Shimshon HaKohen Nadel

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Aug 12, 2024, 12:52 PM

Tisha B’Av in the shadow of war

Fires and smoke rise at houses in the northern Israeli border town of Metula, hit by Hezbollah shelling, as seen from the Lebanese town of Marjayoun, Lebanon, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Iran and Hezbollah may target this day of mourning as an ominous time for Jews, but they miss the point: It's also a time of profound hope

Mar 21, 2024, 9:52 AM

The Year they Canceled Purim

As Purim quickly approaches, many are asking themselves: How should Purim look this year? How can we celebrate Purim when our whole world has been turned 'upside-down'? How can we celebrate in light of the war? In light of...

Nov 5, 2023, 8:43 PM

Jewish Battlefield Ethics

In recent weeks, Israel has been defamed, de-legitimized, and demonized in the media on college campuses and by the international community for the ‘heinous crime’ of defending herself from those who seek to destroy her. Unfortunately this is not the...

Oct 9, 2023, 12:09 AM

Not the Simhat Torah We Planned

This was not how we planned on celebrating Simhat Torah... Just as we began Shaharit, sirens rang out in our typically quiet neighborhood of Jerusalem. We quickly made our way to a safe space in our synagogue. After a number...

Aug 17, 2023, 12:12 PM

Airplane Etiquette and Jewish Law

On Tuesday, Israeli journalist Neria Kraus posted to X (formerly Twitter) that she was humiliated by a crew member on a United Airlines flight from New York to Tel Aviv when she refused to switch seats and accommodate an...

May 27, 2022, 12:13 PM

Celebrating Jerusalem, a City of Colorful Unity

Is there room for diversity in Judaism? A multiplicity of voices? Pluralism? The Torah describes the encampments of the Tribes of Israel in the Wilderness. The camp was divided into four formations, each containing three tribes. Every tribe had its...

Jan 3, 2022, 6:24 PM

Reporting Allegations of Abuse

For far too long abusers and their enablers have used fear and intimidation to prevent survivors of abuse from coming forward. Scare tactics like creating a Chillul Hashem, or ruining an individual's reputation, destroying their livelihood, their family-life, or potential Shidduchim...

May 26, 2021, 8:14 PM

On the IDF’s Code of Ethics and Jewish Law

In recent weeks, Israel been defamed, delegitimized, and demonized by the media and the international community for the heinous crime of protecting her citizens from rocket attacks. Sadly, even Jews in Israel and abroad have criticized the IDF, claiming...

Dec 13, 2020, 7:38 AM

The Menorah as the Symbol of the State of Israel

The symbol of the State of Israel is a Menorah, flanked on each side by an olive branch. This familiar image was adopted as the country’s official emblem by the Provisional Council of the State of Israel on February...

Nov 25, 2020, 11:38 PM

Interdenominational Dialogue in an Age of Cancel Culture

Recently, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Beracha and author of the popular Peninei Halakha series, has come under fire for participating in an online panel discussion this Summer, where he appeared together with Delphine Horvilleur, a...

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About Me

Rabbi Shimshon HaKohen Nadel lives and teaches in Jerusalem, where he serves as Rabbi of Har Nof's Kehilat Zichron Yosef and Rosh Kollel of the Sinai Kollel and Hovevei Zion's Kollel Boker.

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