Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi

 This week’s parashah, Shoftim, commands us to build a society of justice. In a powerful op-ed, Charles Kushner warns French President Macron about the rise of antisemitism in France. What does this teach us about the mitzvah of dinim, the legacy of Dreyfus and Herzl, and the courage each of us must find in Elul?  

In this Rosh Hodesh class we uncover the hidden Name of Elul — ה־ה־ו־י — concealed in a single pasuk of the Torah. Why is Elul’s Name spelled through endings, not beginnings? Why does it unite Binah with Malkhut? And how does this month become, in the words of the ḥasidic masters, the “neshamah yetera of the year”? Join us as we explore the Arizal, the Bnei Yissaschar, the Baal Shem Tov, and more,...

Pre-recording of Seudah Shelishi class: “עֲשֵׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר – Tithing the Head, Ruling the Heart”   Join us as we explore how Ya‘akov Avinu’s pledge of ma‘aser teaches us to crown the mind over the heart, turning even the yetzer hara into a force for good through the joy of Torah.   Introduction   My friends, as we gather this Shabbat afternoon, I want to take you straight into the h...

In Memory of Rabbi Wein 

Every single day — not once in a while, but every day — in our synagogue, there are people in line at the door asking for help. Some we recognize, some are strangers passing through. They come with letters, envelopes, sometimes with tears. And if you think about it — many of them come hoping that today will be the day their prayers are answered. There’s a danger here. Not that we’ll stop giving —...

Testing Hashem Halacha 08112025 Devarim 6:16: “לֹא תְנַסּוּ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, כַּאֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתֶם בַּמַּסָּה” “Do not test Hashem your God, as you tested Him at Massah.” This forbids challenging Hashem to “prove” Himself by fulfilling our conditions. The Torah is recalling the incident in Shemot 17:1–7: • The people had no water and demanded: “הֲיֵשׁ ה׳ בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם אָיִן — Is Hashem in our...

Sefer hachinuch lists 22 Misvot this week. One is not to forsake the levi. Halacha of the Day on “לא לעזוב את הלוי” — Not to forsake the Levi (Sefer HaChinukh mitzvah 505 in most editions). 1. The mitzvah is from Devarim 12:19: “הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־תַּעֲזֹב אֶת־הַלֵּוִי כָּל־יָמֶיךָ עַל־אַדְמָתֶךָ” “Guard yourself lest you forsake the Levite all your days upon your land.” The Levi’im were not give...

 How many times do you need to hear something before it becomes part of you?     Once? Twice? Ten times?     Moshe Rabbenu gathers the people one last time, and he doesn’t teach them anything “new.” No fresh miracles. No dazzling wonders. He retells stories they already know. He repeats. Again. And again.     הוֹאִ֛יל מֹשֶׁ֥ה בֵאֵ֖ר אֶת־הַתּוֹרָ֥ה...

תְּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל לְחֵרוּתֵנוּ. וְשָׂא נֵס לְקַבֵּץ גָּלִיּוֹתֵינוּ. וְקַבְּצֵנוּ יַחַד מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ לְאַרְצֵנוּ. יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה אֱלֹקינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁכָּל טִפָּה וְטִפָּה שֶׁל זֶרַע שֶׁיֵּצֵא מִמֶּנִּי לַבַּטָּלָה, בֵּין בְּאוֹנֶס בֵּין בִּרְצוֹן, בֵּין בְּשׁוֹגֵג בֵּין בְּמֵזִיד, בֵּין בְּעֵר בֵּין בְּיָשֵׁן, בֵּין עַל יְדֵי בֵּין עַל יְדֵי אֲחֵר...

The Killer’s Prayer You didn’t mean to kill. Maybe a tool slipped from your hand. Maybe you looked away for a second. It doesn’t matter now. Someone died, and the Torah says you must go — to the עיר מקלט. Exiled. Alone. Separated from your family. Maybe it feels like you’re in Iowa, and your whole life — your wife, your kids, your parents — are all back in New York. And every day in exile… you pra...

The Torah tells us that if someone makes a vow or swears an oath to bind themselves, they must not profane their word—“כְּכָל־הַיֹּצֵא מִפִּ֖יו יַעֲשֶֽׂה” — he must do exactly as he has said.  In Jewish law, vows are serious matters. A neder or a shevuah is not just a passing statement. It creates a personal prohibition. And to dissolve such a vow requires either an expert—יָחוֹל לְהָתִיר נֶד...

 This is an origin story I had never heard and I’m fairly sure that most of you have not heard it before either.      And here’s how it goes:        Yehoshua’s father was a righteous man. He and his wife had no children. He prayed passionately for a child, and at last, Hashem answered his prayers.   Yehoshua’s mother noticed that although...

  Title: The Severed Letter and the Unbroken Soul: Zimri, Pinchas, and the Redemption of a Cut Covenant   This Shabbat: A broken letter. A severed soul. A redemption that spans lifetimes. Join us for “The Severed Letter and the Unbroken Soul” — a journey from Zimri to Rabbi Akiva and beyond.   Opening: Questions That Demand Answers   What do we do when we find a broken letter i...

  In פַּרָשַׁת פִּינְחָס, Hashem gives Pinḥas the ultimate gift:        “הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת־בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם”   “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace.”   (במדבר כ״ה:י״ב)      But if you look inside a Sefer Torah, you’ll notice something unusual:      The word שָׁלוֹם is written with a ו׳ קְטוּעָה—a broken vav.    &nb...

 Parashat Pin ḥ as, we must contrast him with another towering figure — one who also spoke with God, one who was considered a prophet among the nations — the notorious Bil ʿ am.     He’s not on the battlefield.  He’s not in the beit midrash.  He’s not prophesying.     He’s collecting payment — for his wicked advice: “Send in the Midyanite women. Break t...

           When Souls Leave Early—And Still Lift Us   At the end of Parashat Balak, we meet a hero—Pinḥas—who steps into a collapsing world and halts a deadly plague. But according to the Mekubalim, Pinḥas didn’t act alone. In the moment he entered the tent with spear in hand, his soul left him in fright. And then… a miracle. The souls of his uncle...