by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on March 26, 2026
Download For this week, Parshat Tzav, I would like to share a Chassidic thought (a “vort“) on the Haftorah traditionally read with this Parsha, which is from the book of Jeremiah, rather than the special Haftorah read this year for Shabbat HaGadol.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on March 18, 2026
Download PDF I can’t wait to go to shul this Shabbat and for the next couple of weeks because we are starting to read Sefer Vayikra. There, we will be learning about the intricacies of the various sacrifices people brought to the Beit Mikdash.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on March 12, 2026
Download PDF This week’s double Torah portions of Va’Yakhel and Pekudei often try the patience of readers. The unrelenting focus on the smallest details in the Mishkan’s construction (the length of the curtains, the composition of the metals, the precise placement of the rings) can feel tedious, a long, dry preamble to the human-centric drama of Sefer Va’Yikra.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on March 5, 2026
Download printable version Even in a busy parsha like ours, Parshat Ki Tisa, the breaking of the tablets stands out as the most dramatic. Personally, I am struck by how the Rabbis append a crucial detail to the event, transforming a narrative of loss and shame into a paradigm of enduring sanctity.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on February 25, 2026
Download printable version Purim is next Monday evening and Tuesday—a day of immense joy, spiritual disruption, and a unique religious mandate. To understand the depth of this mandate, I’ve always come back to an oft-repeated anecdote I heard during my years at the Brisk yeshiva in Israel.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on February 19, 2026
Download printable PDF here > Every year, reading Parshat Teruma and the opening instruction to build a sanctuary, I am reminded of a slightly embarrassing moment at my family’s Shabbat table. The four of us, my wife, our two sons, and I, were debating the nature of a future Beit HaMikdash.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on February 12, 2026
Download Printable Version Whenever I listen to the reading of this week’s torah portion, Parshat Mishpatim, our first legal code, the very foundation of Halakha, I am reminded of Michaelangelo’s Creation. Creation is an artistic masterpiece that also packs a powerful theological punch.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on February 5, 2026
Download printable version here > The central event of this week’s Torah portion, Yitro, is the story of Mattan Torah (the Revelation at Sinai). However, as the Children of Israel prepare to accept the Torah and enter a covenantal relationship with God, their journey is interrupted by something unexpected: the sudden appearance of Yitro, an outsider who is not a member of the tribe.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on January 28, 2026
Download printable version here > In this week’s parasha, Parshat Beshalach, we read about Klal Yisrael’s reaction to their miraculous redemption from Egypt. After they safely cross the Red Sea, they are led in song by their leaders with Moses leading the men and Miriam the women.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on January 22, 2026
Download a printable version here > Midway through this week’s parasha, Bo, a major transition occurs. The Torah, which until this point has chronicled our origin story, shifts to legislating behavior. The Book of Bereshit and the first half of Shemot comprise our foundational narrative: the story of creation, the trials of our ancestors, the exile, and finally, redemption.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on January 14, 2026
To download as a printable pdf, click here > At the beginning of Parshat Va’era, Moshe Rabbeinu is taken to task, and it behooves us to pay close attention as this rebuke contains profound theological lessons that remain as relevant today as they were at the Exodus.…
by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Posted on January 9, 2026
Download printable version here >…
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