We will sit down to the Seder this year while our people suffer. Israel faces simultaneous attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran. More than a hundred Jews are still in captivity. Antisemitism is rampant and acceptable again in coffee shops, public squares, public schools, and college campuses.
The saga …
Vayishlach: Family Feud
The worst kind of feud is a family feud. When we feel betrayed by those we love, the pain runs deep, and it is difficult to forgive. Some people won’t attend their grand nephew’s wedding because of a family feud from decades back. Deep pain tends to be lasting and …
Vayetze: Fusing Stones
Jacob went to bed on a mountain and placed his head on twelve stones. In the morning, when he awoke, the twelve stones had fused into one. Our sages taught that during the night the angels in charge of these stones began to argue because each wanted to serve as …
Toldot: Hunting is not a Jewish Sport
Although hunting is not as common as it used to be, it remains a popular sport around the world. This essay explores why hunting has never been considered a Jewish sport.
Hunting
A Jew once asked Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, the 18th century chief rabbi of Cracow, whether hunting is permissible. Rabbi Landau …
Chayei Sarah: Why We Bury
After the binding of Isaac, Abraham discovered that his wife Sarah had passed, and he hurried from Jerusalem to Hebron to eulogise, mourn and bury her. This is the first description of a burial in the Torah, which gives us an opportunity to discuss the question of why we bury.
Many …
Vayera: All About Me
News was made last week, when a ninety-year-old Jew in Ukraine elected to be circumcised.[1] Of course, this was hardly the first time something like this occurred. The first time, was when our forefather Abraham did it at the age of ninety-nine.
Beyond the removal of the foreskin, what is the …
Lech Lecha: Israel is Home
When my daughter messaged me that she landed in Israel, I replied welcome home. Later, on the phone, she told me that this was the first time she had landed somewhere and did not feel homesick. My message explained why. Israel is home.
It’s not just me. In honor of Israel’s …
Noach: Inner Peace
How does one achieve inner peace?
To answer this question we must first ask, what factors deprive us of inner peace? There are all kinds of answers to the second question. Inner peace can be hampered by money stresses, family stresses, insecurity issues and many others. But I submit that the …
Sukkot: G-d’s Holiday
Why and When
Sukkot, the festival of Tabernacles, is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month Tishrei. It celebrates the clouds of glory that G-d provided for our ancestors in the desert. For forty years, they were sheltered from the desert’s elements by the clouds that G-d dispatched to …
Parsha Insights »
Vaetchanan: Pay Attention
Shema Yisrael
The best known verse in the Torah is the declaration of Jewish faith, Shema Yisrael, “hear O’ Israel, G-d is our Lord G-d is one.”[1] It is part of our liturgy and is recited four times a day. It is the verse with which countless Jews faced their death …
Yearly Cycle »
B’chukotai: Are you a Diehard Jew?
Do it For G-d
Are you a fair weather fan or diehard? Growing up in Boston I knew all about Diehard fans. Fenway Park is legendary for romanticizing terrible teams and losing seasons. Fans fill the stands for hopeless contests with the same enthusiasm they muster for sure winners. I’ve never …
Concepts »
Vayechi: Rejoice for Others
To rejoice for others, when they receive the something that you coveted, is difficult. To rejoice for others despite personal disappointment, or loss, displays character, humility, and refinement. It is rare, but every parent hopes to see such virtue in their child.
As the sun sets on Friday and the weekday …
Rabbi’s Desk »
What Can We Do?
These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …
