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It was only later in the day, during afternoon carpool, that things abruptly spun out of control. Literally.

It is as if the Torah were telling us that so long as there is a conflict within us, there will be a conflict around us.

I have often read Lessons in Emunah. When several of my friends told me I ought to submit the following I decided to follow their advice.

Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, created our lives and the Jewish calendar so that we live through every day, in a way that will help us deal with whatever comes our way.

I know what you’re thinking. You have already concluded that this is one of those heartwarming stories about the anonymous tenth man who completes a minyan in some far-off region, under mysterious, if not downright miraculous, circumstances. Likely as not, he turns out to be Eliyahu Hanavi.

When we focus on the moment, allowing ourselves to dance, sing, and give thanks, when we do things for their own sake not for any other reward, when we let go of our separateness and become a voice in the holy city's choir, then there is joy.

Cognizant of her wisdom and strength, her father involved her in much of his work.

All agree that Jews ARE different. How? Why? The Bible's answer is surprising and profound.

It is simply not the same to put on tefillin or keep kashrut or observe Shabbat in the Diaspora as in Israel. The Torah is the constitution of a holy people in the holy land. Only in Israel is the fulfillment of the commands a society-building exercise, shaping the contours of a culture as a whole. Only in Israel does the calendar track the rhythms of the Jewish year.

When Moshe descended from Har Sinai, his face glowed, to the extent that he had to cover it when interacting with the rest of Klal Yisrael.

Parshat Terumah begins the seismic shift from the intense drama of the Exodus, with its wonders and epic events, to the detailed narrative of how the Israelites constructed the Mishkan--the Tabernacle. The Nation begins building its HOME.

I try to be strong while speaking to him and yet I feel from day to day that the experience just keeps getting harder and harder.

What kind of man was Jacob? This is the question that cries out to us in episode after episode of his life.

There weren't many people out that night because of the weather but Rabbi Palach continued to approach whoever he saw and asked the same question, offering the same warm invitation to come hear a Torah class.

In a way that decision was the first in a series of miracles with which Hashem blessed us.

There are 613 commandments in the Torah. Why does Mishpatim, the first law code, begin where it does, concerned with slavery and freedom?

After being checked by a doctor, my father needed to undergo some minor surgery. It was clear to his two children in Israel that my father could no longer live independently.

At this point I am reasonably happy that he returns home eventually and is still semi-coherent (at least some of the time).

We were so worried about those terrorists, but when we returned to the place that we had seen them, no one was in sight. That was miracle number one.

The conclusion to the legal saga of whether Dr. Simcha Goldman could wear his yarmulke while serving in the US Air Force. Chodesh Tov!

We prepared and learned and repented in order to make Hashem very proud of us.

He went with a measuring tape and a good friend, who always agrees to lug furniture home for me, and brought it home.

Cold-blooded, fanatical, baseless, relentless hatred can be uprooted from its core only by saturating our world with pure, undiscriminating, unyielding love and acts of kindness.

How do we take that first step when, for the mourner, the immediacy of loss is such an unbearable, paralyzing weight?

The Jewish people mourned and wept, and then rose up and built the future. This is their unique strength and it came from Abraham, as we see in this week’s parsha.

Age brings the reflection and detachment that allows us to stand back and not be swept along by the mood of the moment or passing fashion or the madness of the crowd.

From Parshat Vayeishev to the end of Sefer Bereishit, we read the story of Joseph and his brothers. From the very beginning we are plunged into a drama of sibling rivalry that seems destined to end in tragedy.

The technician was certain that the Rabbi intended to upbraid him personally for having caused him discomfort and for attempting to continue against his will. Rav Moshe, however, had something else in mind.

Avi and Rachel had always assumed, as most people do, that within a year or two of their marriage they would be blessed with a child. But, as we know, that isn’t always the reality.

The entire mountainside is transformed into a promenade where superstars of the Israeli religious music scene participate in impromptu jams with tourists.