By Chaim Barzel This verse from Zechariah is the very first verse in the Hebrew Bible that mentions the month of Shevat. But it’s only the second that mentions “the eleventh month.” Do you know where “the eleven month” is first mentioned?...
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz “You’re a lot shorter in person than I expected.” That is the phrase that actors hear most often. It is the flip side of the “larger than life” perception of famous people. Science fiction stories about time...
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Israel just held its fifth election in three years. For a while now, Israel has been struggling to find a leader who can form and maintain a coalition made up of different parties, each with their own interests...
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz The world is going through a crisis in leadership. So many countries are struggling with essential issues. Israel is about to go to the polls for the fifth time in three years. Great Britain just lost Queen...
By Chaim Barzel We have all made New Year's resolutions: to eat healthier, to get to sleep earlier, to make up with an old friend, etc. That is because the new year is a time of renewal. A new year means the opportunity to start over, and...
In the summer of 1914, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook - the future Chief Rabbi of British-controlled Palestine and one of the leading Rabbinic thinkers of modern times - was in Berlin, on his way to an important Rabbinic conference in...
I really wanted that promotion. I worked years for it and everyone thought I deserved it. So I was excited when construction was finished on the new building and the boss called me into his office for a talk. I sat across from him,...
“Can I get you something to drink?” “No, thank you. I don’t want to bother you.” “Maybe a cup of water?” “Well, okay. If it is not a bother, a small cup of water would be nice. And if you are already pouring, maybe you can heat it up. And...
Anyone who has children knows that if you want them to learn something, telling them once is never enough. Singing the alphabet over and over, repeating math tables, and repeating mnemonics are all part of the learning process. They...
I had it all planned out. I told my parents I was going to hang out with friends. The story was that we were having a barbecue but the real plan was quite a bit wilder than that. I was shocked when my parents gave me their permission. I...
