Torah

Israel's hysterical Torah study bill will backfire on the ultra-Orthodox - opinion

What’s really happening is a payoff to the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) political parties, against the will of an overwhelming majority of Israelis and in direct defiance of the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at Knesset plenum to vote in favor of Basic: Law Torah Study bill, shaking hands with Degel Hatorah leader MK Moshe Gafni, Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty study Torah outside the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem during a silent protest against the imprisonment of yeshiva students who failed to comply with military recruitment orders, July 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Basic Law: Debasing Torah - opinion

THE BUILDING that once served as Rashi’s synagogue and study hall.

Retracing the history of Talmudic sage Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (Rashi), from Germany to France

Adopt me Israel's Ela Sayag Lipman and her two adopted rescue dogs, Duda and  Namer.

Israel’s ‘Tinder for pets’ is helping shelter animals match with loving homes


The enduring value of Zionism - opinion

It is worth reflecting on Zionism’s profound contributions, not as a replacement for Torah and mitzvahs, but as a practical movement that has let the Jewish people live out their eternal covenant

 NETZAH YEHUDA soldiers at the dedication of a Torah scroll at the Erez Crossing.

Hiking the Holyland: On Derech Ha’Avot, tasting the sweet fruits the spies failed to see

Along Derech Ha’Avot, green grapes and ancient steps evoke memories of the biblical spies, the fruits of the land, and the lesson of being in Israel without fear.

A leafy fig tree, one thing the spies never let themselves taste.

Jews must stop letting this one mitzvah fuel fanaticism - opinion

I hope that we will take this lesson to heart and remember that Jews are commanded to observe the entire system of mitzvahs – both ritual and ethical.

FIREFIGHTERS AND Palestinians extinguish a fire in agricultural fields near the town of Huwara in the West Bank, after an alleged attack by Israeli settlers.

How a Torah scroll escaped Nazi Germany and found a home on Israel's Gaza border

Lost for decades, a Torah saved from Nazi Germany is dedicated in Nahal Oz, symbolizing resilience, memory, and hope.

Torah Dedication Ceremony: More than half of the Kahn family living in Israel surrounds the Torah scroll, which their family helped save close to a hundred years ago.

Parashat Pinchas: What Joshua learned from Moses about true leadership

We often encounter people who seem to be pursuing the very same path on which we hope to succeed, and naturally, we may sometimes fear that their success will diminish our own opportunities.

Shining: Moon rises behind the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem.

Parashat Pinchas: A prophet for difficult times

The Three Weeks do not ask us to despair. They ask us to remember what we lost, why we lost it, and, above all, that God has never stopped remembering us.

Jerusalem Day at the Western Wall.

When ‘democracy’ becomes a disguise - opinion

The hollowing-out of a word – and the agenda it now carries.

Democrats leader Yair Golan addresses reporters at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 22, 2026

Israel cannot afford Netanyahu’s capitulation to haredi demands - editorial

Netanyahu is echoing false claims about arrests in yeshivas while ignoring practical proposals that could increase haredi enlistment.

People walk past election posters for the upcoming elections in Jerusalem on October 24, 2022.

Knesset panel advances ultra-Orthodox bill to enshrine Torah study in Basic Law

Critics say the bill could preserve state benefits for yeshiva students who avoid military service amid the IDF’s manpower shortage.

The Knesset House Committee votes to advance the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties' bill that seeks to enshrine Torah Study in the country's Basic Law. June 30, 2026.

What Rabbi Jonathan Sacks tried to teach us before October 7 - opinion

Sacks dedicated his life to teaching that covenant is stronger than politics, and that Jewish survival depends not on uniformity but on mutual responsibility.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.