True to Your Word: Thoughts for Matot/Masei
When we give our word and make commitments, our personal honor is at stake. Halakha expects us to be our best and do our best. Falling short of this standard is a sign of moral—and religious—deficiency.
Articles
Lessons from Sephardic Traditions
JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) was founded in 2001 by
Jewish refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, amidst the aftermath of the September
11 th attacks and the ongoing second Intifada in Israel.
False Prophets and True Religion
The account of Balak and Bil'am (Numbers 22-24) presents, in the form of a story, the great ethical and spiritual insights at the root of Judaism, as relevant today as it was when Abraham and Sarah first taught “the way of God, which is to do tzedakah and mishpat” (Genesis 18:19).
Book Review: Rabbi Moshe Taragin on Rabbi Yehuda Amital
Book Review
By Rabbi Hayyim Angel
Rabbi Moshe Taragin, To Be Holy but Human: Reflections Upon My Rebbe, HaRav Yehuda Amital (Kodesh Press, 2025)
Sweetness and Light: Thoughts for Parashat Beha'aloteha
One might attend various synagogues and find the same general liturgy and customs—but in one synagogue one feels ignored or rebuffed, and in another synagogue one feels warmly received and appreciated. Which would you choose to attend and support?
Politics, International Justice, and the Responsibility of Jews to Behave Morally and Protect Their Interests
Jews should not be naive about the prospects of international bodies providing them with support or protection. In practice, self-help is the prevailing rule of world affairs. Jews cannot wait for others to deliver justice. Jews need to proactively do what it takes to protect themselves.
Book Review: Michelle J. Levine on Ramban
Book Review
By Rabbi Hayyim Angel
Michelle J. Levine, Navigating Wilderness: Ramban’s Commentary on the Exodus and Numbers Narratives (Kodesh Press, 2025)
Thoughts on the Teachings of Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, was not only to be a voice and a memorial for the murdered millions. His life’s mission was to serve as a conscience to the world, to remind humanity of the horrors of war and mass murder, to help humanity understand that there should never again be concentration camps, genocide, ruthless and merciless tyranny.
Theology and Ethics in Modern Orthodoxy
We must live up to the command of God in the Torah. Kedoshim Tiheyu: Be holy in mind, in deed, in ritual and behavior, in the synagogue, in court and field. We must be exemplars of the Torah way of life, committed to performance of the ritual mitzvoth as well as the mitzvoth of justice, righteousness, compassion and derekh erets.
Rabbi Hayyim Angel to run the next Foundations Minyan on May 10
On Shabbat, May 10, from 10:00-11:30 am ET, Rabbi Hayyim Angel will lead the next Foundations Minyan. Foundations is a full-length service, and features explanations on the weekly Torah reading from Rabbi Hayyim Angel.
The service is free and open to the public. It is located at Congregation Beth Aaron, 950 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck, New Jersey.