable, forcing them to go into debt or sell necessities in order to return the money. Thus we read, “Do not be like a moneylender” (Exodus 22:24). However, when it is known that a prospective borrower is irresponsible and there is ...

The Israelites were commanded to conquer the Land in order to settle it. This is even though people are usually exempt from performing a mitzva which would endanger themselves. Fighting for the Land is an exception to the rule because there is no war without danger and without casualties. Indeed, the Jews fought to conquer the Land in the time of Joshua. Later, in the time of Ezra, they were willing to sacrifice to settle the Land despite suffering enemy harassment. Later still, the Hasmoneans fought to the best of their ability to gain sovereignty. If a nation is not prepared to make sacrifices to defend its land – such as endangering its youth by sending them to fight – sooner or later it will be wiped out and many of its young people will be killed in any case. In this light, the mitzva to fight and sacrifice for ...

It is appropriate to praise and love the Land of Israel, following the example of the Torah, which calls it “the land of milk and honey” fifteen times. The verses elaborate: “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; a land where food will not be scarce, and you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron, and from whose hills you can mine copper. When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:7-10). The Talmud tells us about Sages who left Babylonia for the Land of Israel. Upon reaching the boundaries of Israel, they kissed its stones and ...

The Torah commands the army to act as morally as possible, even during wartime. Therefore, before going to war with even our worst enemy – Amalek – there is a mitzva to first offer peace. As it says, “When you approach a town to attack it, you shall offer it terms of peace” (Deuteronomy 20:10). This means offering the enemy dignified terms of surrender, in which they have an autonomous state under Jewish rule, paying taxes and observing the seven Noahide laws. We only go to war if they reject peace. Our objective in war is to achieve a resounding victory which will quash any further enemy desires to engage in battle. Therefore in biblical times, when the norms of war were (at the least) to kill all the enemy’s men, the Jews were commanded to do this too, as it says, “When the Lord your God delivers it into ...

The day before Israel Independence Day is Israel’s Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron), whose official title is Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Acts of Terrorism. Technically, from the point of view of Jewish law, there is no need for a general day of remembrance. Rather, each martyr should be remembered on the yahrzeit the same way as a deceased relative: reciting a prayer for the soul, a relative saying Kaddish, studying Torah, and giving charity to elevate the deceased’s soul. Those who want to do even more can host a memorial event or a Torah class in their memory (14:16 above). Nevertheless, there is great value in communally commemorating the courage of soldiers who gave their lives to sanctify God’s name, the nation, and the Land. Their sacrifice for the people and the nation has endowed each of them with a sanctity ...

Part of the omer period is somewhat sad, as 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died in a plague during this time. The Sages say they died because they did not show proper respect to one another. Therefore, it is customary to follow some mourning practices during this time, to remind us how important it is to treat people well. These mourning practices include not holding big celebrations (such as weddings and other parties), not listening to upbeat music, and not getting haircuts. Israel Independence Day takes place during the part of the omer period when it is customary to mourn. Nevertheless, since there is a special mitzva on this day to praise God and rejoice, the mitzva overrides the mourning. (Despite this, the widespread custom is to avoid getting married then.) The mourning practices are commonly followed only until Lag Ba-omer (the thirty-third day of the omer). We will now ...

The Jewish people have a mitzva to build a Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to house the Divine Presence. The Temple gives expression to a broad range of divine values and provides the Jewish people and the entire world with inspiration. As it says, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). First, the Jews built a temporary Tabernacle, which traveled with them through the desert. When they reached the Land of Israel, they set it up in Shiloh. However, God had commanded them to build something more permanent once they had established themselves in the Land and defeated their enemies (Deuteronomy 12:9-11). And this is what happened. After King David’s conquests, his son Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, which stood for 410 years. Unfortunately, on account of our sins, the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple . About seventy years later, ...

When a person’s life is in danger, Shabbat prohibitions are put aside, as the mitzvot of the Torah were given to us to live by, not to die because of them. Therefore, if fulfilling a mitzva would involve putting a life at risk, even a distant risk, we must not fulfill it (4:8 above). Similarly, we must do whatever it takes to try to save a life, even if the chances are slim. If a rescue attempt does fail, God still rewards all who made an effort. Any illness doctors consider dangerous, and people drop everything to deal with, is considered dangerous enough to violate Shabbat. For example, a person feels sick while doing an important job, or during his child’s wedding. If the medical guidance would be to drop everything and go directly to the hospital, halakhah considers it enough of a danger to justify rushing the person to ...

Prayer is one of the primary expressions of faith. A human being is not perfect. We have flaws we would like to correct. Thus, it makes sense to turn to the Creator and pray for help. There are two catalysts that lead people to pray. Most people feel a need to pray when their lives have been disrupted. For example, when they are sick or injured, when the pain is overwhelming. Then we realize that doctors cannot guarantee our health and wellbeing. Only God, Who has the whole world in His hands, can heal us and provide us with a wonderful, long life. When this recognition strikes, we pray to God to heal us from the bottom of our heart. Similarly, when one is suffering – whether livelihood is threatened, or the person is being attacked and friends are turning their backs– one realizes one’s good life hangs by a ...

The Sages ordained that candles be lit in the home to usher in Shabbat. This practice has beautiful symbolic meaning. In the dark, people cannot find what they are looking for. They bump into and trip over things until they are left with the feeling that everything they own is against them. But if they light Shabbat candles, peace comes to the home. They see everything is in its place and ready to be used. They can then enjoy Shabbat and the Friday night meal. Similarly, if we look at the world in the usual fashion, it seems to be full of unresolvable feuding and fighting. Each side thinks that as soon as it manages to destroy the other, it will achieve peace. This leads to never-ending strife. However, once people have faith, the divine light is revealed and chases away the darkness. They become aware that all the seeming ...