Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

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Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

6 Shilo Street (corner of Agrippas Street)

Jerusalem, Israel

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P.O. Box 1884

Jerusalem 9102701, Israel

02-622-2560 / 02-622-3001

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  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva - Chizuk for the 7th of Nissan

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 4th of Cheshvan

    It is written in the holy Zohar that when Noah emerged from the ark, he saw the world in total desolation. He began weeping and praying to the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: "Master of the Universe, why did You do so?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "A foolish shepherd! Why did you not pray beforehand? Only now you pray? How long did I speak with you! You did not ask of Me even once that I should be patient—not even once! If you had prayed even once, everything would have ended well."

  • Explanation of the Haftarah of Parshat Noah

  • To Be Saved From The Flood In This Generation

    Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says, "I have made for you an ark like Noah's ark, to save the final generation from the flood of problems that will exist then, both spiritually and materially—troubles, suffering, illness, problems."

  • One Should Continually Remember the Generation of the Flood

    It says, in every single generation there are certain sparks of them. In all generations they come—whether those from the generation of the Flood or those who create problems and troubles, they exist in every generation. They rise up against us.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 2nd of Cheshvan

    The Sages teach that theft is the very first transgression investigated when a person is judged ("Did you deal faithfully?"). Performing charity with stolen money accomplishes nothing. Rabbi Abraham, son of the Rambam, noted that even ten years of fasting cannot easily offset a single act of theft. During the Ne'ilah prayer, we plead, "So that we may cease from the financial oppression of our hands," because no iniquity hinders prayer from ascending quite like theft. Rabbi Aharon Kotler similarly warned that yeshivot can face troubles when their funding is not entirely pure, noting that non-kosher money leads to misfortune.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 1st of Cheshvan - The Second Day of Rosh Chodesh

    Where does 300 come from? 300 cubits is the (Gematria value of) Shin of the Serpent, make 300 cubits the length of the ark. 50 cubits its width is the (Gematria value of) Nun of the Serpent. What is left? A good part. We said in the Serpent the evil part is Chet, the good part is Nun and Shin; the Shin is 300 cubits length of the ark, the Nun is 50 cubits width. What (good) is left from the S"M angel? Aleph, Lamed. Lamed (Gematria value of 30) is 30 cubits its height, and the Aleph (Gematria value of 1) is "and finish it to a cubit upward". And then thus will be saved whoever needs to be saved, enter inside—and be saved.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 30th of Tishrei - The First Day of Rosh Chodesh

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 27th of Tishrei

    When Eve was questioned, she said, "The serpent deceived me [Hishiani], and I ate." In the writings of the Ben Ish Chai, it is explained that Hishiani hints at a spiritual blemish inflicted upon two Divine Names: Adnut (Aleph-Dalet-Nun-Yud) and Sh-addai (Shin-Dalet-Yud). By removing the letter Dalet from both Names, what remains from Adnut is Ani ("I/me"), and the remaining letters rearrange to form Hishiani (or Shai Ani, "a gift to me").

  • An Explanation of the Haftarah "Tomorrow is the New Moon"

    Yehonatan went out with his attendant to the field on the third day, shot the arrows, and as agreed between them said to his attendant, "Behold, the arrow is far from you, run to fetch it." David, hearing this, understood that Shaul wanted to put him to death, and remained in his hiding place until Yehonatan sent his attendant back to the city. Then he came out from his hiding place, and they wept, each one upon the shoulder of the other; Yehonatan sent him in peace and reminded him that the oath they both swore shall rest upon them and upon their seed forever.

  • To Influence In All The Worlds

    Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says: What did we achieve through this? He says: Man rules over all of creation. He has a part in the entire world of Assiah, in the entire world of Yetzirah, in the entire world of Beriah, in all worlds, in all Sefirot, in each and every place, in every single world man is connected to it.

  • The Holy One Blessed Be He, Gave Us The Land

    So that if the nations of the world come and say that the land belongs to them, asking how we took it from the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites—taking their land from them— he answers: No, everything belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, created heaven and earth, created the entire world. At His will He gave it to them, and at His will He took it from them and gave it to us.

  • Introduction To The Chumash of Bereishit (Book Of Genesis)

    And we have learned from here that you should not say that the Torah created the world, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, through His looking into the Torah created the world, and it turns out that the Holy One, blessed be He, is Himself the artisan, and the Torah was before Him corresponding to Him as an artisan as well (for the Holy One, blessed be He, depicted in the Torah the entire reality)

  • Shabbat Breishit Has An Influence Over The Entire Year

    Shabbat Bereshit is the root of all the days of the year. What does this mean? How a person conducts themselves during it, in this coming Shabbat, so they will conduct themselves the entire year. Why? Because you know, it is written: "Six days shall work be done" — work gets done by itself. How? The Shabbat is the source of blessing. When a person keeps a good Shabbat, all six of their days are blessed in the merit of Shabbat.

  • An Explanation of the Haftarah for Shabbat Shuva

    This Haftarah is read on the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, because it speaks of repentance, and this is relevant to the day, as it is the time of repentance.

  • Stories for Rosh Hashana by the Gaon, Rosh HaKollel Rabbi Yosef Shmueli - based on the words of the Head of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Benayahu Y. Shmueli

    Eight times King David cried out "my son," and with each time he cried out, he raised Avshalom to a higher level, until he brought him out of the seven levels of Gehenna (Hell) and brought him into the Garden of Eden. Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz prayed to Hashem at the Monument of Avshalom with these words: "Master of the Universe, how much did Avshalom sin against his father David, and how much did he pursue him? And what did David the King do? He mourned for him, prayed for him, and cried out: 'My son Avshalom, my son...' to bring him out from the seven levels of terrible Gehenom and bring him into the Garden of Eden.

  • An Explanation of the Haftarah Nitzavim

    Hashem will not keep silent and there will be no rest before Him, until He takes retribution on the nations that distressed Israel, and the salvation will be revealed before the eyes of all.

  • An Explanation of the Haftarah Ki Tavo

    From the greatness of the goodness and abundance that will be to Israel, behold the light of the sun and the moon will not be considered as anything, the nation of Israel will all be righteous and great, and Hashem will glory in them, the small tribe will grow a thousand times greater than what it is now, and Hashem will hasten the good things and the consolations with the coming of the redemption.

  • Explanation of the Haftarah of Parshat Ki Teitzei

    The prophet says to Zion, sing and rejoice because even though you were desolate, in the future the people of Israel will multiply greatly, and there will be more of them than all the nations that dwelt safely and were not exiled from their land. Therefore, expand all the cities around so that there will be room for your children, for you shall burst forth to the right and to the left.

  • The holy Zohar asks on the verse, “When you go out to war against your enemies”: Who are your enemies? The primary enemy of man is the evil inclination.

    When going out to war, you must understand military tactics: if you go head-to-head on the ground, there are heavy casualties on both sides. The best strategy is to go above the enemy from the skies. Spiritually, one must defeat the enemy’s ministering angel above before victory can happen below.

The Weekly Parasha

The holy Zohar asks on the verse, “When you go out to war against your enemies”: Who are your enemies? The primary enemy of man is the evil inclination.

By Yeshivat Nahar Shalom Staff•August 16, 2026
avnerKing Chizkiyahu and Never DespairingThe Repentance of MenasheRectifying Character Traits and Forgiving Othersspiritual warfare against the evil inclination

When going out to war, you must understand military tactics: if you go head-to-head on the ground, there are heavy casualties on both sides. The best strategy is to go above the enemy from the skies. Spiritually, one must defeat the enemy’s ministering angel above before victory can happen below.

defeat the evil inclination

Welcoming Elul and Guarding the Gates

We have already merited the Sabbath Queen, the first Sabbath of the month of Elul, and may everyone now have a good week! With the help of Hashem and His salvation, may it be a blessed week filled with the fear of Heaven, good character traits, and daily soul-searching. We must not forget to examine ourselves every day: What is going on with us? When do we get up, how do we strive, how do we pray, and how do we study? Everything comes through soul-searching.

In our Torah portion, we concluded: “Judges and officers shall you appoint for yourself in all your gates,” so that a person will be worthy to lead himself into the month of Elul. The head is the leader of the entire body; if the head is guarded—the eyes, the ears, the mouth, everything—then the body is led well. But if the head is not guarded, how can you expect the body to be led properly?

The Tactics of the Evil Inclination

The holy Zohar asks on the verse, “When you go out to war against your enemies”: Who are your enemies? The primary enemy of man is the evil inclination. It gives a person no rest, constantly tempting them to commit sins.

How does it tempt someone? It minimizes the sin, making it look tiny: “What, it’s nothing, just once, nothing happened!” It shows you that it is almost nothing. But after the person falls and wants to repent, the evil inclination reverses its tune: “Woe to you! You will never get out of this! What have you done?! There is no way to repent, it's a waste of time.” That is how it drives a person to despair. It operates like a reverse air conditioner: when it needs to cool you down from performing commandments, it heats up the temptation, and when you need warmth to repent, it cools you off.

King Chizkiyahu and Never Despairing

We see a wonder of wonders with King Chizkiyahu. The prophet came to him and said: “Know that you shall die and not live—die in this world, and not live in the World to Come!”

Chizkiyahu asked: “How can you speak like this?! Heaven forbid!”

The prophet replied: “So said the Holy One, blessed be He, because you did not take a wife to fulfill the commandment to be fruitful and multiply.”

Chizkiyahu explained: “Because I foresaw through divine inspiration that improper, wicked children would emerge from me and cause sorrow to Hashem. I love the Holy One, blessed be He, and do not want them to anger Him!”

The prophet told him: “Why do you meddle with the secrets of the Merciful One? What is upon you to do—do!”

Chizkiyahu then said: “Well, I did not know; I will repent!” But the prophet told him: “Everything is already sealed and decreed.”

Chizkiyahu responded: “Finish your prophecy and leave! Thus I have received a tradition from my grandfather’s house: Even if a sharp sword rests upon a person’s neck, he should not despair!” Immediately, Chizkiyahu turned his face to the wall and prayed from the depths of his heart. Hashem added 15 years to his life. Prophet Yishayahu then gave him his daughter in marriage, hoping their combined merit would produce good children.

They had two sons, Menashe and Ravshekeh. One day, while carrying them on his shoulders to the study hall, the boys noticed the special shape of the royal crown which was fit for the shape of the groove on the head of the King. They whispered: “Look, father’s head has a groove—what a perfect place to put coals and gasoline to burn sacrifices for idolatry!” Hearing such wickedness, King Chizkiyahu threw them both to the ground. Ravshekeh died from the fall, but Menashe survived.

The Repentance of Menashe

Menashe reigned for 52 years as a severe villain, placing idols in the Sanctuary and erasing Divine names from Torah scrolls. Eventually, the enemy king captured him, bound him in copper chains, and placed him inside a large metal pot with a fire underneath.

Inside the burning pot, Menashe cried out to every idol: “God of Ammon! God of Moab!” When no one answered, he remembered a verse his father taught him: “When you are in distress and all these things have befallen you, you will return to Hashem your L-rd.”

Menashe called out: “I am repenting! If You exist in heaven, save me! If not, You are like everyone else!” His prayer shook the heavens, but the angels blocked it, arguing: “How can You accept him after everything he did?!”

What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He tunneled a pathway underneath the Throne of Glory directly to Menashe, bypassing the angels, and accepted his repentance, bringing him back safely. From then on, Menashe destroyed the idols and praised Hashem.

Spiritual Warfare and Constant Vigilance

When going out to war, you must understand military tactics: if you go head-to-head on the ground, there are heavy casualties on both sides. The best strategy is to go above the enemy from the skies. Spiritually, one must defeat the enemy’s ministering angel above before victory can happen below.

How do we fight? Hashem says: “I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as its spice.” The evil inclination is made of fire, and “Is not My word like fire, says Hashem.” Through Torah, we defeat it and reclaim the holy sparks and captive souls it took.

Who goes out to physical war in the Torah? Only pure, righteous individuals who do not even have the minor sin of talking between putting on the hand-tefillin and head-tefillin! Anyone who is fearful of small sins returns home. Yet, the Torah allows a soldier to take a female captive of beautiful form because the Torah descended to the depths of human nature, knowing the evil inclination’s intense power.

As the Mishnah teaches: “Do not believe in yourself until the day of your death.” A person faces trials their whole life. You can never assume you are too old or immune to temptation.

Rectifying Character Traits and Forgiving Others

We must constantly work to fix our character traits, especially pride and anger. The verse says: “Hold fast to instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life.” A person lives in order to rectify himself.

Our Sages taught: “Whoever overlooks his measures (forgives offenses), all his sins are overlooked for him.” This is the best defense attorney a person can have for the Great Day of Judgment.

  • Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer: During a drought, Rabbi Eliezer prayed and was not answered, but when Rabbi Akiva prayed, rain fell. A Heavenly Voice declared that Rabbi Akiva was answered not because he was greater, but because he was forgiving and flexible (from the School of Hillel), whereas Rabbi Eliezer followed the strict attribute of judgment (from the School of Shammai). Heaven acts measure for measure: if you are strict with others, Heaven is strict with you.
  • Rav Huna and Rav Pappa: Rav Pappa visited the critically ill Rav Huna and, seeing his end was near, told the family to prepare burial shrouds. Miraculously, Rav Huna recovered. To relieve Rav Pappa's embarrassment, Rav Huna explained: You were correct; I ascended to the Heavenly Court in danger of death, but Heaven declared: 'Since he overlooks offenses and does not hold himself high, give him his life back.'"
  • Avner ben Ner: Avner was so mighty he could move the world if it had a handle. Yet when Yoav mortally stabbed him, Avner—bleeding to death—had the power to crush Yoav with his hands. When the Sages asked him not to kill Yoav so Israel wouldn't lose its army commander, Avner refrained and let him go.
  • Rabbeinu Saadia Gaon: While traveling anonymously, he was falsely accused of stealing utensils. Rather than using his status as a famous Rabbi to defend himself, he quietly took severe beatings, instructing his assistant not to reveal his true identity just to avoid taking pride in the crown of Torah.

May Hashem help us overcome the evil inclination, rectify our character, and walk in good ways! Amen.

 The above was based on a Hebrew Chizuk video issued by the Righteous Kabbalist, Rosh Yeshiva of Nahar Shalom, Rabbi Benayahu Yissachar Shmueli.