by Rabbi Nachman Kahana | Apr 16, 2019
Approximately three thousand five hundred years ago, seventy direct descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov left Eretz Yisrael for the exile of Egypt as individuals within a family. Two hundred and ten years later their descendants left Egypt numbering in the millions to return home as a nation. Two thousand years ago we as a nation were exiled from our land to eventually return home as individuals from 100 different lands to merge, coalesce and regroup into the great nation that we are today, as each and every oleh brings with him the richness of their worldly experiences.
The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming autobiography (be’ezrat HaShem) depicting my last day in galut and arrival in the holy land.
by Rabbi Nachman Kahana | Apr 10, 2019
Picture a frum (observant) family at the Seder night, living in any one of the great Torah centers in the galut; they could even be your next-door neighbors!The home of Reb Sender and Mrs. Rayza is impeccable; the result of the great time and energy, not to speak of the money, which the expeditious and skillful ba’alat ha’bayit (woman of the house) has devoted to it.
by Rabbi Nachman Kahana | Apr 4, 2019
Aharon HaKohen had just lost two of his oldest and most competent sons while they were serving God in the Mishkan. Yet he was commanded by HaShem to complete his tasks despite his profound personal tragedy. The Torah describes Aharon’s irreconcilable personal trauma in two thunderous words “Va’yiedom Aharon” – And Aharon was silent.
Yehoshua bin Nun was commanded by HaShem to fulfill an impossible mission: he was to follow Moshe Rabbeinu as the leader of the Jewish people.
How does one replace the irreplaceable?
by Rabbi Nachman Kahana | Mar 28, 2019
After 3500 years of serving as HaShem’s chosen people with a history unlike any other nation – neither in suffering nor in accomplishments – the time has come for us to ask if the Jewish nation is a success story or a failure.
We are the only ancient people that is still alive – success. However, the majority of Jews today are not conscious Torah observers – failure. So, at the end of the day, is HaShem “happy” or “disappointed” with us?
by Rabbi Nachman Kahana | Mar 20, 2019
The Gemara (Megila 7a) tells of Esther’s request that the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people and the events leading up to it be included in the TaNaCh (Bible) as its 24th book, to be an everlasting remembrance of HaShem’s intervention for the Jewish nation in our miraculous victory over the forces of Amalek.The rabbis rejected her request, basing their rejection on a verse in Mishlay (Proverbs 24:20)
by Rabbi Nachman Kahana | Mar 7, 2019
Love thy Jewish brother as yourself, I am HaShem.
HaShem’s demand that we orient ourselves to love our fellow Jew as we love ourselves is an extreme demand. How can one bring himself to this sublime degree of altruism?
And why does this mitzva end with the words “I am HaShem”, when they do not appear in most other mitzvot?
