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Sunday, October 4, 2026

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Parsha: OU Shanayim Mikra is Back!

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Parsha: OU Shnayim Mikra is Back! Have you ever stopped during the weekly Torah reading and wondered what the Tanim Gedolim (great sea creatures) in Bereishit actually are? Or who the mysterious Nephilim (giants) were before the Flood? We read the Parsha week after week, year after year, but it’s easy to skim past the profound mysteries, complex narratives, and hidden depths of the text. That is about to change. We are officially restarting the OU Shnayim Mikra learning initiative! If you want to transform your weekly Parsha review from a hurried reading into a deeply engaging intellectual and spiritual journey, this is your invitation to join us. The Format: Digestible, Daily Wisdom To make learning both profound and practical for a busy schedule, we have structured the program to perfectly pace your week: 1 Shiur per Aliya. Instead of overwhelming you with a massive, hour-long lecture, you get a focused, insightful breakdown of each specific Aliya. You can listen on your commute, during your lunch break, or right before you do your own weekly Shnayim Mikra. An All-Star Lineup of Educators You won't just be reading the text; you'll be guided through it by some of the most insightful voices in Torah education today. We are thrilled to feature an incredible rotating roster of Maggidei Shiur, including: Rabbi Levy Rabbi Leibtag Rabbi Etshalom Rabbi Weinrib ...and many more! Each scholar brings their unique methodology—from deep textual analysis and historical context to profound hashkafic takeaways. What to Expect Whether we are tackling the identities of the Nephilim, understanding the political dynamics of Yosef in Egypt, or unpacking the complex laws of the Mishkan, every shiur is designed to make the ancient text leap off the page. Ready to uncover the depths of the Parsha? Join us as we restart the cycle. Dive into the text, ask the big questions, and transform your Shabbos table conversations with OU Shnayim Mikra. Bereishit 1 here

Friday, October 2, 2026

Fwd: The Daily Thread: Shabbat shalom and Chag sameach from NSN!

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Nachum Segal <nachum@nachumsegal.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:14 AM
Subject: The Daily Thread: Shabbat shalom and Chag sameach from NSN!
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

NSN / JM in the AM Newsletter
October 2, 2026

Get the NSN iPhone App Here | Get the NSN Android App Here

עם ישראל חי...ביחד ננצח!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah from Staci & Nachum Segal and the entire NSN family. Shabbat shalom and Chag sameach!

The annual JM in the AM Yankie Meyer Elul-Tishrei Chesed Campaign is going on now. Click Here to visit the page and learn about the various organizations Nachum has been highlighting on JM in the AM.

Today on JM in the AM:

A great Erev Yom Tov music mix!
Harry Rothenberg's parsha vlog: Click here
Rabbi Benjamin Yudin discussed Hoshanah Rabba, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah: Click here
Click here for the full program

Coming up on NSN:

Encore of The Erev Shabbos Show, hosted by Mark Zomick, sponsored by Kedem. (9:00 a.m. ET)
Erev Shabbos Music Mix sponsored by Kedem and featuring Harry Rothenberg's parsha vlog and Tuvia Zomick's Erev Shabbos Hisorirus. (12:00 p.m. ET)
Due to holiday observance there will be no NSN programming from this evening through Sunday evening. Regularly scheduled programming will resume with JM in the AM on Monday morning, Isru Chag.

**For anyone having trouble listening to NSN on Alexa, a listener shared that spelling out Nachum's name in the request has brought her success. e.g. "Alexa please play N A C H U M Segal Network on tune in radio."

Tune in to all of our great programming here.

Click here for our comprehensive NSN programming schedule.

Make sure to visit and support
our incredible NSN Sponsors:

Fwd: Galei HaDaf: Inspirational Reading for Simchas Torah

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From: The Siyum <news@agudah.org>
Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:07 AM
Subject: Galei HaDaf: Inspirational Reading for Simchas Torah
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

Agudath Israel of America | 1 State Street 16th Floor | New York, NY 10004 US

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Thursday, October 1, 2026

Fw: [-aneinu] 11 Hamtakos to Protect Klal Yisroel

Sent from AOL on Android

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "'Chicago Aneinu' via chicago-aneinu" <chicago-aneinu@googlegroups.com>

To: "myysbyy@aol.com" <myysbyy@aol.com>

Cc:

Sent: Thu, Oct 1, 2026 at 7:17 PM

Subject: [chicago-aneinu] 11 Hamtakos to Protect Klal Yisroel

From a tzaddik in Bnei Brak who asked that people do as many of these 11 things as possible to sweeten the judgement for Klal Yisroel, as the lives of yidden are at stake.

The Geulah v'Yeshua Hotline

716.232.2416

For English press 0 and 1

11 Segulot and Tefilot for Hamtakot HaDin

Please take the time to do at least some of these vital measures to save the lives of each and every Jew.

1. Parshat Akeidat Yitzchak with the tefilot before and after, to understand what it means, if possible to repeat the Akeidah 7 times.
2. Pitum HaKetoret, to understand the words.
3.To answer Yehei Shmei Rabbah out loud and to mean that the Great Name of God is the Source of Blessing in all of the worlds.
4. To plead and cry out and pray to Hashem that he spare the Jews in Yehudah and Shomron and across Israel, specifically after overcoming a temptation to get angry, or looking away from inappropriate sights, and after midnight which are all Et Ratzon.
5. To speak highly about Jewish people, and tell God how good the Jews really are.
6. To recite Psalms 62, 30, 20, 39, 77, 18, 44, 50, 54, 77, 87, 88, 6, 119 ot Shin.
7. Charity! To give and to think that this will help save the Jews in the West Bank and across Israel.
8. To think that there is no force or power besides God! And only what He wants can happen! There is no independent power other than God!
9. To read the Parshah of the 11 goat skin covers in Shemot 26 and 36, the Parshah of the 11 Blessings in Vezot HaBracha, the first Perek in Yechezkel, and the Parshah of all the Holiday Mussaf at the end of Parshat Pinchas.
10. To study Torah with intense concentration.
11. To repeat 12 times the passuk לעולם א-ד-נ-י דברך ניצב בשמים and to think that the Heavenly Decrees should remain up in Heaven and should not come down to this world.

Tehillim should be said slowly and with the correct pronunciation.

Please spread this important message.
Call 716-232-2416 ext 0, 1 for English.

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Shabbat Giborim | Yakir V2 505601

https://www.yakir.org/giborim

Fwd: Torat Imecha Haftorah: V'Zot HaBracha/Simchat Torah

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: The OU Women's Initiative <ouwomen@ounetwork.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 8:23 PM
Subject: Torat Imecha Haftorah: V'Zot HaBracha/Simchat Torah
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

Torat Imecha Haftorah is dedicated as a zechus that all those waiting should find their zivug hagun soon and with ease.

חזק חזק ונתחזק

Mazel tov upon completing the yearly haftorah cycle with Torat Imecha Haftorah!

Send Mrs. Michal Horowitz and/or Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman a personal message of appreciation by clicking here

V'Zot HaBracha/Simchat Torah

Mrs. Michal Horowitz

Listen Now

Mrs. Michal Horowitz is a Torah teacher whose shiurim reach audiences worldwide. She teaches weekly in her Five Towns, NY, community and lectures nationally and internationally. A longtime presenter for the OU Women’s Initiative, she inaugurated the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi program. In September 2023, she was invited by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis to serve as the first female scholar to keynote the Annual Pre-Yamim Noraim Conference for the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. She is the author of Abled: Living With a Disability, a Torah View (Mosaica Press, 2025) and lives in Woodmere, NY, with her family.

Dvar Haftorah

OU Women's Initiative

Founding Director

Rebbetzin Dr.

Adina Shmidman

Be Strong and Resolute: A Timeless Charge

Yehoshua 1:1-18

As Yehoshua embarks on his leadership journey, Hashem repeatedly strengthens him with the words חֲזַ֣ק וֶאֱמָ֔ץ, be strong and resolute. This phrase is said three times in this opening perek of Sefer Yehoshua. Why the repetition? Why the insistence on this charge? The Abarbanel suggests that these three directives, rather than suggesting a weakness in Yehoshua, address three distinct aspects of his leadership.

The first directive is addressed to Yehoshua as he leads the people:
חֲזַ֖ק וֶאֱמָ֑ץ כִּ֣י אַתָּ֗ה תַּנְחִיל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶת־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי לַאֲבוֹתָ֖ם לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם׃, Be strong and resolute, for you shall apportion to this people the land that I swore to their fathers (Yehoshua 1:6). As a leader, Yehoshua would face moments of doubt and dissent from within the nation. His leadership might be questioned; the people might waver in their confidence. In this moment, Yehoshua is reminded: חֲזַ֣ק וֶאֱמָ֔ץ—stand strong and resolute!

The second charge shifts focus to Yehoshua’s own spiritual resilience:
רַק֩ חֲזַ֨ק וֶֽאֱמַ֜ץ מְאֹ֗ד לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ כְּכָל־הַתּוֹרָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוְּךָ֙ מֹשֶׁ֣ה עַבְדִּ֔י... לֹֽא־יָמ֡וּשׁ סֵפֶר֩ הַתּוֹרָ֨ה הַזֶּ֜ה מִפִּ֗יךָ...Be strong and resolute to observe all of the Torah... Let not this Book of Teaching cease from your lips...(Yehoshua 1:7-8). The Torah is Yehoshua’s guidepost, his anchor amidst the trials he will face. In a world of shifting values, Yehoshua is tasked with unwavering devotion to the Torah. By internalizing its teachings day and night, Yehoshua would find the strength to confront the religious and spiritual challenges ahead.

The third and final charge touches on those who may seek to erode Yehoshua’s resolve:
הֲל֤וֹא צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ חֲזַ֣ק וֱֶאֱמָ֔ץ אַל־תַּעֲרֹ֖ץ וְאַל־תֵּחָ֑ת כִּ֤י עִמְּךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר תֵּלֵֽךְ׃, Have I not commanded you: Be strong and resolute; do not be afraid or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Yehoshua 1:9). Hashem reassures Yehoshua that he will not walk alone. Even when the challenges seem insurmountable, when it feels as though the task is too great, Yehoshua is reminded that Hashem is by his side—always.

These timeless words resonate far beyond Yehoshua’s personal mission. They echo for us today. As we leave the protective embrace of our sukkot and step back into a world filled with pain, uncertainty, and upheaval—war, displacement, antisemitism, political instability—how do we move forward?

Hashem's message to Yehoshua and to us is two-fold:
חֲזַ֣ק—Be strong. In the here and now, remember that Hashem is with us, guiding our steps and supporting us on this journey.
וֱֶאֱמָ֔ץ—Be resolute. This is a call for confidence in the future, to hold on to our faith even when the world looks and feels unsteady.

As we enter the winter months, Hashem implores and empowers us: חֲזַ֣ק וֱֶאֱמָ֔ץ—strengthen your resolve, hold fast to your faith, and trust in the better days to come.