Shoftim
Humble righteousness is the difference between being a judge and being judgmental.
Appointing judges and officers to uphold the law is critical to making this world a Divine home. There is wrong and right and the righteous of every generation shall apply the right principles to guide the people down the right path. The dark arts and the dark hearts are not for the people of light. The laws of kings are followed by the laws of the cities of refuge. Law and order is especially essential in times of war: peace is always the first option; do not destroy indiscriminately; do not cut down anything productive. Conclude with communal responsibility, especially in no-man’s-land.
My Father’s Siddur
It didn’t take long before she found her father’s siddur under layers and layers of dust, and after she cleaned it off, she held it close to her heart.
Read MoreThe Bottom Line
A Chassidic story demonstrating the entire point of Chabad Chassidism: not to renounce and denigrate the material world, but rather to elevate it by infusing it with an awareness of the divine.
Read MoreTwo Witnesses
Both nature and the mitzvah-performing person are witnesses to the truth of G-d. Yet they differ greatly in the manner and function of their witnessing.
Read MoreTwenty-Three Judges
“A judge who judges with absolute truthfulness,” say our sages, “becomes like a partner with G-d in creation.”
Read MoreThe Military Method
A soldier enters the fray of battle to the tune of a joyous march, not with tears. It is by the power of his joy that he is victorious even in the most dangerous and challenging endeavors.
Read MoreThe Month of the Bride
The month of Elul is a month in which the love between the divine Groom and His bride Israel is at its height.
Read MoreCrime and Punishment
The Sanhedrin must decide the willfulness of the criminal’s deed based on the evidence presented before them, not their knowledge of the essence of humanity.
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