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 yo

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 author

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).

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 t

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

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 skirmis

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 st

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.

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 memb