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The Severity of the Sin of Lashon Hara and the danger of being a journalist (From the teachings of Maran Rabbenu Ovadia Yosef ztvk”l)(written by his grandson HaRav Yaakov Sasson Shlit”a) (translated by our dear friend Rav Daniel Levy Shlit”a, Leeds United Kingdom) From Christina Mattison Ebert’s D’rash Designs series In the Parashah, our Holy Torah speaks at length about the leper. Our Chachamim in the Gemara (Erachin 17a) say, why does the leper deserve such a punishment? Due to the sin of...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Tzedakah: Justice, Not Performance There is a profound difference between what the world calls “charity” and what the Torah calls צדקה (tzedakah – righteousness, justice). The difference is not semantic; it is foundational. One is rooted in ego. The other in truth. The nations speak of charity as an act of kindness. It is optional, generous, even admirable. A person gives because he chooses to give, because he feels compassion, or, increasingly in our age, because he wishes...

by Ram ben Ze’ev The Lamb, The Stars, and the Illusion of Power The Torah in שמות (Shemot) commands something extraordinary on the eve of redemption: each household was to take a lamb on the tenth of Nissan, keep it for several days, and then slaughter it on the fourteenth, placing its blood upon the doorposts. This was not a quiet act. It was deliberate, visible, and defiant. To understand this moment, we must understand the world in which it occurred. Egypt was not merely a political...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Shabbat HaGadol: The Shabbat of Greatness Before Redemption This Shabbat is known as שבת הגדול (Shabbat HaGadol – the Great Shabbat), the final Shabbat before פסח (Pesach – the Festival of Redemption), and it carries a weight and significance far beyond its name. For me, it also carries something deeply personal, as I was born on this very Shabbat—linking my own beginning, in some small way, to this moment of preparation before redemption. The term “HaGadol” does not merely...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Problem with the Term “Orthodox” in Judaism The term “Orthodox,” so commonly used today to describe traditional Jews, is not a Hebrew word and does not originate from Jewish sources. Rather, it comes from the Ancient Greek word orthodoxos , meaning “correct belief” or “right opinion.” The word itself is formed from two Greek roots: orthos , meaning “straight,” “right,” or “true,” and doxa , meaning “opinion,” “belief,” or “praise.” From a Jewish standpoint, this already...

by Ram ben Ze’ev The Judeo-Christian Fiction: Stop Claiming What Is Not Yours In January 2020 I wrote Judeo-Christian Divide to address a growing falsehood: the claim that Judaism and Christianity share a common religious foundation. In the years since, that falsehood has not diminished. It has intensified. Today, ever more voices from foreign belief systems insist on associating themselves with Jews, with Israel, and with Judaism itself, as though repetition might somehow transform...

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into The Micklegate Ecclesiastical Trust Regulator Investigates York-Based Charity Over Concerns About its Financial Controls The charity is located in York, and its objects include furthering the religious and other charitable work of the Church of England in the area of benefit, including through the repair and maintenance of churches. In July 2025, the Commission launched an inquiry into The Parochial Church Council of the...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When Death Becomes Theatre: The Idolatry of Public Praise The modern world has developed a ritual which it treats as sacred: the instant public tribute. A famous person dies, and within minutes a chorus begins. Social media floods with accolades, praise, affectionate “rememberings,” and grand pronouncements, as though death itself confers holiness — as though the grave has the power to sanctify a life that was never virtuous. Men who were alive yesterday as complicated,...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The War on Words: How the Nations Distort Our Holiest Language Language is not neutral. For ישראל, it is the vessel through which קדושה enters the world. When the nations take our sacred words, reshape them, and hand them back to us with their meaning hollowed out, something essential is lost. Holiness becomes obscured, and the identity of our people is quietly eroded. Few examples reveal this more starkly than the distortion of שבת (Shabbat, rest) into the Christian term...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Snare Within: Idolatry in Our Land and the Consequences We Refuse to See Israel stands today at a crossroads not defined by borders or politics, but by spiritual clarity. We face enemies on every side, and yet the greatest danger is not external. It is the one we have permitted—welcomed, even—within our own gates. We are commanded by G-D with absolute precision. In שמות (Shemot) 23:33 the Torah states: לא ישבו בארצך פן יחטיאו אתך לי כי תעבד את אלהיהם כי יהיה לך למוקש...

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into The Matt 6.3 Charitable Trust Investigation Launched into Christian Charity Over Serious Governance Concerns The Matt 6.3 Charitable Trust was registered with the Commission in 1998 and has purposes of advancing and promoting the Christian faith. In October 2024, the regulator became aware of serious concerns about governance failings and unauthorised payments at the charity. ADVERTISEMENT: Your Portfolio Starts Here — Sign Up...

A historical shift in leadership has placed public image above halakhic fidelity — a trend that demands careful discernment by Ram ben Ze’ev A historical shift in leadership has placed public image above halakhic fidelity — a trend that demands careful discernment There is a dangerous trend in contemporary Jewish leadership: the elevation of titles and public platforms above fidelity to Torah. Throughout our history, titles have never been the source of spiritual authority. Genuine leadership...

by Ram ben Ze’ev The Fantasy of Idolatry: Myths Masquerading as History Christianity rests upon a foundation of fantasy. At its core lies the claim that a Jewish man, called Jesus, was not only a rabbi and miracle-worker but also the son of G-D, elevated to the Divine. Yet when one examines this narrative without the haze of blind belief, the entire structure collapses. First, there is no reliable evidence that the so-called “twelve disciples” ever met or studied with this man. Not a single...

The joy of friendships that enable a person to achieve their best in serving Hashem and contributing to the Community From HaGaon Rav...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Sanctifying Idolatry: The Praise of Charlie Kirk Charlie Kirk, a young Evangelical firebrand, was assassinated in Utah. His death has triggered an extraordinary wave of sanctification, with media outlets elevating him almost overnight to the level of a saint. What is most troubling, however, is not the idolatrous exaltation of the nations, but the eagerness of Jews—including Jews in Israel—to join in this chorus of praise. By applauding Kirk, they are not honouring Israel;...

by Ram ben Ze’ev No Treaty, No Compromise: The Torah’s Eternal Warning “You shall not make a treaty with them” — דברים (Devarim) 7:2. The Torah could not be clearer. The Jewish people are not permitted to make treaties with those who hate us, nor are we permitted to allow them to dwell peacefully in our midst, unless they renounce עבודה זרה (Avodah Zarah — idolatry) and accept the sovereignty of ה׳. This is not an obscure command, nor one confined to the seven nations of כנען (Kena’an). It is...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Grave Sin of Assimilation: A Wake-Up Call to Our People We are not like the Nations. We were never meant to be. The commandment is clear: והייתם לי סגלה מכל העמים – “And you shall be to Me a treasure from among all the peoples” (שמות Shemot 19:5). We were chosen by G-D, not because of our numbers or our might, but because of our mission: ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש – “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (שמות Shemot 19:6). Holy – קדוש...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When Jews Commit Blood Libel It is one of the most infamous lies in human history—one that echoes with the blood of the innocent and the cries of the falsely accused. The term blood libel refers to the grotesque accusation that Jews murder non-Jewish children to use their blood in religious rituals. This slander, born in Christian Europe during the 12th century, became a tool of mass hatred, inciting pogroms, public executions, and expulsions across the continent. From...

by Ram ben Ze’ev When Awareness Becomes Idolatry: A Call to Restrain Our Tongues and Our Feeds One might think that simply knowing about evil inoculates a person against it. That seeing depravity and cruelty on a screen somehow fortifies the spirit to resist. But the opposite is true. Each time we click, comment, share, and amplify content steeped in wickedness—even under the pious pretense of “awareness”—we energise the very forces we claim to oppose. We help weave the web that ensnares our...

by Ram ben Ze'ev With Keri You Walked, With Keri I Will Walk There is a verse in ספר ויקרא (Sefer Vayikra – Leviticus) that pierces through time with unsettling clarity. "ואם בזאת לא תשמעו לי, והלכתם עמי בקרי. והלכתי גם אני עמכם בחמת קרי" “And if despite this you do not listen to Me, but walk with Me with keri , then I too will walk with you in fury, with keri ...” — ויקרא כו:כז–כח (Vayikra 26:27–28) The word קרי ( keri ) does not mean rebellion. It does not mean denial. It means casualness ,...

by Ram ben Ze'ev Stop Calling It "The Holy Land" — It’s the Land of Israel There is a subtle yet dangerous behaviour that many among the Nations have adopted—particularly a certain brand of Christianity—which must be called out without apology or hesitation. They refer to the Land of Israel as “The Holy Land.” On the surface, it sounds harmless—even reverent. But make no mistake: this phrase is not just inaccurate. It is part of a calculated attempt to confuse , dilute , and ultimately...

by Ram ben Ze’ev When Jews Went Astray: The Tragedy of Heresy There is a persistent misconception, even among some Jews today, that a certain theological system born in the Roman era — one that co-opted Jewish language and symbols — somehow evolved as a valid continuation of Jewish faith. This is false. While it is historically accurate that the earliest proponents of this heretical path were Jews, this fact only intensifies the tragedy. For over two millennia, this distortion has cloaked...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Idolatry of Outrage: How the Nations Amplify Evil and Distract the Jewish Mission I believe that evil is not merely sustained, but amplified by and through the Nations—that is, the nations of the world. With every act of antisemitism, the global chorus of outrage grows louder. Governments, organisations, influencers, and even well-meaning individuals rush to condemn, protest, and "raise awareness." But beneath this façade of moral virtue lies something far more troubling:...

by Ram ben Ze'ev We Are Not a Religion — We Are a Nation The time has come to speak plainly. The Jewish people are not adherents of a religion. We are not one of many belief systems on a shelf, nor are we participants in the global circus of faiths. We are עם קדוש ( Am Kadosh – a Holy Nation). And while the world may insist on seeing Judaism as a religion, this mischaracterisation has distorted our identity and weakened our national unity. Religion, as it is practised by the nations, is...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Schlissel Challah: A Warning Against Assimilation Each year, in the weeks following פסח ( Pesach ), a peculiar tradition surfaces within some segments of the Jewish world: the baking of "Schlissel Challah" — a challah shaped like a key, or baked with a key inside, or pressed with a key imprint on its surface. This practice, marketed today as a סגולה ( segulah ; spiritual remedy) for פרנסה ( parnassah ; livelihood) and blessing, is not only misplaced but deeply problematic....

Shemot 30:11-35 - The Golden Calf by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen While Moshe was absent up on Mount Sinai, the people feared he was dead and...

Shemot Chapters 21:1-24:18 - A Constitution by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen Rabbi Jeremy Rosen The sequence of laws as given in the recent...

Genesis (Bereishit) Chapter 6:9 EVOLUTION by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen In some religious fundamentalist circles, the word evolution is a...

Numbers 25:10-30 - Zealots by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen The story of Pinchas, the grandson of High Priest Aaron is about zealotry, normally a...

Exodus 30:11-34:34 - Leadership by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen The main theme of this week's reading from the Torah is the episode of The Golden...

by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen Why did we celebrate Simchat Torah? One of the reasons given by the Tur, (Jacob Ben Asher 1270-1340) and other...

Numbers 25:10-30:1 - Succession by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen Pinchas was the grandson of Aharon, the zealot who took the law into his own hands....

Leviticus 25-27:34 - The Good the Bad and the Ugly by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen The book of the Torah called Vayikra or Leviticus, is also...

U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain traveled to Israel and Judea and Samaria, Israel on April...

The severity of the sin of Lashon Hara and the danger of being a journalist (From the teachings of Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef ztvk”l ;...

In 1938/9, a team led by Thomas Kendrick and George Berry worked in defiance of their instructions and in danger to their lives to...

During the 52nd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UK co-sponsored a Joint Statement relating to human rights in Nicaragua. This was...

by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen As children at Chanukah time, as we lit the candles we would sing “ Maoz Tzur Yeshuati, the cat’s in the cupboard...

(Translated by our dear friend Rav Daniel Levy Shlit”a, Leeds United Kingdom) A test is not necessarily considered challenging based on...

Genesis 6-11 - Tower of Babel by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen The Biblical narrative about the Tower of Babel was based on or inspired by the...

by Bill White [Transcript] You may have already noticed, but June is the month during which all of the major companies, obviously social...

by Bill White [Transcript] Let’s start by me confirming that I am NOT trying to convince anyone of my religious belief, which for the...

by Bill White [Transcript] In case you’re wondering, I’m Jewish. Being Jewish and living among the Diaspora, or outside Israel, has a...

by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen There seems to me to be a permanent state of conflict in all religions between religious authority and individual...

Fifteen slates ran in the 2020 US Election for the 38th World Zionist Congress by Bill White Recently, the US election for the World...

Putting aside religion, as most followers of HeyZeus do each year for their holiday, it is worth pausing to examine the messaging behind this day devoted to idolatry, confusion, and deception.