What Exactly is the Yetzer HaRa?

This week’s parasha, Ki Tetze, begins by describing the procedure when Israelite men “go out to war” and encounter a beautiful woman behind enemy lines. The Torah permits taking this woman for a wife, but on condition that the soldier waits for one month. He is to bring her to his home, where she shaves her head and cuts her nails while mourning for a month for the loss of her family. Only then, if the soldier still wants her, he can take her as a wife. If he no longer wants her, then she is to be set free unconditionally. The Torah cautions that she must not be treated as a slave or sold. A big question here is: is the soldier permitted to have relations with the “beautiful captive” immediately, or must he wait one month until she is eligible to be his wife? Continue reading →

The Mashiach Window

In this class, we re-examine the ancient Star of Jacob prophecy and analyze where we currently stand in the “End of Days” and the messianic process. What might unfold in the coming months and years? What role might AI play in the Final Redemption? Can a global blackout happen soon? And what can we do to hasten the return to the Garden of Eden? Also: What is the prophecy of the “unsheathing” of the Sun? What happened when Adam separated from Eve for 130 years? And why did the Sages tie the sound of the shofar to the cries of Sisera’s mother?

*This class was delivered on July 31, 2025 at the Sephardic Kehila Centre in Toronto, the final class there after two years of biweekly sessions.*