This Jewish Life - By Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

We are on the doorstep of the month of mercy, the month that precedes the high holidays, the month of Elul. The high holidays are very significant and auspicious days, and it is imperative that we prepare for them. How ought we prepare? What are the particular points of emphasis that we should stress during […]

We all want to live long. But how long is a long life? Centenarians are still rare. Global life expectancy is around 70 years old. In healthier, richer countries, maybe 80. But when you open up Scripture, you find ages an order of magnitude larger. Adam lived to 930. Methuselah to 969. How do we […]

The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. All manner of calamities and tragedies and disasters befell our people on this day. On this day the nation was condemned to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years. On this day both Temples were destroyed. On this […]

Some subjects are way too dicey address publicly – electrified third rail subjects which zap anyone who approaches it. But Blake Cohen is not afraid of third rails. In fact, he recently launched a podcast that is dedicated exclusively to the untouchable “Third Rails” of Judaism. Fittingly, his show was called “Third Rail Judaism”, where […]

Perhaps the most controversial and divisive subject that dominates Israeli society today is the question of the blanket army exemption given to Yeshiva students. Someone whose Torah is their profession is entitled to defer and ultimately bypass mandatory constriction to the IDF. What is the rationale for this exemption? Why are the ultra-orthodox (Chareidi) communities […]

What would a comprehensive and rigorous regimen of Torah study look like? Suppose someone wants to really become a Torah maestro. What would be a fitting schedule of course work for them to become a well-rounded Torah scholar? Torah is the antidote to the evil inclination. How much Torah and how many Torah domains and […]

Heresies and idolatries come and go. The idolatry that titillated the ancients no longer excites modern men. The heresies that revolutionized the world a century ago no longer resonate. Any heresy is a repudiation of God, and thus is bound to vaporize like a puff of smoke. Falsehood cannot endure for long, and eventually all […]

Is free will limited or unlimited? What is the scope of free will? How much of our decisions must filter through that system of choice? How much can we actually accomplish if we set our mind to it? What is the mechanisms of ascending a free will ladder? In part 2 of our study of […]

Free Will is a fundamental concept in our philosophy. People are endowed by God with the ability to determine the direction that they take in life. People are allowed to choose a path of righteousness or wickedness. There is a certain modicum of self-determination that the Almighty provides us with. In this mini series, we […]

Starting from the second day of Passover, we count the Omer. For 7 weeks of 7 days a piece — 49 days — we count. Once the count is completed, the festival of Shavuos is upon us. What exactly is the meaning of this interesting Mitzvah? The subject gets trickier when you examine how the […]

Matzah is a tricky food. It is made with the same ingredients as bread ; the only difference is the speed of how they are processed. The Torah tells us that we must guard the matzos to prevent them from turning into chametz. Our sages tell us that this applies not only to matzos, but […]

Pesach (Passover) marks the founding event of our nation. We had been enslaved in Egypt for centuries, and in one night the Almighty extracted a nation from amidst a nation with miracles, signs, and wonders. Each Passover we remember and relive that momentous night. We gather together with our family at the Seder, ask the […]

Is the objective of Torah to constrict us or to allow us to flower? Are we ultimately supposed to curb our uniqueness, our individuality, or are we supposed to find ways to have our uniqueness sprout forth and blossom? One may argue that the Torah is very regimented in its commandments. We are told how […]

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Ambitious people want to accomplish ambitious goals. They want to undertake bold challenges, they want to make an indelible impact upon the world. Every such noble goal will face a fierce obstacle. If you are someone who dreams big, who harbors hope to make a mark, you must be very aware of the most formidable […]

The month of Shevat is associated with a tribe of Asher and corresponds to the letter Tzadik (צ) and its zodiac sign is a bucket. So much is told to us by the Kabbalists. But what is the secret of this month? What is the energy that permeates this month? What are the particular ways […]

We all want to raise good children. We want our children to be healthy and balanced and good and righteous. The Torah is full of powerful lessons on how to raise good children. In part two of our series on parenting, we explore the unique relationship of Isaac and Esau, how Jacob admonished his children, […]

It is incumbent upon parents to raise their children well, but how exactly do you do that? Babies are not born clutching parenting manuals. This is especially problematic for us Jews. We must raise our children to be upstanding, productive, stable, and healthy adults like all other parents. However, we have an additional responsibility: we […]

There is no superficiality in Judaism. Everything is multi-layered, multifaceted, multidimensional. That seems to be particularly true with respect to the festival of Chanukah. Chanukah is a rabbinic holiday, and it is the very last mitzvah that we received. There are many oddities that separate this mitzvah from all others. The roots of this festival […]

Everyone loves the festival of Chanukah. There’s something so wonderful and enchanting about this festival and its iconic mitzvah, the lighting of the Menorah. But what is the menorah truly about? We all, of course, know the story of the miraculous oil that lasted for 8 days. But what is at the heart of the […]