On Friday, May 16, Jews around the world will celebrate Lag Ba’omer. Lag Ba’omer is a joyous day. In Israel, thousands flock to Miron, the burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the second-century Talmudic sage who passed away on this day.
Rabbi Shimon was the first to publicize and record …
Can we question G-d? Many have questioned G-d over the years, especially after the Holocaust, but no matter how upset we are, it always feels awkward to question G-d. I suspect this is why most people find a way to resolve their questions. They either deny G-d, which makes it …
Is It You?
Every movement likes to call itself “grassroots” because that means it arose from the people. It is better to lead a movement that everyone wants than a movement whose momentum is artificially generated. Grassroots means that the people’s desire generated the movement. When the desire generates a movement, …
The High Holiday liturgy often makes use of our Biblically prescribed designation as G-d’s children. We remind G-d of the natural love that fathers have for children and beg Him to see us in that light even if our behavior doesn’t reflect the love we have for Him.
In light of …
Oxymoron?
Is it possible to be rich and humble or is that an oxymoron? So many people grow haughty when they meet with success, but if you think about it logically, it makes little sense. If we take our measure by the depth of our bank account, we have little to …
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 …
