Shabbat Shalom: Vayera (Genesis 18:1-22:24) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – One of the most difficult stories of the Bible – and certainly the complex highlight of Vayera – is the “binding” (and near slaughter) of Isaac, but the tale preceding it may legitimately be called the “binding” (near death) of Ishmael. This …
Shabbat Shalom: Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew: now he dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram.” (Genesis 14:13) “Go away, for your …
Shabbat Shalom: Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “Noah, the man of the earth, drank of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself within his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.” (Genesis 9:20-22) The name Canaan appears for the first …
Shabbat Shalom: Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And God saw everything that He had made and behold it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) A sensitive reading of the biblical description of the creation of the world forces the reader to come to some understanding of the relationship between Judaism …
Shabbat Shalom: Chol HaMoed Sukkot By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – One of the most picturesque and creative festivals of the year is the Festival of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) – when the entire family is involved in building and decorating a special “nature home” which will be lived in for an entire …
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s Shabbat Shuva Drasha 5780 (English) TOPIC: “What is True Repentance? – Lessons from the Sequence of Festivals from Tisha B’Av through Simchat Torah” Delivered in memory of Gini and Hans Bachrach z”l Midreshet Lindenbaum’s Chana and Yaakov Tilles Campus in Jerusalem 4 Tishrei 5780 (October 3, 2019)
Shabbat Shalom: Haazinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “The Lord remembered Sarah as he had promised… Sarah conceived and bore a son…” (Genesis 21:1- 2) Rosh Hashanah always portends new beginnings and fresh opportunities: “This day the world was born,” or at least the world beckons with possibilities of rebirth and …
Shabbat Shalom: Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And Moses wrote this song on that day and taught it to the children of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 31:32) What is the song of the Torah? Moses himself refers to Torah as a “fiery law – esh dat” (Deut. 33:2), which the Midrash …
This week’s “Shabbat Shalom” has been sponsored by the Charif Family of Sydney Australia in memory of Harry Sher (Hillel ben Chona) whose 22nd Yartzheit is on 2 Tishrei Shabbat Shalom: Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “You are all standing before God your Lord – the heads of your …
This week’s parsha commentary has been sponsored by Howard Wolfe in memory of his mother, Sylvia Wolfe (ציפורה בת שלמה זלמן, ז”ל) on the occasion of her 4th yahrzeit on the 19th of Elul Shabbat Shalom: Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:10-29:8) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “For I have come to the land …
Shabbat Shalom: Ki Tetze (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “When you go forth to battle…and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her…. When a man has two wives, one the beloved and the other the hated…. If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son…” (Deuteronomy …
Shabbat Shalom: Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “You shall appoint judges… will not pervert justice…. Justice, justice shall you pursue… You shall not plant for yourselves an Asheira near the altar of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 16:18–21) The juxtaposition of these verses – the demand for honorable and righteous …
