Post Increase Your Merit on this Jewish New Year The Torah portion of Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20) is customarily read in the synagogue on the Sabbath before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The portion discusses teshuva (usually understood as… Read More
Post Judaism’s Secret for Time Travel As a child, I was fascinated by science fiction. I remember sitting in front of a black and white television set when I was eight years old as I watched… Read More
Post Moab: A Nation Worse than Amalek? When I went away to college and began dating seriously, with every girl I met I heard that voice in the back of my mind that had been put there… Read More
Post Once a Brother, Always a Brother We raised our kids with a strict ‘No hitting’ rule. So I was shocked when I walked into the playroom and found my two sons, ages ten and eleven, hitting… Read More
Post One Choice You CAN Make For Your Kids People familiar with very old television will remember the comedian Jack Benny. In one of his famous sketches, he was confronted by an armed mugger who demanded, “Your money or… Read More
Post King David’s Lesson in Faith The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, told the following story: “It happened in one synagogue in London that the chazzan (cantor) on Shemini… Read More
Post Remembering 9/11: The Ever-Changing Face of Evil September 11th is the anniversary of the suicide terrorist attacks carried out by Al Qaeda against the US. On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists armed with box-cutters hijacked four passenger… Read More
Post Save the Trees: A Divine Imperative When we first moved into our house in the Golan, I did something I had always wanted to do. I planted a kumquat tree in my backyard. I love to… Read More
Post The Dramatic Paradox of the Hebrew New Year When I first started my journey toward “being religious”, I was concerned about the prayers on Rosh Hashana. During the rest of the year, we bow at the waist while… Read More
Post The Fundamental Significance of the Seven Species One year, I was doing my reserve duty in the Negev on a small base. On Friday night, I was guarding the front gate. To pass the time, I began… Read More