21 August 2026
אלול בעטרת שלמה: קליפ עוצמתי מסכם מפתיחת זמן אלול על ידי 1350 תלמידי הישיבה בהתמדת התורה
This Holds Up The World!
20 August 2026
Rabbi Wein – Ki Teitzei
Jewish homiletical tradition identifies the “enemy” in the opening verse of this parsha not only as an external foe, but also as the evil instinct within the warrior himself. In the immortal words of the famous cartoon character Pogo, “we have met the enemy and they are us!” This is in consonance with the words of the Talmud that the opening topic of the parsha – marriage to the attractive woman, a non-Jewish captive – has specific reference to one’s own struggle with the basic desires and evil instincts that bedevil us all.
The true struggle in life is therefore not really against others who may not wish us well as much as it is against our own conflict-torn nature. Temptations, both physical and monetary, and power-driven ambitions abound in our everyday existence. Falsehoods, lame excuses, or the feeling that “everyone does it” and that one will never get caught up and publicly exposed in the scam or scandal are the weapons of the enemy that lurk within us, preying on our built-in weaknesses.
Unless one truly realizes how vulnerable each and every one of us is regarding our internal enemy, there is little hope of creating effective defensive strategies to combat it. The haughty arrogance of unwarranted self-righteousness is one of the most serious moral and personal defects that a person may possess.
This is the message that the Talmud delivers to us when it states that one who sins and yet remains confident that one will later be able to repent and cancel the sin, is never able to truly repent of that sin. One should not underestimate the enemy that lies within us.
The month of Elul traditionally was set aside as a particular time when that internal enemy was to be identified and confronted. In our busy and crowded world, our schedules allow precious little time to think about our true selves - our goals and the purpose of our existence. Our enemy confounds and confuses us with all of the myriad details, pettinesses and distractions that our super busy world inflicts upon us.
Rabbi Yisrael of Salant was once asked if one has only ten minutes a day to study Torah, should one study Talmud or Mussar (the ethical teachings of Judaism.) He answered that one should study Mussar for then he would come to realize that he has much more time than just ten minutes in the day to study Torah. By that Rabbi Yisrael outlined his method of confronting the inner enemy that convinces us that we are unable to improve, that we are too weak or habit-stricken or that we are simply too busy and preoccupied with other issues to think about ourselves.
Ignoring the enemy is the surest way of being defeated by it. I think that tradition placed such an emphasis on the month of Elul, for it is the self-confrontation that this month indicates to us that is the strongest weapon in our spiritual arsenal. In preparation for the days of awe and judgment that are soon upon us, let us use this time wisely and efficiently.
Shabat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein
This article is from 2013 / 5773
Rabbi WInston: Parashas Ki Seitzei
THERE IS A midrash I saw years ago about Eliyahu HaNavi meeting a fisherman that became relevant for a new book I am just finishing, b”H. It’s especially powerful at this time of year, and it goes like this:
Once I was walking from place to place and I found a man who did not know any verses or mishnah, and he would joke and make fun of things. He came before me so I asked him, “My son, what will you answer to your Father in Heaven on the Day of Judgment?” He told me, “Rebi, I have an answer. Wisdom and knowledge have not been given to me from Heaven to read and to learn.” So I asked him, "What work do you do?” He answered me, “I'm a fisherman." I asked him, “My son, who taught you this, and told you to bring flax and weave it into nets and then throw them into the sea to catch fish?” He answered me, “Rebi, for this I was given understanding and knowledge from Heaven!” I asked him, “To find flax and weave nets and throw them into the sea and catch fish you have been given wisdom and knowledge from Heaven, but for Torah, in which it says, ’For the thing is very near to you in your mouth and in your heart to do it’ (Devarim 30:14) they have not given you wisdom and knowledge from Heaven?” Immediately he raised his voice, cried, and moaned. I told him, “Don’t take it so harshly because many people will answer the same answer, but their work will be proof against them!” (Tanna d'Bei Eliyahu, Eliyahu Zuta 14)
The message: Just because something doesn’t come naturally or easily to you doesn’t mean it is not relevant to you. It may just mean you have to want it enough for God to give it to you, and that may be your test in life. So, before you say some mitzvah is not for you, ask God to give what you need to change that.
We can use this line of thinking to understand something from the parsha. The Torah starts off talking about the captive woman taken by a Jewish soldier during war, which it certainly doesn’t promote. However, rather than confront the man’s yetzer hara head on which doesn’t usually go to well, the Torah instructs the man in how to halachically do it, and the obligations that come with it.
One such obligation is, “And it will be, if you do not desire her, then you shall send her away wherever she wishes” (Devarim 21:14), regarding which Rashi comments and says, “The Torah is telling you that you will eventually despise her.”
It is? The Torah only says that if you happen to eventually to not desire her, not that you will for sure despise her. What compelled the Sifrei that Rashi quoted to take the Torah’s statement to such an extreme?
For the same reason why Amnon hated Tamar more than he loved her after he forced himself on her. She had still been the same righteous woman she was when Amnon became infatuated with her, so what was there to hate?
Himself. To look at her was to recall his own barbaric act and make him loathe himself. And being the coward that he was, rather than blame himself and try to rectify the situation somewhat, he blamed her for how he felt about himself. And the same is going to be true of the soldier who capitulates to his yetzer hara and desires a woman he shouldn’t.
It’s the way we’re wired. We have a body that controls so much of everyday life, but also a soul that constantly begs us to live up to a higher standard. It creates inner friction that pushes some people to drown it out by increasing their volume of their material life, and others to soul search and spiritually improve.
All Eliyahu had to do to wake the fisherman up to his self-delusion was point out the truth he had been overlooking. Once he heard it, his soul said, “Exactly! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for the longest time!” The body crumbled at that moment, and he woke up to the ridiculousness of his rationalization.
It’s a truth that applies to everyone, and it is up to each individual to figure out where in their life to apply it.
I will be giving a two-part series on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur b”H on Monday, August 24 and Monday, August 31, called “Renewal & Rebirth.” The classes will be on Zoom at 8:15 pm Israel time, but recorded for registrants to watch on their own time.
You can register using this link: https://www.matara.pro/nedarimplus/online/?mosad=7014140, or write to me at pinchasw@shaarnun.org if you prefer an alternative means.
Have a great Shabbos,
Pinchas Winston
Reb Neuberger: THE DANGERS OF DEMOCRACY
“Ki seitzei l’milchama … when you go out to war….”
That is how our Parsha begins. How appropriate are these words to our current era, as we are at war on many levels.
We are at war spiritually. As we near the Yomim Noraim, we are aware of the battle within us, to cleanse our neshoma, to guard our eyes, our tongues and our hearts from the toxic temptations and provocations which fly in every direction in this chaotic world. How do we focus on Hashem and His healing Torah? How do we protect ourselves? This is a war we must win!
Then there is the political world, which seems every day to edge closer to a conflagration which could easily escalate to proportions which no one could control, the effects of which no person could escape.
And then there is the war being fought on the streets and the media of countries around the world, the war against us, the Children of Israel, the individual Jew and the Jewish Nation as a whole.
A gadol once said, “Democracy is the world’s worst form of government.”
Most of us grew up in a world which seemed basically sane. We assumed that the majority was good and that government would function for the benefit of law-abiding, peaceful people. But what happens if the majority are callous, brainless, or – sorry about this – downright evil? What happens then?
You think it cannot happen?
In New York City a majority (including many Jews) voted for a chief executive who does not attempt to hide his hatred for Am Yisroel. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler y’mak shemo was appointed Chancellor of Germany, having risen to this office through the legally-constituted electoral process. This is what can happen in a democracy.
In last week’s Parsha we read, “You shall surely set a king over yourselves whom G-d will choose….” (Dvarim 17:15) And, of course, the king of Israel must himself be subservient at every moment to the Ribono shel Olam. “Kingship in Israel should be permeated with the spirit of the Torah and should be only a means of directing the nation to the Torah.” (Rabbi S. R. Hirsch)
As we near the Yomim Noraim, our mission is not just to insulate ourselves from the spiritual poison which pollutes our world, but also to understand that the myths on which we have been raised are just that: myths.
If I am correct, there is going to be a revolution in our world that is beyond what mankind has seen before. It is becoming clear that “old-fashioned” democracy is imploding before our eyes. As I see it, this entire structure – built after all by the sons of Edom who have constructed the culture called “Western Civilization” – this structure is trembling and crumbling just as the mighty empire of Mitzraim crumbled and collapsed in the days of our ancestors. In the words of Dovid ha Melech, “They do not know nor do they understand. In darkness they walk. All foundations of the earth collapse.” (Tehillim 82)
The coming upheaval will far surpass in magnitude the collapse of Ancient Egypt, but the new world will shine with the glory of the All-Mighty G-d and will never collapse. It is up to us to prepare ourselves and not cling to the old structure.
The Chofetz Chaim is reported to have said that, in the war directly before the coming of Moshiach, the Angel of Death will not have power to harm those who cling with all their strength to Hashem and who reject the culture of the surrounding nations. Those who stick like glue to Hashem and His Torah will survive and go on to live in the Days of Moshiach.” (Heard from Rav Matisyahu Salomon zt”l)
I saw a similar statement in the name of Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l, who said, “In the final war before the coming of Moshiach, all the Jews who fear Hashem will survive. Hashem will say to them, ‘All those who are removed from the secular, worldly culture … you are Mine!’” (Seen in Redemption Unfolding)
May we live to see those glorious days!
Democracy
GLOSSARY
Dovid ha Melech: King David
Gadol: a great rabbi
Mitzraim: Ancient Egypt
Parsha: Torah portion
Ribono shel Olam: King of the Universe, G-d
Ymak shemo: may his name be erased
Yomim Noraim: Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur
Am Yisrael is Coming Home…..
Powerful words tonight from Eliya Cohen under his Chuppah. Eliya was held in Hamas Captivity for over 500 days and has just one thing to say to Hashem:
“Thank You”
After 505 days in Hamas captivity, Eliya Cohen tonight stood under the chuppah with his kallah, Ziv Abud, who survived the horrors of the “death shelter” at the Nova massacre while Eliya was taken hostage to Gaza.
With tears in his eyes, Eliya recited Shema Yisrael together with the guests and thanked Hashem for the countless Nissim that brought them to this moment. After 505 days in Gaza, he was finally standing under the chuppah beside his kallah, building the Jewish home they fought so hard for. From captivity to freedom. From darkness to light.
See this moving video https://x.com/AkivaAckerman/status/2090197374702432699
19 August 2026
❤️ אהבת ישראל! המסר העוצמתי של מרן פוסק הדור הגר"י זילברשטיין שליט"א לחיזוק שמירת הלשון 📢
מעמד ייסוד כולל 'חפץ חיים בעיון' בביהכ"נ 'חניכי הישיבות – כרם ישראל' נערך בראשות מרן פוסק הדור הגר"י זילברשטיין שליט"א | במרכז המעמד חשף רבינו מעשה מדהים מימי ילדותו בעיירת 'בנדין' שבפולין, וחידד את המסר העולה: 'שמירת הלשון מלמדת אותנו להתמקד בטוב של הזולת'! | במעמד השתתפו גדולי התורה: הגה"צ רמ"ש אדלשטיין שליט"א, הגאון הגדול ר"א גרבוז שליט"א | צפו:
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"אם אתה אוהב כל יהודי – לא שייך לדבר עליו לשון הרע"!
את המעמד פתח חתדב"נ, הגאון רבי אליעזר רוט שליט"א: "יש יהודי יקר שקשור למו"ח מרן שליט"א, קוראים לו הרב יצחק גלר. הוא היה גר פה בשכונה, והוא מרצה בכל מיני מקומות. ובכל פעם לפני שהוא מרצה, הוא מגיע לכולל שלנו – 'נתיבות המשפט' (עם הנדיב הרב רמי פלר), והוא מכין את הדרשות שלו. לפני כמה שנים הוא הגיע לכולל, אז ביקשתי ממנו שיאמר לפני האברכים מה שעומד לדרוש.
"אז הוא סיפר כך: 'יש רופא שיניים חרדי ד"ר זוהר עשור, שהיה גר שמונה שנים פה קרוב וגם הוא תלמיד גדול של מו"ח הרב שליט"א, והוא סיפר שהרב זילברשטיין היה אצלו בטיפול שיניים. ופנה הד"ר לרב ושאל אותו: 'יש לי שאלה, אני רואה שבלי עין הרע השיניים של הרב כולן שלמות, אך מצד התעודת זהות זה לא מסתדר'..., אז הרב זילברשטיין ענה לו שהשיניים האלה מעולם לא דיברו לשון הרע!'.
"עד כאן סיפר הרב גלר בדרשתו, אז אני אמרתי לו שזה סיפור יפה, ובאמת אני לא שמעתי מהשווער שלי אף פעם לשון הרע, אבל אני אשאל אותו בעצמו אם זה נכון. ובליל שב"ק אמרתי למו"ח שליט"א: 'לא נעים לי לשאול שאלה, הרב גלר מספר בשם ד"ר עשור שהרב העיד על עצמו שמעולם לא דיבר לשון הרע, אז יש לי שתי שאלות. שאלה ראשונה: האם זה נכון?, ושאלה שניה: איך זה יכול להיות נכון?
"אז מו"ח הרב שליט"א תפס את השיניים ואמר לי: 'השיניים האלה מעולם לא דיברו לשון הרע, אבל אני לא מבין את השאלה שלך, אם אתה אוהב כל יהודי לא שייך לדבר עליו לשון הרע. אני אוהב כל יהודי, לא משנה מה הוא. אם אני אוהב כל יהודי אז לא שייך לדבר עליו לשון הרע".
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"שמירת הלשון מלמדת אותנו לחפש את התיקון ולהתמקד בטוב"!
לאחר מכן נשא רבינו שליט"א את המשא המרכזי: "אני נולדתי בעיירת 'בנדין' שבפולין, וההורים שלי היו מאוד קרובים אליו, והמרא דאתרא שם היה הרב מבנדין, הגה"צ רבי חנוך צבי הכהן לוין זצוק"ל, והיה מעשה נורא שם בעיירה: היה חסיד שנכנס להתפלל ופשט את החליפה שלו, ושם היה את כל הנדוניה שהכין לנישואי בתו. הוא יצא, גמר את התפילה, והוא רואה שגנבו לו את כל הכסף, ומיד והתעלף.
"העירו אותו ושוב התעלף, ושוב התעלף. אז קראו לרב מבנדין, והוא אמר ככה: 'אני אעשה פה תיבה קטנה ואני רוצה להודיע קבל עם ועדה, אם הגנב ישיב אני אברך אותו, אך אם הוא לא ישיב אני אקלל אותו ואגיד לו יימח שמך וזכרך'.
"וזה דבר שהרב מבנדין מעולם לא עשה, לומר על יהודי ימ"ש, וכמובן כעבור שעה הכול היה בחזרה. הלך הרב מבנדין ואמר ככה: 'הוא קיים מצוות עשה דאורייתא של 'והשיב את הגזילה אשר גזל', שזה מצה שלא כל אחד זוכה לקיים אותה, וגם מצוה של 'וחי בהם', כיון שבעל הכסף היה בסכנה גדולה. ואני רוצה לברך אותו שיהיה לו כל טוב, ויתברך שמו, ויהיה לשם ולתפארת בישראל. ובקשה אחת יש לי: לא לחקור מי היה הגנב'.
"ואמרו כל העם אמן. חמשת אלפים איש צעקו 'אמן' שבקע את השמיים, זה הסיפור שרציתי לספר. מה הסיפור כאן? אני לא מאמין שהרב מבנדין שהיה איש אלוקים קדוש, אני לא מאמין שפעם אחת בחייו קילל יהודי. אני לא מאמין. יותר נכון אני כן מאמין שמעולם לא קילל חוץ מאותה פעם, הוא היה אוהב ישראל בדרגה הכי גבוהה לפי ההשגות שלנו, וגם ספריו 'יכהן פאר' הם נפלאים ממש. וכאן עשה מה שעשה כדי להציל את אותו אחד שנגנב ממונו, ויש הרבה מוסר השכל ללמוד ממעשה זה".
רבינו ביאר שבחר במעשה זה כמוסר השכל אדיר שמתווה דרך סלולה וברורה גם בהלכות לשון הרע, להשתדל תמיד לראות הכל בעין טובה ולדון לכף זכות, וכמו כן למדים אנו מהקפידה של הרב מבנדין שלא לחקור מי הוא הגנב, ולא לנטות אחר הסקרנות הטבעית ולא לביישו ברבים.
וכמו כן לרכוש את היכולת להסתכל על מי שטעה ולראות את הצעד החיובי שעשה כעת (השבת הנדוניה והצלת חיים), ולבחור לחזק ולברך אותו, במקום לרדוף ולבייש אותו, כך שבמקום להגדיר אדם לפי הכישלון שלו, מתמקדים בנקודת התיקון ובצעד החיובי שהוא עושה עכשיו.
לאחר מכן שוררו הכל עם רבינו 'תהא השעה הזאת שעת רחמים ועת רצון מלפניך', כשלסיום בירך רבינו את כל הנוכחים והמשתתפים: "ברוך השם נמצאים פה כעת גדולי התלמידי חכמים של הדור, נבקש מהקדוש ברוך הוא שירחם עלינו ויושיע אותנו, שנזכה להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה, וחס ושלום שכעת אנחנו בדברים סכנות גדולות מפני הערבים, שלא ישלטו בנו, ונהפוך הוא אשר ישלטו היהודים המה בשונאיהם, אמן".
3-Year-Old Found Alive After 100 Hours | Colombia's 7.4 Earthquake Death Toll Nears 300 | VERTEX
More than four days after a devastating earthquake struck western Colombia, rescuers have pulled a three-year-old girl alive from beneath the rubble, nearly 100 hours after the 7.4-magnitude quake hit on August 10. A 75-year-old man was also rescued alive after spending days trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
The extraordinary rescues have renewed hope for families still waiting for missing relatives, even as authorities warn that the chances of finding more survivors are fading. By August 16, nearly 290 people had died, more than 4,000 were injured and over 140 remained missing.
18 August 2026
Rav Dovid Tzvi Shlomo Biderman zt"l
Rav Dovid Tzvi Shlomo Biderman of Lelov Yerushalayim zt"l
הרב דוד צבי שלמה בן אךעזר מנחם מנדל בידערמאן זצ"ל
Elul 5 , 5678
Known As: Rav Duvidel
Father's Name: Elazar Menachem Mendel
Rav Moshe Sternbuch Shlit"a on ELUL
ELUL
“The hands of the witnesses shall be the first upon him to put him to death… you shall remove the evil from your midst” (17:7)
The wording of the possuk makes it clear that the purpose of the capital punishment is not to avenge the actions of the sinner, but rather to remove evil from amongst the nation, thereby increasing the forces of good.
Rav Yerusham Levovitz noted that, similarly, repentance has the power to annul evil decrees, because if a person repents on his own initiative there is no longer any need to punish him, since he has already removed the evil inside him by himself of his own accord.
However, in order to come close to and cleave to Hashem, prayers, supplications and dedication to avodas Hashem are required, and the month of Elul is the appropriate time to achieve these, and to come close to Hashem.
Although, on the one hand, Elul is a month of trepidation, like any other mitzvah, repentance has to be performed with joy.
Elul is the propitious month of mercy in which Hashem makes it much easier to repent. This month may be compared to an end-of-season sale. Hashem wishes to cleanse us of our sins accumulated during the year and “sells” the possibility of repentance for less effort than the rest of the year. Whatever can only be attained the rest of the year through fasting and abstinence, can be attained in Elul through prayer and repentance.
Our avoda during Elul should be different than the rest of the year, and we cannot perform mitzvos by rote then. Our Torah and prayers should be accompanied by thought and devotion. The admonition to “beware lest you forget Hashem” (Devorim 6:12) includes a warning not to observe mitzvos by rote, because someone who keeps mitzvos only out of habit is not thinking about Hashem, but ignoring Him.
Many people shirk their obligations in Elul, in the belief that during the year they are already fulfilling what Hashem expects of them. The baal habos argues that throughout the year he listens to a shiur on a daily basis and gives maaser kesofim from his earnings, and the ben Torah argues that he keeps to his sedorim with a chavrusa. In reality, our avodo during Elul consists of not performing actions merely by rote and habit, but with a sense of renewal and contemplation as to what Hashem expects of us, and how we can improve our avoda quantitatively (more time) and qualitatively (more effort, enthusiasm and joy).
Yemei rotzon means that during this period we enjoy special Divine assistance. However, without repentance on our part and efforts to come closer to Hashem, He will not come closer to us. On the other hand, through relatively little effort during Elul we can achieve things that are only possible through much greater effort during the rest of the year, and only a fool would waste the opportunity to utilize this time to the utmost.
Many people are under the delusion that just like Elul and the yomim noro’im the previous year elapsed without too many preparations and repentance, and nothing exceptionally unfortunate happened during the past year, this year too we can obtain a favorable judgement. The flaw with this logic is that there is a special treasure house of good deeds for which Hashem sets aside a reward in the afterlife, and if a person does not have the right to remain alive by virtue of his deeds, Hashem deducts from the reward set aside for him in the afterlife.
Therefore, the fact that a person remained alive may have been to his detriment, because it may have been at the expense of his future reward. Moreover, who knows how many merits, if any, remain from the mitzvos whose reward has been set aside for the future. Hence, it would be wiser to repent properly instead of relying on the experience of previous years.
Although an integral component of teshuva is regretting the past, during Elul one should initially forget the past and focus on the present. The mazal of the month of Elul is a besulah (maiden), because during this month of renewal and repentance we start a new “marriage” with Hashem, completely forgetting the past and focusing exclusively on the future. Only at a more advanced stage of the teshuva process should one focus on regretting the past.
Every morning, when one wakes up one should say to oneself. “Today I will be more careful be’ezras Hashem”. Everything is based on the current moment. If one perseveres with one’s resolutions, one will eventually witness miracles and wonders be”H.
The truth is that for most people the avoda of Elul has been forgotten, and if Rosh Hashono itself is still observed properly, that would already be a step in the right direction. In previous generations, people realized that if you repented, matters would turn out for the good, but if you did not, then one had to worry, and that one had to be in a constant state of chizuk. However, this awareness has become attenuated. Only bnei Torah still retain an impression of the real Elul. This is a great pity, because we are losing a great treasure of growth in our avodas Hashem.
In Shema Yisroel every Jew addresses his fellow Jew, because it is not sufficient to accept the yoke of heaven on ourselves, but we must also be concerned for all members of the nation and want them to accept this yoke on themselves too. On the other hand, in terms of everyone’s private avodas Hashem, a person should not compare himself to others, because Hashem’s expectations of him are based on his own specific capabilities. Sometimes a person thinks that so and so acts in a certain way, so why should I be more righteous than him. Instead, he should be thinking about what Hashem expects from him specifically. That is the avoda of Elul: to remember that we are avdei Hashem.
Everybody should endeavor during Elul to be mechadesh chiddushei Torah, because through chiddushim one merits special Divine love. Chiddushim are not necessarily completely novel ideas, but also explanations and comments on existing ideas. Rav Aharon Kotler writes that since in the month of Elul we are close to Hashem, it is a very propitious time for learning, understanding and being mechadesh genuine chiddushei Torah. Therefore, Rav Sternbuch tells the bochurim in his Yeshiva that they should endeavor to write down chiddushei Torah or summarize shiurim and explain them well. They will then enjoy special Divine assistance and will be considered to have been mechadesh chiddushei Torah.
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