Jewish World

The Gemara says that a prohibition done for Hashem's sake is greater than a mitzva that's not done for Hashem's sake (Nazir 23b). Here's a story that I told in the Ojai, California Chabad house about something that the Heavenly Court would certainly consider to be a "kosher" tattoo. Unlike us, the Heavenly Court takes all considerations into account.

The pro and anti-judicial reforms factions, as well as Israel's different political parties, are at each other's throats. It's no coincidence that the crescendo of this huge crisis is happening during the week of Tisha B'av. Can Israel survive this internal existential challenge?

In today's false world of shidduchim (matchmaking) with these ridiculous resumes that people demand, an Avraham Avinu or a Rebbe Akiva wouldn't have a chance. How many people today would refuse a shidduch with King David, because his great-grandmother was a convert? How many people today would refuse a shidduch with King Solomon, because his mother his mother was a divorcee? If you're looking for a soulmate for yourself or for your children, here is some vital food for thought.

There are repeated time in Jewish history when a single woman's heartbeat was the only difference between physical and spiritual survival and annihilation. Today's podcast is a tribute to Rabbi Zecharia HaCohen Wallerstein zatza"l, who departed the physical world on Rosh Chodesh Iyar, 5782 (2 May, 2022).

February, 2023 has been a tragic month for Israel. We cannot allow the blood of our cherished sons and martyrs to cry out in vain. It's easy to blame others but that won't stop the bloodshed. Here's what each of us must do, right now.

The more world events become apocalyptic, the more people begin talking about Moshiach. From time to time, we hear voices that claim to know when Moshiach is coming. Is it possible to really know when Moshiach will arrive? Let's get some answers. 
Did you know that belief in Moshiach is a main foundation of our faith? Read all about it in 13 Principles of Emuna.

Avraham Bell didn't let his second-class status in the segregated U.S. South of the sixties to extinguish his dreams. He grew up with a spiritual hunger. He excelled as an athlete and as a musician. He was an honor student in microbiology at Ohio State and went on to do an MBA at Arizona. Avraham is also an exquisite artist. He now pours his power and passion into Torah scholarship and Divine service. Having moved to Israel with his remarkable wife Yehudit, he now raises children and grandchildren in the way of emuna. As phenomenal a human being he is, that's how humble he is. Meet Avraham - you'll love him as much as we do.

Today's interview shares one of the greatest comeback stories ever. A headbanger deep into drugs, booze and heavy metal morphs into a pious Torah scholar and a master artisan, the world's only Chassidic luthier (string-instrument craftsman). Meet Z.Z. Ludwick:

Yisroel Klein was a young man in one of the Nazi death camps where just as many Jews were dying of hunger and sickness as the ones who were sent to the gas chambers. Yisroel survived the Holocaust by virtue of the story I'm about to share with you, about how one compassionate word of love, care and compassion can literally save a life.

Nicknames are dangerous. Our name is by far one of our most important assets and determines so much in our life, as we'll learn today.

Today's 8-minute podcast is a 4-in-1:
1. It's a preparation for Succoth, telling about the significance of the Four Species;
2. It tells a traditional story, well known to Iraqi Jewry;
3. It's an ethics lesson, and -
4. It has a special message about rescinding the harsh decree of the Corona-virus pandemic.
Enjoy it, and feel free to share and download it at no charge, thanks to our wonderful supporters.

The reason people are delayed in shidduchim is because of one of two reasons: either their egos get in the way, or they want something that Hashem doesn't want for them. Hashem wants us to look for a good heart, good character, emuna, piety and modesty. But when a person looks for the wrong thing, they miss their train and end up waiting for the next train and it just might not come so fast. Today's podcast casts a whole new light on the subject of shidduchim, dating and marriage.