Tzarich Iyun

25/09/2022

Shanah Tovah!

28/07/2022

Jewish Journeys: In the Wilderness and In History
Why is there holiness in journeys that we would have been better off without?

21/07/2022

Why Nedarim? Bridging the Wilderness and the Land

The book of Bamidbar, which brings the Jewish people to the verge of entry into the Land, includes the Mitzvah of Nedarim‎—vows. Why does the Torah end with this mitzvah, and how is it relevant to our situation today.

15/06/2022

An ideological vacuum can be effective for social function, but only if it remains hermetic. Once cracked, the internal void will inevitably be filled, and the consequences, already visible today, are not necessarily positive.

https://iyun.org.il/en/sedersheni/dangers-of-ideological-vacuum/

Last month, on the night of Yom Haatzmaut, a fascinating dialogue took place at a Charedi yeshiva institution between two opposition Knesset members—Religious Zionist MK Simcha Rothman and UTJ MK Yitzchak Pindrus. The discussion revolved around the question of integrating members of Charedi societ...

14/06/2022

During these troubling days, we often see claims on Charedi media that those acting violently, though they might look Charedi, are not "really Charedi." This claim can make some sense, but it runs the risk of our shirking basic communal responsibility.

https://iyun.org.il/en/sedersheni/is-he-really-charedi/

In the wake of recent violence on the Charedi street, many Charedi commentators (some would call them apologetics) have noted that those guilty of violent behavior are not in fact Charedim at all. True Charedim are not violent. This argument justifiably refers to values we cherish, but it also refle...

13/06/2022

The unprecedented violence within Gur is cause for reflection on the dispute between the rival factions. The struggle runs far deeper than power in Gur, and it offers a sense of direction for Charedi society as a whole.

https://iyun.org.il/en/sedersheni/reflections-on-the-gur-revolution/

The turmoil of Shabbos Bechukosa – a spate of violence that erupted in four major Charedi cities – has long subsided. The majority of Charedi society, multitudes who heard of the sordid affair from friends, acquaintances, or digital media channels, continued to live their lives as usual. Some we...

03/05/2022

Charedi society is paying a heavy price for its avoidance of army service. When considering the question of military service we need to weigh the price we pay for non-service against the price we pay for service.

https://iyun.org.il/en/article/charedi-society-and-military-service/

One Shabbos afternoon during Operation Guardian of the Walls (and shortly after the lethal rocket salvo towards the center of Israel), I met a friend in Bnei Brak, a Kollel student of some stature. Naturally, we spoke of the situation at home and abroad and of the Divine mercies protecting us from a...

08/03/2022

How should we, the Torah community, consider the MeToo movement that conquered the world and is now knocking on our own doors?
Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer on the Jewish attitude to sexual assault victims.

https://iyun.org.il/en/sedersheni/tamar-established-a-great-fence-on-the-torah-approach-to-metoo/

The tragic biblical tale of Tamar is among the harshest of episodes described in Sefer Shmuel (II Shmuel, Chap. 13). Amnon, son of David, becomes infatuated with his sister Tamar, and at the advice of Yonadav he tricks her into being in seclusion with him. Feigning illness, Amnon orders all others o...

22/09/2021

Sukkos: Finding True Joy
Yehoshua Pfeffer

15/09/2021

Repentance on Yom Kippur: A Consciousness Shift
Yehoshua Pfeffer

13/09/2021

If we do not know how to examine our actions and mend our ways, how can we return to God when we falter? Rabbi Aryeh Meir on the importance of internal criticism

https://iyun.org.il/en/sedersheni/let-us-search-and-examine-our-ways/

02/09/2021

At times it seems the community has been turned into a god, no less, and religion into nothing more than a social framework. Rabbi Aryeh Malca reminds us that communal life is not a purpose in itself

https://iyun.org.il/en/sedersheni/indidivual-and-community-who-serves-whom/

13/08/2021

Not just an intellectual pursuit - Torah study and fear of heaven, Parashas Shoftim by Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer

30/07/2021

To Hear or to Comply? Parashas Ekev -
Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer

29/07/2021

The acute problems Charedi Jewry must deal with today require urgent corrective action. We must act quickly and with determination to fix the issues

Rabbi Moshe Farkash call for action

https://iyun.org.il/en/article/challenge-of-change/a-time-for-action/

Let us imagine a faraway land, a distant island, in which millions of traditional Jews resided – traditional, yet far from living a life of Torah and halachic observance. To strengthen the spiritual level of the country’s residents, a group of Haredi political operators from Israel decided to es...

28/07/2021

Many couples are unaware of the importance of social stability in marriage, and they develop expectations for a relationship that does not necessarily match the DNA of Charedi society.

Noa Levinger about marriage as a means for self-realization.

https://iyun.org.il/en/article/the-lost-joy-of-receiving/charedi-marriage-between-love-and-stability/

27/07/2021

The partnership between Rabbinic leadership and entrepreneurs in the field seeking practical solutions to real challenges creates a conservative dynamic of controlled change.
Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer on the key to dealing with changes in Charedi society

https://iyun.org.il/en/article/challenge-of-change/

“I support this initiative. It is very much needed, even vital, and I welcome it. Yet, I cannot give it public support. I respectfully ask that you refrain from mentioning my name in this matter.” Statements along the lines of the above are well-known to social entrepreneurs who consult with Ged...

23/07/2021

Finding Ben and Jerry's in the Torah - Parashas Vaetchanan. Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer

22/07/2021

It seems that our place in opposition is more than justified; we have fully earned it. From our new place in the stands, we can perhaps remember the true task of representing in the Knesset.

https://iyun.org.il/en/sedersheni/the-opposition-we-deserve/

MK Moshe Gafni’s farewell speech from office was among the more strident to be delivered in recent times. It has been many years since cries of “what makes us Jewish” have been sounded in the arena of Israeli politics, and certainly from atop the Knesset podium. Gafni’s cries are not without...

16/07/2021

The political and social situation in Israel today is tough, saturated with tension and friction. Sometimes, indeed, we need to argue things out, but the framework for our dispute must be one of harmony and unity. This is the lesson of Tisha Be'Av. "Jerusalem was destroyed because they practiced the letter of Torah law" - we need to go beyond the letter of the law. View Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer's timely message

12/07/2021

Over close to five decades, Charedi society has become accustomed, we might say addicted, to political power beyond its relative size. The Charedi entry into parliamentary opposition hurts. How, then, should we navigate this challenging period?
link in comments.