In the opening of the story of the book of Esther, King Achashverosh throws a grand party to celebrate his consolidation of power. But although the only aspect of the party of any obvious relevance to the plot of the Purim story is that the King has his wife killed for not entertaining his drunken guests, the Megillah provides us with verse after verse of vivid description of the party itself • By Rabbi YY Jacobson • Read More

By Rabbi YY Jacobson, TheYeshiva.net: The Historical and Psychological Meaning of Ezekiel’s Vision • The haftorah of this coming Shabbos, Chol Hamoed Pesach, is one of the most poignant prophecies in the Tanach—the first fourteen verses of the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, known as the vision of “the dry bones.” • Full Article

Why does the Torah choose this tragic and devastating episode to capture the zenith of Moses’ life and as the theme with which to conclude the entire Torah, all five books of Moses?! We need to examine this entire episode from a deeper vantage point • Full Article 

By Rabbi YY Jacobson, TheYeshiva.net • One of the intriguing things about the Ten Commandments, given to the Jewish people is that they were engraved on two separate tablets. Was G-d short of granite that He needed to use two tablets? Why could He not carve the commandments onto a single stone? • Full Article

By Rabbi YY Jacobson: Before heading into battle, Master Sgt. Elkana Vizel, 35, penned a letter for his loved ones. At his funeral this week, his widow read the letter. The father of four young children, Rabbi Elkana Vizel was among 21 reservists killed last Monday night in Northern Gaza • Full Article

Who Owns Judaism? This week’s Torah portion, named “Bamidbar,” which means “in the desert,” is always read preceding the holiday of Shavuos, when we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Sinai, more than 3,300 years ago, in the year 1313 BCE. • By Rabbi YY Jacobson • Full Article