Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

A historic Kabbalistic yeshiva in the heart of Jerusalem, dedicated to Torah study, spiritual growth, and community support.

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Our Causes
  • Donate
  • Hebrew site
  • Shop

Contact

Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

6 Shilo Street (corner of Agrippas Street)

Jerusalem, Israel

For mail:

P.O. Box 1884

Jerusalem 9102701, Israel

02-622-2560 / 02-622-3001

Fax: 153-775001874

m6222560@gmail.com

Sun–Thu, 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM

© 2026 Yeshivat Nahar Shalom. All rights reserved.

Donations from the United States are received by Friends of Nahar Shalom Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 27-2007035), which supports Yeshivat Nahar Shalom in Jerusalem. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

All ClassesDaily Mishnah
All LeafletsThe Weekly Treasure
All ArticlesMoadey IsraelSegulotEssaysWhat's NewThe Weekly Parasha
General DonationDedicate a Day of Torah LearningTikkun NiftarimHachzakat AvrechPidyon Nefesh
Contact the YeshivaAsk Our RabbanimRequest a Bracha
Donate
Yeshivat Nahar ShalomJerusalem
  • Donate
Pidyon Nefesh - A personal Pidyon Nefesh, for you and your loved ones, whenever you need it
Dedicate a Day of Torah Learning - Dedicate 24 hours of Torah learning at Yeshivat Nahar Shalom for blessing, healing, or success, or in loving memory of a loved one.

Currently Viewing

More in What's New

  • The Special Pidyon Nefesh on the Day of the Hilula of the Kabbalist, the Man of G-d, Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi

  • Shabbat Breishit in Meron, 5787 At [the site of] the man of G-d, the Tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai

    On Shabbat Breishit, a large public gathers in Meron from all over the country for a Holy Shabbat under the leadership of our teacher and rabbi, the Kabbalist Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, may he live for good and long days, Amen.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 23rd of Tishrei - Isru Chag

    As Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai teaches: "Whoever makes a binding for the festival [Isrui Chag] through eating and drinking, Scripture accounts it to him as if he built an altar and offered a sacrifice, as it is said: 'Bind the festival offering with cords up to the horns of the altar.'"

  • The Holy Ark has been taken, Rabbi David Shalom Batzri

    With a broken and aching heart, we announce the passing of the righteous leader, unique in his generation in sanctity and his level of mourning over the Divine Presence and the entire Jewish people, who all his days was bound in a strong connection with Hashem, Blessed be He, and in His holy Torah

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 12th of Tishrei - Preparation for Sukkot

    Through these mathematical relationships, the word Sukkah directly hints at Noah’s Ark. Consequently, the Sukkah possesses that same protective spiritual force—expressed in the prayer "Spread over us the shelter of Your peace"—wherein a person is sheltered inside from all harsh external spiritual forces.

  • Ma'ot Ushpizin – Charity for the Poor on the Holiday of Sukkot

  • Invitation to the Simchat Beit HaShoeva Celebration at Nahar Shalom Yeshiva 16 Tishrei 5787 (Sept. 27, 2026)

    "He who has not seen the celebration of Simchat Beit Hashoeva has never seen celebration in his life"

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 11th of Tishrei

  • Pidyon Nefesh on Hoshana Rabbah

    Beating the Willow (Chavtat HaAravah) On Hoshana Rabbah, the Four Species are set aside, and the willows (aravot) alone are taken. Our Sages explain that the willow specifically—symbolizing one who possesses neither learning (taste) nor good deeds (scent)—demonstrates the power of every Jew to draw close, be included in the collective of Israel, and ask for heavenly salvation.

  • Not To Make A Mistake About The Task by Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva

    Says the Chafetz Chaim: The Holy One, Blessed be He, did not give the verse "Almighty G-d, merciful and gracious, slow to anger" just for you to read. Rather for you to do! So that you too will be gracious, you too will be merciful, you too will be slow to anger, you too will be abundant in loving-kindness! You need to do, not read! Why read? Do!

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 5th of Tishrei

    However, for transgressions between a person and their fellow human being, Yom Kippur does not atone. If a person shames or hurts another, no forgiveness is granted from Above until he personally approaches his neighbor and appeases him.

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

    The Gemara notes that since the destruction of the Holy Temple, an iron wall of sin separates us from Hashem. However, as the Rokeach explains, on the Sabbath all spiritual fog and accusers clear away. The worlds ascend, allowing prayer and Torah study to shine a thousand times brighter. Because the Sabbath represents the King's palace, desecrating it is akin to rebelling against the King inside His own home. If this is true of the Sabbath, it is doubly true of Yom Kippur—the "Sabbath of Sabbaths"—which resembles the World to Come. The Kabbalists and the Ari teach that a supreme light begins descending upon the world even on Erev Yom Kippur.

  • The power of a righteous person for every single individual

    And right now, the repentance of an individual person— it is like the repentance of an entire congregation; so, writes the Rambam (Maimonides). The Rambam writes that the repentance of an individual is accepted during the Ten Days of Repentance just as when a whole congregation stands and cries out. Just like when the greatest righteous man (tzaddik) stands and cries out. Right now, during the Ten Days of Repentance!

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 3rd of Tishrei and Remembering the Passing of Rabbi Ephraim Cohen

    Once, on a Sabbath eve, Rabbi Efraim was warned in a dream that the Chamin (Sabbath stew) prepared for his family contained non-kosher meat and that he should not consume it. Perplexed, Rabbi Efraim noted that he had purchased the meat from a scrupulously righteous butcher. Upon investigating, it was discovered that a woman had secretly purchased non-kosher fat from an outside vendor and added it to the pot to enhance the flavor. Heaven intervened directly to preserve his spiritual purity.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Preparing for the Day of Judgment through True Repentance and Chizuk for the 26th of Elul

    The Chatam Sofer explained that this represents people who fall into the trap of the evil inclination. In the month of Elul, instead of performing genuine soul-searching to clean their lives and escape their problems, they attempt to partake in spiritual "delicacies" while remaining in a musty, unrepentant state. A person cannot properly repent while leaving his spiritual home in such decay. The evil inclination entices people to stay put, which is why a person must engage in daily soul-searching, morning and evening, to truly return.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: The Day of the Creation of the World and Chizuk for the 25th of Elul

    It is critical on Rosh Hashanah to avoid anger. While anger is forbidden throughout the year, getting angry on Rosh Hashanah is particularly damaging. A person is judged according to his state at that precise moment (just as was stated regarding Ishmael, "where he is"). If a person worked on himself all year but exhibits anger on Rosh Hashanah, that moment negates his previous conduct. One must overcome the Evil Inclination on this day by avoiding anger, unnecessary speech, and all traces of sin.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: The Sanctity of Elul, the Days of Kindness, and the Legacy of the Chafetz Chaim and Chizuk for the 24th of Elul

    Regarding spiritual struggles, the Chafetz Chaim taught that a person must never despair or delay spiritual growth by waiting for a more convenient time. Commenting on the verse, "The place on which you stand is holy ground," he explained that a person must not say, "Right now the struggle is too difficult; I will wait for a better time or higher spiritual state." The exact place and circumstance in which a person currently finds himself is the holy ground where he must serve Hashem and succeed.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 22nd of Elul

    They made an agreement, and he took it upon himself not to lie, but to speak only the truth. That was all. Then something miraculous happened. In the evening, his companions came and said to him, "Listen, we have targeted a wealthy person; we tracked him, and today there is a huge loot there. Come with us." He thought to himself and told them, "Listen, I pledged to speak only the truth. Now, if we get caught, I will have to reveal the truth, and all of you will be caught!" They said to him, "Get away from us immediately! Do not come with us." They asked, "Did you swear?" He said, "Yes, to speak only the truth."

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 21st of Elul

    Standing on the storm-tossed ship, the young man cried out his confession: "What is my sin? For two full years, I lied to my mother every day, telling her that I had already eaten at school so that she would give my portion of food to my younger brothers and sisters! For two years I lied to her! That is the sin I am confessing!"

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 20th of Elul

    We see this explicitly with King Menasheh. Menasheh engaged in every severe idolatry imaginable. The Talmud (Sanhedrin) notes that he erected massive idols requiring a thousand men to hold, crushing many in the process, and he erased Divine Names from Torah scrolls to write the names of pagan deities. Yet when he was placed inside a copper cauldron by his captors to be burned, he called out in repentance. Although the ministering angels tried to block his prayers, the Holy One, blessed be He, dug a secret tunnel beneath His Throne of Glory to accept Menasheh's repentance, miraculously delivering him.

What's New

Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 22nd of Elul

By Yeshivat Nahar Shalom Staff•September 6, 2026
Standing in Awe on the Day of JudgmentElevating the Entire Year Through the Final SabbathThe Changing Names of the Evil InclinationThe author of Kedushat Tzion of Bobov—the Bobover RebbeThe Power of Truth: A Story from Sefer Hasidim

They made an agreement, and he took it upon himself not to lie, but to speak only the truth. That was all. Then something miraculous happened. In the evening, his companions came and said to him, "Listen, we have targeted a wealthy person; we tracked him, and today there is a huge loot there. Come with us." He thought to himself and told them, "Listen, I pledged to speak only the truth. Now, if we get caught, I will have to reveal the truth, and all of you will be caught!" They said to him, "Get away from us immediately! Do not come with us." They asked, "Did you swear?" He said, "Yes, to speak only the truth."

The following is based on Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli's Hebrew Chizuk video for the 22nd  of Elul, 5786

Rabbi Shmueli

The Power of the Final Sabbath, Truth, and Preparation for the Day of Judgment

 Good morning to everyone. Today, Friday—the sixth day—we are heading into the Holy Sabbath, the 22nd of Elul, 5786. What a great privilege we have been granted as we approach the final Sabbath of the year, which elevates all the Sabbaths of the year with Hashem's help and salvation. What a magnificent thing this is.

 Here on this Sabbath, the Torah portion we read states: "For the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it." Repentance takes but a single moment—you only need to sincerely regret, with your mouth and with your heart.


The Power of Truth: A Story from Sefer Hasidim

It is brought down in Sefer Hasidim about a Jewish man who was a habitual sinner and joined a group of thieves and robbers. One day, he came to the Rabbi and said, "I want to repent, but I am not built for all the stringencies and all the commandments. Give me just one commandment, and I will fulfill it; that is all."

The Rabbi said to him, "No problem. Very well."

The man asked, "What is the commandment? Will just one help?"

The Rabbi replied, "Yes. Without excuses, I will give you one: Speak only the truth. Speak only the truth; do not lie."

"Fine," the man said. "No problem, I accept."

"Do you commit to this?"

They made an agreement, and he took it upon himself not to lie, but to speak only the truth. That was all.

Then something miraculous happened. In the evening, his companions came and said to him, "Listen, we have targeted a wealthy person; we tracked him, and today there is a huge loot there. Come with us."

He thought to himself and told them, "Listen, I pledged to speak only the truth. Now, if we get caught, I will have to reveal the truth, and all of you will be caught!"

They said to him, "Get away from us immediately! Do not come with us." They asked, "Did you swear?" He said, "Yes, to speak only the truth."

All his ties were severed. This illustrates: "For the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart." You can say, "I speak only the truth." Right then, in a single moment, his old companions left him behind. Step by step, he progresses—that is how the world works.

Clearing Out the Garbage Before Rosh Hashanah

It is also told about a person who had to fly abroad, and his flight was scheduled for 6:00 AM. That day, he was extremely exhausted, having returned late at night around 3:00 AM. He went to sleep for a short while, and though the taxi arrived to pick him up, he woke up late due to his deep fatigue.

He grabbed his bags and luggage and rushed to the taxi. Arriving at the airport, he placed his bags through the security scanner. When people arrive, security checks what they carry. He put them through to be checked, and they immediately took him in for questioning because one of the bags contained suspicious contents.

He explained, "This is merely a bag of garbage that I intended to take with me when leaving the house to throw out!" However, he had to prove to them that this was truly the case—for what is garbage doing there? Who brings garbage with them to the airport?

This shows that sometimes a person might run toward Rosh Hashanah in a rush, but carrying a bag of garbage because they haven't thrown it out. One must be careful to remove all the chaos and baggage before entering the New Year.

The Changing Names of the Evil Inclination

The Evil Inclination changes into something else every moment. The author of Kedushat Tzion of Bobov—the Bobover Rebbe—used to say that once, the Evil Inclination came before the Heavenly Court and said: "Gentlemen, my work is not succeeding. I am failing to tempt people. Why? Because when they hear my name 'Evil' (Ra), everyone runs away."

They said to him: "Fine, we will change your name to 'The Adversary' (Ba'al Davar)."

However, it wasn't working either. He would approach people and talk to them, and they would say: "What, are you my legal opponent? Go away!"

So they said: "Alright, let's change your name to something else." They named him Satan (Satan). Under the name Satan, he reported: "Actually, I am succeeding very well."

It was a new name! That is how it happens nowadays. You come to someone, and they claim, "In the past it was different, today it is different." But in every generation, the Evil Inclination adapts. That is how it operates; you cannot simply dismiss it by saying, "Once it was one way, now it's another."

Elevating the Entire Year Through the Final Sabbath

The main thing right now is to observe this Sabbath well, with all its commandments, because it elevates all the Sabbaths of the entire year.

When Rosh Hashanah falls on a Sabbath, this final Sabbath comes before the Holy One, Blessed be He—not alone, but pulling along with it all the Sabbaths of the year. It elevates all of them like a train engine pulling its cars. They all come and stand before Hashem, saying, "Look at what kind of person this is, look at these Sabbaths!"

They show pictures of the table from this Sabbath: what salads, what words of Torah, what foods, how nicely he treats others, how respectfully he speaks to his wife (Rabbanit), and how he speaks to his children. Just like by Baba Sali, all these Sabbaths come together to advocate on a person's behalf.

Therefore, one should also get a nice haircut to look handsome at the Sabbath table, wearing a suit and a Shtreimel.

Standing in Awe on the Day of Judgment

Preparing ourselves is essential, as it is no simple matter to approach the Day of Judgment. The author of the Chafetz Chaim asked: How should a person understand what it means to stand on the Day of Judgment, and how much ought one to fear?

He related a story from World War I about a man who was captured and sentenced to death. They placed him in a corner, and he began to weep and cry, saying, "I want to repent!" The executioners readied the firing machinery and cannons, but whatever they attempted failed—it simply wouldn't work. They tried again, and in the meantime, all of the man's hair fell out from sheer terror. 

After a quarter of an hour of continuous failures, they finally told him, "Go home."

The Chafetz Chaim explained: This is how we should feel when standing before the great and awesome Day of Judgment—with fear and trembling! A person does not know how he is being judged or what decrees are being issued against him. Therefore, one must truly choose life and say to the Holy One, Blessed be He: "We choose life, and we are trying only to walk in the good ways that You teach us."

Capitalizing on the Final Days of the Year

Hashem willing, so shall it be. Let us make this Sabbath strong. Afterwards, on Sunday night (following Saturday night), is the anniversary of the passing (Yahrtzeit) of the Chafetz Chaim. Monday, the 25th of Elul, marks the day of the creation of the world.

Hashem willing, very beautiful books will begin, and we must make good use of this time right at the beginning. In this final week, utilizing each day elevates that corresponding day across the entire past year:

  • Sabbath elevates all the Sabbaths.
  • Sunday elevates all the Sundays.
  • Monday elevates all the Mondays.

 Therefore, one must strive very hard. With Hashem's help, may the merit of the Maharam, whose anniversary of passing is today, protect us and all of Israel.