By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
This week, we are blessed to be reading and learning the parshiyos of Acharei Mos and Kedoshim, which contain in them some of the basics of Yahadus. In fact, Rashi cites the Medrash which states that Parshas Kedoshim was said by Moshe to the entirety of Klal Yisroel, because the majority of the body of Torah is included in it.
The parsha begins with the obligation for the people to be holy. We sometimes refer to a person, usually from previous generations, as holy, ah heilige Yid, as if it is a trait that is rare to come by. But the Torah does not differentiate. Hashem tells Moshe to tell all of the Jewish people that they need to be holy.

In last week’s Yated Ne’eman, the newspaper’s Chinuch Roundtable column tackled a difficult but often asked question.
The question began: “Our family has been following the p’sak of the gedolim regarding internet use for years,” the question begins. “We don’t have the internet at home, in the office it’s with a filter, and we have a flip phone.  We have always told our children that although internet with a filter is not assur, we follow the daas of the gedolim and we don’t even shop online. For years, all we heard at public gatherings was to ‘stay away from it and only use it for business, if necessary.’”

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Having just lived through a plague, we have become familiar with the deprivation it causes, even among the people not physically affected by it.
One of the many costs of the coronavirus was that governments used it to force people into isolation. Elderly people who depended on visitors to keep them connected to the world and provide for them social stimulation became deprived of that vital human need of speaking and interacting with others. They suffered cognitively and physically. Illnesses crept up on them and they lost their ability to walk and move about.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Every Yom Tov adds to our life. It adds holiness and emunah and brings us closer to Hashem. A Yom Tov is not simply something that we experience and then move away from, going on to other things as the Yom Tov recedes in our memory.
We all have just enjoyed the beautiful Yom Tov of Pesach. Hopefully, regardless of where we were physically located for the duration of the chag, it touched our souls, bringing us joy and depth. We sang its songs, hummed its tunes, studied its sugyos, reviewed its halachos, and scooped up as many divrei Torah as we could.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Many reasons are given to explain the custom of children stealing the Afikoman from the head of the Seder and hiding it from him.
One year, when the Chasam Sofer’s son Shimon was seven years old, he asked his father to explain the custom. To Shimon’s great surprise, his father ignored his question and continued with the Seder as if the question had not been asked. The boy understood not to ask again and moved on.

Dear Editor,
I don’t get why some have to put others down in such a pathetic, judgmental way in regards to them going to Orlando for Pesach, almost rooting for there to be problems.
1) Most Yidden who have money to spend work really hard for it. And if they don’t, it’s because the Aibishter decided to bless them with parnassah. How they spend it is none of anybody’s business. Jealous? That’s an issur deoraisa. Work on it.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Nissan is here. Soon the cold will be gone, snow will be a distant memory, and the harsh weather will be a thing of the past. Landscapers will start coming around as the ground warms. Trees and bushes will soon start showing signs of life as tiny green buds begin to unfurl. Branches will bloom, the grass will turn green, and squirrels and birds will run across the lawn enjoying life. Daylight Saving Time is here, bringing an additional hour of light as the sun rises higher in the sky, shining brighter, filling hearts with promises of warmth and color.
Young and old soak in the pleasures of recreation, walking, biking, and playing ball, as they strengthen their bodies, enhance their well-being, and broaden their perspective.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
If there is one thing that most people learned from Covid, it is the necessity to adapt to changing situations. People had thought that they were set and had everything figured out. Then the world careened and many plans, careers and businesses were toppled. Firmly established wasn’t firm enough, as people and their businesses quickly ran out of money and collapsed.
Families were devastated by premature deaths. Millions were sickened and millions died. There was no escaping the pandemic and the ravages it left in its wake.
Through it all, people had to learn to adapt to the new reality. Those who did were able to keep themselves afloat. Those who didn’t suffered much hardship and pain.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
The trajectory of this country has been transformed drastically since the presidential election. With the arrival of the new administration, entire concepts have changed, definitions of words have been revised, things that were considered dangerous for the country have been embraced, protections have been done away with, and borders have been thrown open for illegals, though you’re not allowed to refer to them as illegals anymore.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
The story of Purim is intertwined with Amaleik, the archenemy of the Jewish people. Last Shabbos, we read the passage (Devorim 25:17) referring to Amaleik and the obligation to remember that they attacked us following our exodus from Mitzrayim. The posuk recounts that encounter: “Asher korcha baderech – They attacked you while you were on the road.” The parsha concludes with the admonition to remember to eradicate the memory of Amaleik.