Parshat Toldot

Posted on: November 22nd, 2006

Abraham Lincoln didn't hold a grudge. In 1862 when he visited General McClellan in his house to discuss strategy and was ignored by the general, Lincoln took it in stride.

Parshat Chayei Sarah

Posted on: November 15th, 2006

It's hard to imagine life without them, and yet they almost never came into being.

Parshat Vayera

Posted on: November 8th, 2006

"A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages.

Parshat Lech Lecha

Posted on: November 1st, 2006

"You're going to give four years of your life to the country and this job.

Everything Given Us Is For The Best

Posted on: August 23rd, 2006

Everything given us is for the best. Yet some of us forget this when we should know better. I recently moved to another state and needed to see an ophthalmologist. My brother and sister-in-law have been living in that state for 10 years, and my brother's wife said she would make an appointment for me.

My Fractured Pesach

Posted on: May 24th, 2006

When my wife and I were about to leave Israel after last Sukkos, our son and daughter-in-law told us they were expecting another child to be born about two weeks before Pesach. We realized immediately that it would be difficult for them to make Pesach at home.

The Missing Plumba

Posted on: February 15th, 2006

Nathan Mark, Esq., who passed away recently, spent many years working as a civil servant for the State of New York, first with the Human Rights Division and later, with me, at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Treif Bribe

Posted on: May 11th, 2005

It was in the late 1980s. Retired FBI agent Tim McCarthy, Inspector General for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, took the call in his office from Kevin Green, the head of the FBI-NYPD Inter-Agency Task Force investigating official corruption in New York State and City government.

From Gush Etzion To Gush Katif – Gush Katif Revisited

Posted on: April 27th, 2005

My husband and I had the distinct pleasure and privilege to join a group of English speaking Israelis on a visit to Gush Katif. The trip was organized for the World Mizrachi and Tehilla movements. Both organizations are involved in aliya and living in Israel. Our goal was to become reacquainted with Gush Katif, while for some, it was their first time there.

Q & A: Yahrzeit And The Two Adars (Conclusion)

Posted on: March 9th, 2005

QUESTION: In a leap year when there are two months of Adar, during which month is a yahrzeit observed? Do the rules of yahrzeit precedence apply in regard to Kaddish? Finally, can you discuss the precedence regarding leading services during the year of mourning?M. BermanLos Angeles, CA

My Mother’s Bashert

Posted on: February 16th, 2005

On the 6th of Adar, 5667 (March 20, 1907) Shoshe and Rabbi Avraham Halevi Shapiro welcomed Moshe Aharon, their sixth (and last) child, into the world in the little town of Nesvizh, near Baranovich, in Russia.

Q & A: The Fifth Yahrzeit Of HaRav Sholom Klass, zt”l

Posted on: January 26th, 2005

Last Thursday, the 10th of Shevat, marked the fifth yahrzeit of my dear uncle, HaRav Sholom ben R. Moshe Feivel, zt"l.

Q & A: A Sabbath Desecrator Leading Services (Conclusion)

Posted on: January 19th, 2005

QUESTION: What are the requirements for a sheliach tzibbur? May someone who desecrates the Sabbath lead the services? C.M. Siegel Rockland, NY

Gush Katif And Me

Posted on: November 10th, 2004

I had envisioned Gush Katif with images of a sea of turquoise blue, pristine white beaches, boats bobbing along the horizon, and me sitting in the sun.

Q & A: Torah In English (Conclusion)

Posted on: November 3rd, 2004

QUESTION: Is one allowed to publish Torah discussions in any language other than in the original Hebrew?A ReaderWilkes Barre, PA

Q & A: Torah In English (Part I)

Posted on: October 27th, 2004

QUESTION: Is one allowed to publish Torah discussions in any language other than in the original Hebrew?A ReaderWilkes Barre, PA

Q & A: A Matter Of Custom? (Conclusion)

Posted on: October 27th, 2004

QUESTION: We are a happy newly married couple who have a few disagreements concerning the upcoming holidays. My wife insists that on Erev Yom Kippur there is no need to eat more than one meal - right before the fast. She also insists that there is no need for her to eat in the sukka on Sukkot, while my custom is for a woman to do so. Who is correct?Name withheld by request

Q & A: A Matter Of Custom? (Part I)

Posted on: October 20th, 2004

QUESTION: We are a happy newly married couple who have a few disagreements concerning the upcoming holidays. My wife insists that on Erev Yom Kippur there is no need to eat more than one meal - right before the fast. She also insists that there is no need for her to eat in the sukka on Sukkot, while my custom is for a woman to do so. Who is correct?Name withheld by request

Q & A: Tashlich

Posted on: October 13th, 2004

QUESTION: Why do some people say Tashlich on the second day of Rosh Hashana when the first day falls on a Sabbath, while others say it on the first day (in areas where there is an eruv)? What if someone missed saying Tashlich? Finally, what is the source for this custom?Zvi Kirschner(via email)

Q & A: Pinchas Not Always Zealous? (Conclusion)

Posted on: October 6th, 2004

QUESTION: Recently, as I was studying the weekly portions of the Torah, I noticed a seeming anomaly. In Parashat Balak, Pinchas does what Moses did not do and zealously killed Zimri, a tribal prince who had sinned. We find in the following portion, Parashat Pinchas, that Pinchas was rewarded for this act. Yet after that, in Parashat Mattot, Pinchas is rebuked for not fulfilling Moses' command. Can you reconcile this apparent contradiction in the way Pinchas is described?M. Goldblumvia e-mail