Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz is rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites.

Olive tree

Parashat Noah: Olive leaf from paradise

Illustrative image of Cain and Abel.

Parashat Bereshit: The lesson of Cain

Soldiers dance with Torah scrolls during the celebrations of Simhat Torah in the Eshkol region in the Negev in September 2010.

Simchat Torah: From torn shoes to a crown of majesty


Sukkot 2025: ‘How beautiful was the journey’

And this harmony – between the beauty of nature and the peaceful heart of the Jew who trusts in God and thanks Him for all the good – this is the very essence of Sukkot.

TWO HASSIDIC children carrying ‘schach’: Beneath it, we find shelter.

Embrace Yom Kippur with joy, not sorrow as prayer is today’s greatest offering

A sacrifice for a deliberate sin is never atoned, but heartfelt prayer does.

ON YOM KIPPUR, feel the joy that bursts forth from a cleansed heart and purified soul.

Rosh Hashanah: One union

God wants us to be in unity: that we honor one another, and that we respect each other’s wishes and aspirations.

UNITY DOES not mean uniformity of opinion.

Parashat Ki Tavo: The basket of first fruits

The world is so beautiful when we look upon it with a good eye; when we bless its creator and are filled with gratitude.

GRAPES GROW in the Tali Vineyard in Moshav Lachish.

Parashat Ki Teitzei: The hidden enemy and the open enemy

In these days of mercy and forgiveness, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, it is fitting to engage in soul-searching regarding our honesty in financial matters

The Torah reserves ‘abomination of the Lord’ precisely for this form of dishonesty.

Parashat Shoftim: A king who rules over himself

A true leader is one who first and foremost rules over himself and his emotions. A person who can be overtaken by negative emotions cannot serve as a leader.

HORSES: NECESSARY or excessive?

Parashat Re'eh: The gift of mercy

This is our ancestral heritage, passed down through the generations, and rooted so deeply that it is part of our very nature.

COMPASSION & MERCY: Haredi soldiers from the IDF Hasmonean Brigade take part in a beret march after completing seven months of basic and advanced training, at the Western Wall, Aug. 6.

Parashat Eikev: Service of the heart

Prayer is one of the foundations of Judaism. A hallmark of the eternal Jew is speaking with his creator...Is it reasonable that such a central mitzvah is not directly addressed in the Torah?

AT MOUNT SINAI, the Jewish people were metaphorically ‘married’ to God.

Parashat Va’ethanan: ‘This good mountain’

What is this “good mountain” Moses refers to, and what is “the Lebanon”?

An ilustrative image of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Parashat Devarim: 'And from my students more than from all'

This dynamic of student inquiry and the teacher’s patient, honest response is essential for effective and meaningful learning – for both the teacher and the student.

An illustrative image of someone writing in a notebook.