Nasso: IDF Draft Age...In The Torah?!

by Baruch Gordon

Baruch Gordon takes a look at what Parshat Nasso has to say about the army draft age for men and considers the effects of applying the same line of thinking to the IDF today.

[3-m video]

Shavuot: Touching Sinai Again: The Importance of Preparing for the Holiday

by Rav Zalman Melamed, Rosh Yeshivat Bet El, originally published on yeshiva.org.il

Receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai

Today, Tuesday, we begin what is known as the Three Days of Hagbalah before the Festival of Shavuot (Weeks). These are the last three days before our commemoration of the Giving of the Torah exactly 3,332 years ago. These three days were very significant that year, and spelled the end of a long period of preparations: First came the planning involved in leaving Egypt, then [six weeks later] came the first day of the month of Sivan, when the Torah says "they came to Sinai" (Sh'mot 19,1) – they arrived at the spot where the Torah was to be given. The next stage was to "keep yourselves in readiness for three days" (verse 15) – these three days that we're talking about. It's interesting how many intensive preparations there were for an event that lasted no more than one short day.

Nasso: A (Marital) Relationship Revolution

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

That HaShem forgoes His Honor for the sake of making peace between man and wife comes to teach us the importance of humbling our own egos for the sake of making a relationship work.

Sunset

The Psukim That Came to Life on Jerusalem Day

by then-IDF-paratrooper Rav Yisrael Ariel

Remembering the Return of the Temple Mount to Jewish Control for the First Time in 1,900 Years

Six Day War Paratroopers at the Kotel

Every Jew has his or her individual, unique letter in the Torah – and sometimes it's not just a letter, but an entire Torah portion. It could be one's Bar Mitzvah portion, accompanying him throughout his life. For me, it's Parshat Behukotai [last week's Torah portion] – the one whose verses I experienced so personally and so deeply that I will never forget them. Not to mention that this was an experience that belonged not only to me, but to the entire Jewish Nation.

It happened just moments after I and my Paratroopers Brigade army unit entered the Temple Mount – it was the 28^th of Iyar, June 7, 1967 – to take control of the site in the name of the State of Israel and the Jewish People. My commander ordered me with these words: "Take the unit's machine gun, and stand guard over the Dome of the Rock; make sure no one enters."

Bamidbar: In Israel You Matter More

by Baruch Gordon

Baruch Gordon explains why with the third census mentioned in the Torah in this week's Parshat Bamidbar suddenly individuals' names matter, rather than just the total number.

[3-minute video]

Bamidbar: The IDF Is a Mitzvah

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

A people's army is necessary for Israel to fulfill the Divine commandment of sovereignty over our land.

Rav Goren at the Kotel

Can the Ingathering of Exiles Be Reversed?

By Rabbi Avraham Perl, Yeshivat Bet El website (yeshiva.org.il)

Could it be that now that the Redemption process has started, we might yet end up back in the Diaspora? The Sages state clearly that once the Third Redemption starts, it will never stop or be reversed.

Jews making Aliya stepping off El Al

Behar: Can a Torah Economy Work Today?

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Israel must organize its society in such a way that reflects Hebrew values while transcending the friction between seemingly conflicting ideologies.

Outside the fence

Behar: What's First - Messiah or Aliya?

by Baruch Gordon

Baruch Gordon looks at the Ohr HaHayim's commentary on this week's parshat Behar to discover the answer to the centuries-old question: Will Redemption come miraculously or by natural means?

[3-minute video]

Emor: Is Being a "Torah Jew" Enough?

by Baruch Gordon

Baruch Gordon looks into this week's Parshat Emor to discover the definition of Hilul HaShem [desecration of G-d's Name] in a national sense and what it means with regards to living in the Diaspora.

[2.5-minute video]

Emor: What Is National Kiddush HaShem?

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

The awareness that Israel is the national expression of HaShem in this world and that our conduct is a direct reflection of His Divine Ideal should fill us with a deep sense of tremendous responsibility.

From Shoah to IDF

How Torah Affects the World

By Rav Moshe Kaplan, https://meirtv.com/en

Rav Moshe Kaplan discusses the effects that Torah study has on the entire world.

[4-minute video]