Mitzvah

Are there other lessons from October 7? - opinion

The October 7 massacre fell on 22 Tishrei – Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, two days that signify the highest joy: one completing the festival of Sukkot, the other our rejoicing in the Torah itself

|ByELIYAHU HADDAD
Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi delivers a torah lesson at Ateret Yisrael Yeshiva in Jerusalem, November 19, 2019.
FIREFIGHTERS AND Palestinians extinguish a fire in agricultural fields near the town of Huwara in the West Bank, after an alleged attack by Israeli settlers.

Jews must stop letting this one mitzvah fuel fanaticism - opinion

I hope that we will take this lesson to heart and remember that Jews are commanded to observe the entire system of mitzvahs – both ritual and ethical.

|ByDAVID GOLINKIN
Rabbi Simcha Hakohen Kook seen during a visit at King David's tomb, on Mt Zion in Jerusalem. The site is viewed as the burial place of David, King of Israel, according to a tradition beginning in the 12th century. May 01, 2014.

Beyond the Headlines: And you lifted us up - opinion

A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news.

|By SIVAN RAHAV MEIR
RED HEIFER

What honoring our parents teaches us about faith, logic, and Judaism

The mitzvah of honoring one's parents is not a narrow religious demand but a foundational moral duty.

|ByMOSHE TARAGIN

Parashat Beshalach: The joy of ‘mitzvot’

Recounting for the first time the story of an entire people who, after long years of harsh and grueling bondage, emerge into freedom.

JANUARY 30, 2026ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ
JOSEPH’S TOMB in Nablus.

Sydney lights Hanukkah candles in honor of Bondi victims, introduces 'mitzvah' campaign

At the Light Over Darkness: Night of Unity commemoration, each candle was lit by a representative of those who brought light into the world at a dark time.

DECEMBER 21, 2025ByMICHAEL STARR
FATHER OF Ahmed el Ahmed, who tackled one of the gunmen in a deadly mass shooting during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14, attends the 'Light Over Darkness' vigil honouring victims and survivors of the shooting incident in Sydney, Australia, December 21, 2025.

Budapest becomes unexpected haven for Israelis as post–Oct. 7 migration surges

Graffiti is a common sight in some alleys of Budapest, but in the Jewish Quarter, visitors may also unexpectedly spot memorial stickers for fallen IDF soldiers and October 7 massacre victims.

DECEMBER 11, 2025ByMICHAEL STARR
Rabbi Shmuel Raskin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

When did Israel become so stringent with Jewish converts? - opinion

One organizer told a rabbi in her conversion interview: "You can’t force me to stop being Jewish any more than I can be forced to convert to Christianity or Islam.”

SEPTEMBER 13, 2025ByJONATHAN LIEBERMAN
HOMES ARE severely damaged after the Hamas October 7 massacre in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. ‘Since October 7, many of my friends and colleagues here in Israel have wrestled deeply with their Jewish identity,’ says Orah.

How to feel free in life: Inspiration from Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto

NOVEMBER 28, 2024ByDAVID BERGER

Despite rabbi's murder, UAE, Israel still unyielding allies - opinion

Beyond the headlines: A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news.

NOVEMBER 24, 2024BySIVAN RAHAV MEIR
(L) The Kedem family and (R) newborn baby Kedem Tzuri.

Navigating Halachic challenges in the Shofar blowing

OCTOBER 1, 2024ByMARK FISH

Good deeds have a ripple effect that strengthen us during the war - opinion

Just as a pebble thrown into a pond creates a ripple, so too do small acts of kindness have the power to achieve great heights and lead to others to pay it forward.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024ByJONATHAN LIEBERMAN
Helping others (Illustrative).

'Pidyon Shvuyim' calls for a hostage deal now - opinion

“There is no mitzvah greater than the redeeming of captives” (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Matanot Aniyim 8:11).

AUGUST 5, 2024BySTEVE RABINOWITZ
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden looks on as Evan Gershkovich, who was released from detention in Russia, is greeted by his mother, upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, last week. Israel should emulate the US-Russia prisoner exchange, says the writer.

When in Rome, do as a Jew would do - opinion

Resolve to do just one good deed – one action to bring light into the world.

JULY 9, 2024ByAREYAH KALTMANN
A depiction of the Roman triumph celebrating the conquest of Jerusalem on the Arch of Titus in Rome, featuring the menorah and other items taken from the Second Temple.