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The Antidote to Anxiety

A nation cannot claim to welcome Jews while criminalising one of the oldest and most fundamental commandments of Judaism

by Ram ben Ze'ev A Language Abandoned Is a Covenant Forgotten It is a strange and unsettling reality that institutions once rooted in Torah now find themselves speaking a language that is no longer their own. Words that carried the weight of revelation, memory, and identity are quietly replaced—not by necessity, but by convenience. And with each substitution, something far deeper than vocabulary is lost. When an organisation replaces תהלים (Tehillim – Psalms) with a foreign term, or שמות...

by Ram ben Ze'ev A Nation That Stands Alone—and Therefore Endures There is a quiet error that has crept into the thinking of many within our Community: the belief that our safety, our continuity, or even our legitimacy depends upon the approval, sympathy, or protection of the Nations. It is an error not of politics, but of perspective. It reflects a forgetting—not of history alone, but of Torah itself. From the very beginning, our identity was never granted by the world, nor contingent upon...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Anger Without Torah Is Emptiness — A Community Adrift In recent weeks and months, Jews across the United Kingdom—and indeed across Europe and beyond—have found themselves confronting a steady and deeply unsettling rise in open hostility. Knife attacks in our streets, assaults on visibly Jewish individuals, threats against synagogues and schools, and the quiet, relentless drumbeat of intimidation have all become part of daily awareness. These are no longer isolated incidents;...

by Ram ben Ze’ev A Nation of Promises, A People Alone Another day. Another knife. Another Jew bleeding on a London pavement—this time in Golders Green. Two Jewish men, walking, doing nothing more provocative than existing, were targeted by a man already known to police, already marked by violence, already allowed to remain within a system that endlessly promises vigilance and delivers nothing of substance. And so the cycle repeats. Statements are issued. Condemnations are read. Cameras roll....

by Ram ben Ze’ev The Cost of Living Is Not the Cost of Fuel — It Is the Cost of the State People are in the streets of London protesting the cost of fuel, and they are right to be angry—but they are aiming at the symptom, not the cause. The narrative being pushed is familiar: global instability, tensions in the Middle East, supply pressures. These are convenient explanations. They shift blame outward. But the uncomfortable truth is far closer to home. The underlying cost of fuel itself is...

by Ram ben Ze’ev The Price of Misalignment: Memory, War, and the Illusion of Strength Today, Israel stands still. At the sound of the siren, the nation pauses in collective remembrance for those who were killed—soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces whose lives ended in battle. The numbers are heavy: 25,644 since 1860, leaving behind tens of thousands of bereaved families. Yet numbers, as vast as they are, do not capture truth. Words do. We say “fallen soldiers,” as though they stumbled. But...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Amen Is Not a Courtesy: Guarding the Sanctity of Blessing in the Age of Social Media In an age where every thought is published and every emotion is broadcast, sacred language has become cheap. Words that once emerged only in moments of אמת (emet – truth) and יראה (yirah – awe) are now scattered across comment sections and timelines without weight, without intent, and without understanding. One sees it constantly: “our prayers are with…”, “amen”, “pray to god”, written...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When Torah Loses Its Weight: The Lesson of Rabbi Akiva’s Students There are moments in our history that are not merely tragedies, but warnings—clear, enduring, and uncomfortable. The death of the תלמידים (talmidim – students) of Rabbi Akiva during the days of ספירת העומר (Sefirat HaOmer – counting of the Omer) is one of them. We mark it with restraint, with the absence of celebration, with customs of mourning. But if we leave it there, we have misunderstood it. The Torah...

by Ram ben Ze'ev Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal זצ״ל There are moments in Jewish history when a voice emerges that cannot be ignored. Not because it is new, but because it reveals what was always present in the Torah yet left unheeded . Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal זצ״ל was such a voice—a Rav who did not merely teach, but who transformed his own understanding in the face of reality, and in doing so, called כלל ישראל (Klal Yisrael – the collective of Israel) to account. Rabbi Teichtal was...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Shoah, Nissan, and the Memory the Nations Impose There are moments in the life of our people when silence is appropriate, and there are moments when it is necessary to speak with clarity. I was not going to write on the day itself, because the day—יום הזכרון לשואה ולגבורה (Yom HaZikaron LaShoah VeLaGevurah – Day of Remembrance for the Shoah and the Heroism)—deserves dignity, not distraction. But there are times when remaining silent serves no purpose, and this is one of them....

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 Pesach, Not “Passover”: The Distortion of a Divine Act The word matters. It shapes thought, and thought shapes belief. When the Nations refer to פסח (Pesach – protection, sparing, hovering), they reduce it to “Passover,” a term that strips the depth, the intention, and the reality of what occurred. This is not a harmless translation. It is a distortion. The progression is clear and revealing: the Hebrew פסח expresses an active Divine guarding, a presence that shields and...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Ki Tetze: When Israel Goes Out to War — Alignment, Not Assumption The words כי תצא (Ki Tetze – when you go out) open with precision. They do not command war; they describe it. They assume that man—individually and nationally—will choose to step into conflict. The verse states: כי תצא למלחמה על איביך — when you go out to war against your enemies. The initiative is human. The judgment that follows is Divine. The Holy Zohar teaches that this “going out” is not merely physical...

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 United Nations and the Politics of Historical Guilt The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade to be the “gravest crime against humanity.” While the horrors of slavery are undeniable and no moral person today would defend such a practice, the resolution itself reveals more about the modern political agenda of the United Nations than it does about historical reality. Before the vote, the United States...

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 When the Argument Cannot Be Answered, Attack the Man In politics, one of the oldest tactics is also one of the most revealing. When a leader cannot answer an argument, the response is often not to address the facts but to destroy the credibility of the person who raised them. That is precisely what we are seeing now. Joe Kent did something that senior officials rarely do: he resigned his position on principle. As Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, he stated...

by Ram ben Ze’ev You Cannot Legislate Hatred Out of the Human Heart A recent interview published yesterday between Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald begins with a familiar complaint. Both men lament the growing number of laws being enacted in various countries—among them the United States and Australia—that seek to criminalise negative or derogatory speech about Israel or about Jews. The discussion is not surprising coming from Carlson. His public commentary over the past several years has...

מאת רם בן זאב כאשר אדם מאמין שאינו נותן דין וחשבון לאיש תופעה מוזרה של העידן המודרני היא האדם שמצהיר בגאווה כי הוא אינו מאמין בשום דבר נעלה ממנו עצמו, ובכל זאת מצפה שיבטחו בו בכל הדברים החשובים ביותר בחיים. ראיתי תיאור פרופיל בחשבון ברשת חברתית של אדם יהודי בישראל המספר לעולם כי הוא בעל ואב. אין אלו תארים קטנים. לפי הבנת התורה את החיים, אלו מן האחריות החמורות ביותר שאדם יכול לשאת. בעל מופקד על רווחתה, כבודה ובטחונה של אשתו. אב מופקד על עיצוב הנשמות, על הכיוון המוסרי של ילדיו, ועל הדוגמה שממנה...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When a Man Believes He Answers to No One A curious phenomenon of the modern age is the man who proudly declares that he believes in nothing higher than himself, and yet expects to be trusted with everything that matters most in life. I saw a profile description on a social media account for a Jewish man in Israel who tells the world that he is a husband and a father. These are not small titles. In the Torah understanding of life, they are among the most serious...

מאת רם בן זאב מלחמה זו נבחרה כיהודי, כאמריקאי וכאדם התומך בישראל בכל לבו, אני כותב זאת ללא התנצלות: אינני שופך דמעה על איראן. המשטר בטהרן בילה עשרות שנים באיומים על ישראל, במימון טרור ובהקמת רשת אזורית המוקדשת לשפיכות דמים יהודית. אילו איראן הייתה פותחת במתקפה בלתי־מוצדקת על ישראל, הייתי תומך בהשמדת יכולתה הצבאית ללא היסוס. אך זה איננו המצב. מה שאני מתנגד לו בתוקף, וללא הסתייגות, הוא הניסיון של ישראל וארצות הברית להלביש על המלחמה הזאת תדמית של פעולה הגנתית, מהוססת או בלתי־נמנעת מבחינה מוסרית....

by Ram ben Ze'ev This War Was Chosen As a Jew, an American, and a fervent supporter of Israel, I write this without apology: I shed no tears for Iran. The regime in Tehran has spent decades threatening Israel, funding terror, and building a regional network dedicated to Jewish bloodshed. If Iran were to launch an unprovoked attack on Israel, I would support the destruction of its military capacity without hesitation. But that is not what this is. What I object to, strongly and without...

מאת רם בן זאב גשר רחוק מדי: כאשר אסטרטגיה הופכת לפזיזות כיהודי וכמי שמעמיד את ישראל בראש סדר העדיפויות, אינני מזיל דמעה על ההרס באיראן. המשטר בטהראן הקדיש עשרות שנים למימון טרור, לאיומים על השמדת ישראל, ולבניית רשת אזורית של שלוחים המוקדשים למותם של יהודים. אילו איראן הייתה פותחת במתקפה ישירה על ישראל, הייתי תומך בהשמדתו המלאה של המשטר ובפירוק יכולתו הצבאית ללא היסוס. לאומה יש זכות מוחלטת להגן על עצמה, וישראל לעולם אינה צריכה להתנצל על עצם הישרדותה. עם זאת, לעיקרון הזה יש שני צדדים. הגנה היא...

by Ram ben Ze'ev A Bridge Too Far: When Strategy Becomes Recklessness As a Jew and someone who places Israel first, I do not shed a tear over the destruction in Iran. The regime in Tehran has spent decades funding terror, threatening Israel with annihilation, and building a regional network of proxies dedicated to Jewish death. If Iran were to launch a direct attack on Israel, I would support the complete destruction of the regime and the dismantling of its military capacity without...

מאת רם בן זאב כאשר אומה שוכחת את בריתה לאורך ההיסטוריה הארוכה שלנו, העם היהודי ניצב מול אויבים בכל דור. אימפריות קמו עלינו, צבאות צעדו נגדנו, ושליטים ביקשו למחוק אותנו מעל פני האדמה. אך התורה מלמדת דבר מה שההיסטוריה מאשרת שוב ושוב: הסכנה הגדולה ביותר שלנו מעולם לא הייתה האומות לבדן, אלא מה שקורה כאשר אנו שוכחים מי אנחנו. מן ההתחלה, העם היהודי לא נוצר פשוט כעוד אומה. בהר סיני נכנסנו לברית עם G-D. ברית זו הגדירה אותנו. היא הבדילה אותנו מן האומות. היא קבעה שהישרדותנו לא תהיה תלויה רק בכוח, בשטח...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When a Nation Forgets Its Covenant Throughout our long history, the Jewish people have faced enemies in every generation. Empires have risen against us, armies have marched against us, and rulers have sought to erase us from the earth. Yet the Torah teaches something that history repeatedly confirms: our greatest danger has never been the nations alone, but what happens when we forget who we are . From the beginning, the Jewish people were not created simply as another...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Covenant Is Everything Judaism is often misunderstood as a system of strict rules, a long list of obligations that appear rigid or unforgiving. From the outside, it may seem as though the relationship between the Jewish people and G-D is “all or nothing.” Yet this phrase, when properly understood, reveals something far more beautiful. Judaism is not merely a list of commandments; it is a framework for a living relationship with G-D and with the people around us. It...

by Ram ben Ze’ev When Power Forgets Torah Torah does not teach weakness. It does not demand that Jews stand idle while enemies seek their destruction. On the contrary, Jewish law recognises the obligation of self-defence. When a person comes to kill you, the principle is clear: rise and stop him first. Throughout history the Jewish people have fought when necessary, and when survival required strength. Our tradition teaches: הבא להרגך השכם להרגו — “If someone comes to kill you, rise early and...

In most RAM Q&A responses, the question is shortened or summarised before the answer is given. In this case, however, the letter I received carries an emotional weight and a narrative that would be lost if reduced to a few sentences. For that reason, I am including the full text of the letter, with only minor corrections to grammar, spelling, and flow so that the meaning remains exactly as intended. The Questioner writes: Question: “Nearly ten years ago, a chance meeting developed into a...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When the Wolf Howls This parable is not original. It has been handed down through the ages, yet its message is even more important today than it was when it was first told. A wolf once fell into a deep vat of blue dye beside a dyer’s hut. When he climbed out, his fur shone with a colour no animal had ever seen in the forest. The other creatures fled from him in fear. The wolf realised what had happened and stood proudly upon a rock. Then he spoke with authority and said, “Do...

by Ram ben Ze'ev Opening Our Eyes to the Hidden Miracles The Torah records moments when the hand of G-D was unmistakable: the Sea of Reeds split, manna fell from heaven, and fire descended from above. These events are often called נס גלוי (nes galui – revealed miracle). They shattered the illusion that the world operates independently of its Creator. Yet our sages also speak of another kind of miracle, one that fills our lives every day: נס נסתר (nes nistar – hidden miracle). A hidden miracle...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Why Now? Blood, Sovereignty and the Unanswered Question Yesterday I wrote that “ Gone are the days when Jews kneel before greater powers .” I meant every word. Israel is not a vassal state. We do not require Washington, Brussels or London to decide when Jewish blood is at risk. If our leaders believe an existential threat looms, they not only have the sovereign right to act — they have the sovereign responsibility. But sovereignty cuts both ways. It grants the power to...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Convenience of Forgetting History does not whisper. It records. Every generation eventually discovers that the previous one was not told the whole truth. Files are unsealed. Minutes are published. Private memoranda become public record. What was once described as “necessary,” “urgent,” or “for the greater good” is revealed, years later, to have been partial, selective, or simply untrue . Legislation was sold as protection but concealed its cost. Spending was justified as...

by Ram ben Ze’ev When the King’s Soldiers Arrive A king once sent his army to a distant village. The soldiers wore the king’s uniform, bore his insignia, and carried his authority. Yet their message was strange: they whispered of revolt. They urged the villagers to turn against the very king whose banner they carried. The villagers were loyal. Some drew their swords and fought. Some prevailed. Others stumbled, regrouped, and fought again. Day after day, skirmish after skirmish. They proved...

by Ram ben Ze’ev The Nobel Delusion and the Price of Blood For years, President Donald Trump nursed a grievance. The Nobel Committee refused to crown him as the architect of peace he so eagerly proclaimed himself to be. Throughout his first term, during the 2020 campaign, throughout 2024, and right up until the Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado—who symbolically handed it to him—he spoke incessantly of the wars he stopped and the...

by Ram ben Ze'ev Not Us — Or Have We Forgotten? In October 2023, when our brothers and sisters were butchered, burned, kidnapped and desecrated, we watched in horror not only at the cruelty of the murderers but at the reaction of the world. In city after city, crowds gathered to celebrate. Sweets were handed out in the streets. Baklava was distributed as though the slaughter of Jews were a wedding feast. Social media filled with praise for barbarism. We were rightly outraged. We said: this is...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Chaos Before Control: Why Organisational Incompetence Matters Imagine giving the Reform Party control of the country. Pause for a moment and consider that seriously. We already have a group of incompetents in charge. The question is not whether we are dissatisfied — many are. The question is whether replacing one strain of dysfunction with another is progress. I have been a member of Reform since 2021. Recently, I re-joined formally and agreed to pay my membership fees...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When Scotland Remembered — And Will Remember Again There are moments in a nation’s life when it must dare to ask an uncomfortable question: What if we have forgotten part of ourselves? The book When Scotland Was Jewish by Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman and Donald N. Yates is not a casual historical curiosity. It is a challenge. Drawing upon DNA evidence, archaeology, migration analysis, and public and family records, the authors argue that from the twelfth century onward,...

by Ram ben Ze’ev The modern term “Jewish heritage” is often used to blur Jewish Status In recent days, we have seen public figures speak about their children needing to “fully appreciate the roots of their mother’s Jewish heritage.” The phrase sounds warm, evocative and harmless. But in Torah terms, it raises a serious question: what, precisely, is meant by “Jewish heritage”? Judaism is not a costume, not a sentimental lineage, and not a cultural aesthetic. According to הלכה (halachah –...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Bitcoin at $65,500: Cycles, Confidence, and the Question of Finality Bitcoin currently trades at $65,500. That number must be understood in context. In October 2025, Bitcoin reached an all-time high of $126,098. From that peak, the present price represents a drawdown of roughly 48%. That is not catastrophic by historical standards — but it is significant . Bitcoin has established a pattern across prior cycles: dramatic advances followed by severe corrections. Historically,...

by Ram ben Ze’ev Mazel Is Not Luck: A Call to Reject Modern Idolatry On 7 November 2024, I wrote about “ Mazel, Divine Flow, and Trust in HaShem .” It is necessary to return to that subject, because the confusion has not diminished. If anything, it has deepened. The phrase “Mazel Tov” is still casually translated as “Good luck,” as though Judaism endorses randomness, cosmic coincidence, or the mechanical alignment of stars. It does not. It never has. Mazel is not luck. Mazel is flow. The...

by Ram ben Ze’ev From Screens to Souls: Reclaiming Our Emotional Priorities In an age of constant connectivity, many people find themselves grieving public figures as though they had lost a member of their own household. Social media feeds fill with tears, tributes, and declarations of personal loss. Yet in truth, the person mourned never knew their names, never sat at their table, never shared a moment of genuine life with them. This is not shared life . It is confusion between image and...

מאת רם בן זאב חייזר קורא תנ״ך בדרכו לכדור הארץ מחזור חדשות אמריקאי יכול להפוך אמירה אגבית ל"גילוי" בתוך פחות משעה, והימים האחרונים היו מקרה מבחן מושלם. ברק אובמה השמיע הערה שנשמעה כ"אישור", הנשיא טראמפ הגיב כאילו נחצו גבולות מסווגים, ואז הסיפור הסלים לדיבורים על שחרור תיקים. לפני ששואלים מה משמעות הדבר עבור התורה, ראוי לומר בפשטות שאין בכך תחליף לראיות, ואין להתייחס לכך כתיאולוגיה. אמירה פוליטית איננה ממצא מדעי. נשיא לשעבר אינו מחויב לדייק, ולנשיא מכהן יש כל תמריץ לשלוט בכותרות. גם כאשר...

by Ram ben Ze'ev Alien Reading Tanakh Enroute to Earth An American news-cycle can turn a throwaway line into a “revelation” in under an hour, and the past few days have been a perfect case-study. Barack Obama made a remark that sounded like “confirmation”, President Trump reacted as though classified boundaries had been crossed, and then the story escalated into talk of releasing files. Before anyone asks what this means for Torah, it is worth saying plainly that none of this is a substitute...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Obligation to Read the Megillah: Night and Day When the month of אדר (Adar – joy-filled month) arrives, our service of G-D reaches its crescendo in the reading of the מגילה (Megillah – Scroll of Esther). This is not a custom, nor a sentimental commemoration. It is a binding obligation upon every member of כלל ישראל (Klal Yisrael – the Jewish nation): men and women alike must hear the Megillah twice — once at night and once again by day. The source of this dual reading is...

by Ram ben Ze’ev G-D Is Not a “Jewish Word” — And That Is Precisely the Point A recent article published by Chabad raises the question of whether “G-D” is a Jewish word. The answer, of course, is no. It is English. And that simple fact clarifies far more than it complicates. The Torah was not given in English. The Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself through the language of קדש (kodesh – holiness), through names such as אל (El – Mighty One), אלוה (Eloah – G-D), אלקים (Elohim –...

by Ram ben Ze'ev Marc Chagall painted the original gouache/oil painting Lot's Daughters (also known as Loth et ses filles) around 1931 in France The account in בראשית (Bereshit) 19:26–38 is not written to shock us. It is written to warn us. Lot was not saved because he was righteous. The Torah states clearly that אלקים (Elokim – G-D as Judge) remembered Avraham and removed Lot from the upheaval. His rescue was in the merit of Avraham. That detail is not incidental; it is central. Lot lived in...

by Ram ben Ze’ev When Grief Becomes Content The reported kidnapping and possible murder of Nancy Guthrie—an elderly woman and the mother of a well-known journalist—has once again revealed something deeply troubling about modern society. Not only the crime itself, but the reaction to it. Within hours of such events, microphones appear. Cameras are raised. Podcasters assemble. Individuals with nothing more than a smartphone and a social-media account declare themselves “press,” and proceed to...

by Ram ben Ze'ev Faithful Delivery, Not Improvement The Talmud teaches with remarkable restraint. It does not thunder or dramatise; it places a mirror before the reader and waits. In Menachot 30a–b, that mirror is held up through a simple parable: a messenger entrusted with a sealed letter from a king decides to improve it. His intention may even be kind. Yet the recipient returns the letter unopened, recognising immediately that this is not the king’s voice. The lesson is devastating in its...

by Ram ben Ze'ev The Silent Seller: How Bitcoin ETFs Turn Fear into Forced Liquidation The greatest risk in Bitcoin today is not volatility. It is not regulation. It is not even leverage. The real danger sits quietly inside the structure of Bitcoin ETFs, largely unseen by retail investors and deliberately softened by institutional marketing. That danger is the absence of human judgment at the moment selling matters most. When Bitcoin is held directly, the decision to sell is personal. It...

by Ram ben Ze'ev When Quotes Are Lies: A Modern Habit of Borrowed Authority In recent days, following the publication of my article Putting Words into G-D’s Mouth Is Not Torah , I began asking a simple question about a series of widely shared quotations attributed to long-dead thinkers, writers, and public figures. These quotes are routinely presented as “deep,” “timeless,” and “profound,” and they circulate endlessly across social media, stripped of context and wrapped in borrowed...