We can look at our fellow and just see their faults, or just see their strengths. The Torah enjoins us to see our fellow as golden.
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The Great Argument
Once again, the nation of Israel is embroiled in fierce debate over the rights of Charedi (strictly observant) students to defer their army service until after the conclusion of their studies. The Charedi community wants to maintain the arrangement negotiated in 1948. They argue that drafting their students …
Tablets and Torah Scrolls
Why is the Torah so unchanging? Why are religious Jews so resistant to change? Doesn’t our tradition promote questions and provocative thought?
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The Holiday Mitzvot
There are two Mitzvt that are specifically intended for the holiday of Sukkot, eating in the Sukkah (outdoor hut covered with S’chach, tree branches) and the blessing over the four species. The mitzvah designated for the holiday of Simchat Torah is the dancing and rejoicing of young and …
Political Debates
Election seasons are dramatic and engaging, but the candidate debates frustrate me. They resemble ancient gladiator battles, which make them entertaining, but they are not informative. In a true debate the purpose is finding the truth no matter who has it, in a political debate the purpose is scoring …
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 …
