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I learned to tone down my expectations. All too often, we’ve fallen in with poor buys, bad tenants (or no tenants), unpaid rent and financial losses. Over the years, there have been more complications than I could enumerate.

If secular Jewish groups refused to get involved with the Crown Heights Riots because it was so politically incorrect – “chassidim victimized by African-Americans” – how much more so would the Democrats wish to steer clear?

Israel can learn practical politics from a Midianite but it must learn the limits of politics from G-d Himself.

Rabbi Wertheimer further notes that wings create shade and thus serve as a metaphor for offering protection.

Change throughout the generations are not only on a physical level, but on a spiritual one as well.

I ask only one thing from you. When you have the opportunity to help another person, don't hesitate to do it.

My grandfather loved to show me all his books and would ask me if I was learning as well. He would always tell me a story from the Gemara, and his face would light up as he would tell it.

Look down at the difficulties and you can give way to despair. The only way to sustain energy, individual or collective, is to turn our gaze up toward the far horizon of hope.

We now turn our attention to “eshnav.” This rather obscure word only appears twice in the entire Bible.

So here he was – a devout rabbi who had traveled far on a mission to save the life of a fellow Jew, and the wife of the only person who could change the accused man's sentence wanted to shake his hand.

Moses’ insight was profound. He knew that you cannot change the world by externalities alone, by monumental architecture, or armies and empires, or the use of force and power.

The Zohar interestingly seems to echo this idea (Bo 34a), stating that “Bo el Pharaoh” teaches us that G-d brought Moses into some sort of heavenly inner chamber that was somehow associated with the sea-creature that characterizes Egypt.

Human nature is to get used to things and not wanting change.

In the grand room where the chuppah would be held, chairs were spaced apart. In spite of this needed distance, we felt only closeness from our guests.

Norman responded, “Captain, nobody is going to storm City Hall, but go and tell the mayor that he’s got to come out and see all of us.”

Rabbi Pappenheim writes that “achu” refers to the brotherhood between the different animals that join up in fertile land to feast on its produce.

Leadership, even of the very highest order, is often marked by failure.

For the past number of decades there has been much religious tolerance and Jews have been able to serve their religion without fear, for the most part.

As the number of infected and deceased leaped up dramatically at the summer's end – together with a commensurate increase of protests, strikes and Covid-deniers – our government decreed the Tishrei lockdown.

Wherever leadership depends on personal qualities and not on office or title, there is no distinction between women and men.

Rabbi Hirsch notes that because kuf can be interchanged with gimmel, “kashah” is also related to “gishah”/“gashash” (approaching, impacting). Most people only consider solid objects substantial enough to approach or cause an impact.

These families live daily, even every moment, with the thought of what can, and might, happen to them as a result of their presence in such hostile areas.

Yehuda then tells me that it is perfect timing that he called. He says that it is from Heaven. He tells me to stop everything and try thinking why this happened to me.

Not every mention of a seafaring vehicle in the Bible, however, contains the word “oniah.”

Joseph had, in double measure, one of the necessary gifts of a leader: the ability to keep going despite opposition, envy, false accusation and repeated setbacks.

By reading and rereading the same Torah portions each week, we connect to our past history and receive strength to deal with our present situation and future ones as well.

The unique camaraderie and family atmosphere in the yeshivah resulted in many former students remaining connected over the years, and engendered spirited talk and brainstorming of forming a ‘kehilah’ for the extended yeshivah ‘mishpacha’.

Both said chattati, “I have sinned.” But their fates were radically different.

Following this explanation, it seems that when Yehudah approached Yosef, he came physically close to him (vayigash) - perhaps even in a threatening way.

We all go through our share of hard moments in life, and during the darkness we can hardly see any light. We try to hold onto the thought, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.