Judaism

I heard this amazing true story from Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger who heard it from Rabbi Yosef Levi.* Rabbi Levi regularly visits Jewish prisoners in...

Is it proper to plan a vacation in a location that doesn't have a daily minyan?

The Torah is based, as its narratives make clear, on history, a realistic view of human character, and a respect for freedom and choice. Philosophy is often detached from history and a concrete sense of humanity. Revolutions based on philosophical systems fail because change in human affairs takes time, and philosophy has rarely given an adequate account of the human dimension of time.

This week Jews all over the world celebrate the 33rd day of the Omer. This day designates two very important milestones. One is that...

But what happens if we actually become partners? As the Rabbis well understood, that should be a game changer.

Yes, things change, sometimes too quickly to comprehend, unless we realize that all the Sh'vilei Emunah, Paths of Faith, offer opportunities to explore new paths and discover how each can take us back to Sinai.

A blessing in disguise--

R. Asher Weiss permits prisoners to wear ankle bracelets, which record their movements on Shabbos.

Rabbi Pappenheim maintains that “bat” (daughter) is also derived from the root bet-nun and should really be spelled “banat” (like it is in other Semitic languages).

What is the source of true happiness and success in life?

Beware, Big Brother! 'He Isn't Suspected…' (Bechoros 35)

Like a grandmother who blesses her grandchildren, she blessed us all. Marie Nachmias raised her hands and eyes to the sky, and the crowd, including the prime minister, rose spontaneously and applauded her.

Another crucial point to note is which political party is embracing these attacks and, in a sense, bringing them about and justifying them: and that is of course the Democratic Party.

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Researchers are trying to determine which approach is more effective in getting a person to his goal.

When the boys retrieved the knapsack an hour later, they saw that the bags of marbles had burst.

Question: Why do we celebrate two days of Yom Tov if we have a fixed calendar today and know when Yom Tov truly is? Aryeh Roth

We couldn’t believe it when she told us where Chana was staying and that it was only two blocks away from her.

What does Parshat Emor tell us about Shabbat that we do not learn elsewhere?

“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all inhabitants thereof.” However, Rashi, Ramban, and Meshech Chochmah show tradition understood the key word, deror, as indicating a version of liberty surprising to the Western mind.

However, being friendly and or having lots of friends doesn’t necessarily mean that these friends are true ones.

The receptionist, who was familiar with my story, said that they had not been able to retrieve my phone that morning.

For over seven centuries, Jews – Ashkenazim and Sephardim, chassidim and misnagdim – have refrained from appointing a woman as sandek.

I’ve been invited to numerous simchas during Sefirah in the past few years that did not seem to conform to the halachic restrictions of this period. I’ve been told that you addressed this topic in the past. Can you address it again as I don’t want to offend anyone by staying at home? Name Withheld By Request

Rabbi Eliyahu Schlesinger argues vehemently that only music that leads to rikkudim umecholos is prohibited; music, however, that is spiritually uplifting and soothing to one's soul is permitted.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

When one rushes from something, one often feels anxious. But when one excitedly rushes to something-- a goal--one often feels an inner sense of peace and excitement. We couldn't wait to fulfill our destiny 3,300 years ago and we are supposed to have this same excited feeling today.

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"Indeed, according to one opinion in the Gemara, if the agent did not have a choice not to obey, the sender is liable since the rationale does not apply," replied Rabbi Dayan.

Not Necessarily Good For The Goose – Or The Gander ‘Plucking the Wool Is Permitted’ (Bechoros 25a)