Articles in Israel
The Power of Unity
The power of unity is palpable across the holy land these days. It is an incredible shift from how things were less than a month ago. For many months, Jews were screaming at each other in support and in protest of the government’s planned judicial overhaul. The invectives hurled were …
On the Question of Human Shields
The question of human shields has been in the news a lot these past few weeks. As Israel responds to the heinous massacre of innocent civilians, men, women, and children, perpetrated by the sub-human Hamas terrorists, it is being accused of targeting innocent civilians.
Some of these accusers are the very …
The Opposite of Goodness Is Indifference
Indifference is the opposite of goodness. This quote has been attributed to many, including Eli Wiesel. Its authorship notwithstanding, its message is powerful.
Noah was a righteous man, but he was not a good man because he was indifferent. G-d selected Noah for survival because he was righteous and whole, but …
When G-d Begs Forgiveness
This week we read that sometimes even G-d begs forgiveness. The story of Genesis tells us that when G-d first created the luminaries, He made the sun and the moon equal in stature—two equal rulers. How did the moon become so small and dependant on the sun for light?
The Talmud …
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 …
A Message of Comfort
On the Shabbat after Tishah Be’av, we seek comfort and inspiration. The Torah portion that we read this week serves up heaping portions of inspirational tidbits on generous platters. But it begins with a morbid moment: G-d refusing Moses’ plea to enter Israel.
On Tishah Be’av our people were exiled from …
Life Is Not a Game of Chance
Is life a game of chance? Everyone I know would say no. We don’t like to leave anything to chance. We make deliberate choices about the schools we attend, the friends we embrace, the careers we pursue, and the hobbies we adopt. Most of us have short and long-term goals. …
Unrest in Israel
The current unrest in Israel is not about the state of its democracy or the role of its judiciary. As many analysts have correctly surmised, the tensions are over the direction and soul of the country. The modern state of Israel was founded by secular Zionism, which established a secular …
