What Would Moshe Rabbeinu Have Done About Abusers?

Posted on: March 11th, 2009

The stories of Moshe Rabbeinu and Esther HaMalkah are very similar. Both lived in luxurious conditions while their people were suffering. Moshe was raised in the house of King Pharaoh; Esther was the queen of King Achashveirosh. But each felt so connected to their brothers and sisters that they risked their lives to protect and save them, even though they themselves were neither suffering nor in danger.

From Moses To Our Moses… Reflections on the Legacy of Moses I. Feuerstein

Posted on: March 11th, 2009

I’m prompted to rephrase the second half of the old adage, “From Moses to Moses there was none like Moses” – referring to Moses of the Bible and Moses Maimonides – to read, “From Moses to Moses there was none like our Moses.”

Taking Our Future Back From Bernie Madoff

Posted on: March 11th, 2009

Bernard Madoff almost stole the future. He stole the financial future of many decent, philanthropic individuals. He stole the future of some organizations that have been forced to shut their doors. He stole the future of bright, eager students dependent on financial aid from universities whose financial future Madoff also stole.

What You Need To Know About Amalek

Posted on: March 4th, 2009

In reading Parshat Zachor (Deut. 25:17-19) we fulfill the commandment to remember what the nation of Amalek did to us. The sages instituted its reading just before Purim in order to link this mitzvah to the feast day on which we celebrate the blotting out of Haman, who was of Amalekite genealogy.

The Middle East’s Real Artificial Apartheid State

Posted on: March 4th, 2009

No sooner had we recovered from our bout of laughter over Turkey criticizing Israel for its actions in Gaza ("Talking Turkey," op-ed, Feb. 6) than an even more Orwellian event took place when it was reported that Jordan planned to file a criminal lawsuit against Israeli officials for alleged war crimes.

A Leader For Difficult Times

Posted on: February 28th, 2009

The night of December 8, 2008, was exceptionally cold, but those who attended a special reception for Sam Domb at Abigael’s on Broadway in Manhattan felt only the warmth of this indefatigable man’s love for the Jewish people.

Teaching Tanach To Today’s Students

Posted on: February 25th, 2009

From time to time I read various polemical articles concerning the problems with Jewish education in today’s school system. These are usually written by educators or those aspiring to be educators, though some are vastly more qualified than others. Some of them argue that traditional methods of studying texts need to be taught more vigorously, while others insist that newer approaches need to be taken.

Adoption And The Law Of Return

Posted on: February 25th, 2009

It may not be a “basic law,” Israel’s set of semi-constitutional laws, but the Law of Return is probably the most fundamental law of the state. It certainly is the most Jewish and Zionist of all Israel's laws.

Confronting The Worst Anti-Semitism In Recent Memory

Posted on: February 25th, 2009

Coming just weeks after the explosion of global anti-Semitism that followed Israel’s military action in Gaza, the timing couldn’t have been better for the London Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism, held Feb. 16 and 17.

Feb. 28, 1997: The Day Joe Lieberman Lost The Presidency?

Posted on: February 25th, 2009

Our natural inclinations would have us believe that individual actions, whether errors in judgment or extravagant demonstrations of bravery, generally do not affect the course of human history.

A Double Standard For Campus Free Speech

Posted on: February 25th, 2009

In what is yet more evidence that universities have become, as Abigail Thernstrom has described them, “islands of repression in a sea of freedom,” Toronto’s York University witnessed a near riot of some 100 pro-Palestinian Israel-haters, as police had to be called to usher Jewish students to safety after they had been barricaded inside the Hillel offices and were “isolated and threatened” by the physically and verbally aggressive demonstrators.

A Minority Among A Minority

Posted on: February 18th, 2009

When I was asked to assume a pulpit in San Jose, California, about a year ago, I was not quite aware of the many new experiences I would find here.

Believing Red But Voting Blue

Posted on: February 18th, 2009

What’s the state of the republic one month into the Obama presidency? It’s a state of deep confusion. Here are some polls to ponder. Brace yourself.

Mussar Without Yelling

Posted on: February 18th, 2009

There are two types of people in the world – those who are inspired by Mussar and those who are turned off by it. Mussar is a school of study that teaches religious self-improvement. Traditional Mussar, as practiced in many yeshivas to this day, has a rabbi exhorting his listeners, often yelling at them, to be more careful in their actions and attitudes. This is frequently accompanied with a Torah insight and maybe even a good parable. But it can be scary: fire, brimstone, judgment day – all the horrible implications of religious failure, in graphic detail.

The Greatness Of Rav Kook

Posted on: February 18th, 2009

Rabbi Avraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (1865-1935) was an extraordinary Torah giant. His genius was astounding – there was no field of Torah study he had not mastered. His recall was astonishing – great scholars related that no matter what Torah subject they discussed with him it would appear as if he had just recently learned the issue in depth.

Israeli Voters Step Decidedly To The Right

Posted on: February 18th, 2009

The Israeli election was on the surface a tie between Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kadima, led by Tzipi Livni (who replaced Ehud Olmert as party chief). While Livni loudly proclaimed victory because Kadima had come out one parliamentary seat ahead, the election was largely a victory for the Israeli Right.

Jimmy Carter: Polemist-In-Chief

Posted on: February 11th, 2009

Jimmy Carter’s recent comments about Israel are another chapter in his book on how not to be a former president.

What Do I Tell My Daughter? An Open Letter to Bernard Madoff

Posted on: February 11th, 2009

Dear Mr. Madoff, Having kissed my daughter goodnight, I sat in the final quietude of the raucous street crowd’s secular New Year's celebration. I could not help but hear her earlier words as we watched the fireworks in Central Park from the roof of our building.

Denial And Disaster

Posted on: February 11th, 2009

The United States and much of the rest of the world are in a depression, a word that apparently must be avoided, perhaps in the hope that if we do not say it the bad news will go away.

What Would Any Country Do?

Posted on: February 11th, 2009

It’s very difficult when a democratic country has to confront an illegal terrorist group. Whatever we do is being photographed; whatever they do, nobody sees. For example, when they throw a rocket on a settlement in Israel, it’s not being photographed. You cannot see a mother trying to defend her child and the resultant sleepless night. Have you ever seen on television a sleepless night?