Posted on: February 22nd, 2006

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Marcellus, the character in Hamlet who uttered those words, couldn't have been more right.

Posted on: February 15th, 2006

This column is being written on my secular birthday, February 14 (my real birthday is 11 Adar), a birthday - not surprisingly - that I share with my twin brother.

Posted on: January 18th, 2006

In my previous column I wrote about the importance of assigning minimal value to the utterances of those who make nasty, ego-wounding comments.

Posted on: January 4th, 2006

Chanukah is over and we are now dealing with the repercussions of wantonly indulging in crispy, crunchy, melt in your mouth potato latkes and overdosing on sugary, chocolaty, jelly-oozing donuts.

Posted on: December 21st, 2005

Gift giving is a real challenge for many parents during Chanukah.

Posted on: May 18th, 2005

I was at a recent fundraiser on behalf of Israel's Beit Halochem institutions. In Hebrew, beit halochem means the house of the warrior and that is what these centers are - a home away from home for disabled Israeli soldiers and wounded victims of Islamic terror and violence.

Posted on: May 4th, 2005

Pesach seemed heavier this year. I'm not talking in terms of the tremendous amount of food that was consumed or the seemingly endless lifting, bending, scrubbing, scouring and cooking that is part and parcel of pre and post Passover preparations as well as during the chag.

Posted on: April 20th, 2005

Over the years I always wondered why Hashem - the Master and Creator of the Universe - was so machmir - so adamant in having us mortals sing his praises and thank him all the time.

Posted on: April 6th, 2005

You would have to be hiding under a rock to be unaware of the sad and drawn-out death of a severely brain damaged woman called Terri Schiavo, whose husband and legal guardian made the decision to have her life-sustaining feeding tube removed.

Posted on: March 23rd, 2005

In very recent issues of the Jewish Press there have been a number of disturbing articles detailing the dire plight of various types of people who have lost their physical or social freedom.

Posted on: March 9th, 2005

I recently heard that an acquaintance of mind got divorced for the 2nd time. The marriage had lasted a very short time, but I was not surprised.

Posted on: February 23rd, 2005

We all know them - the sad sacks who seemingly were born under a bad constellation.

Posted on: February 9th, 2005

As my friend Eve (not her real name) and I started filling our plates at a recent buffet dinner, she commented that lucky for her, her mother wasn't with us.

Posted on: January 26th, 2005

The Hebrew word gazayra means evil decree. Sometimes, a government decree is just that - an indisputably evil order, as when Pharaoh of Biblical times commanded the murder of all Hebrew male newborns.

Posted on: January 12th, 2005

While randomly perusing some Jewish community newspapers this past week, I was struck by the press releases of several Jewish organizations crowing with excited pride about the significant monetary donations they made for victims of the Tsunami.

Posted on: December 29th, 2004

A good friend of mine, "Sarah," recently shared her concern over her two year old grandson's health.

Posted on: December 15th, 2004

From time to time, I am asked where I get ideas for my articles. The answer is simple. Just from getting up in the morning and experiencing life.

Posted on: December 1st, 2004

While recently riding on a private local bus, I couldn't help but overhear two elderly, balbatish ladies talking.

Posted on: November 17th, 2004

During this past Yom Tov, I spent some time with my son who lives out of town.

Posted on: November 10th, 2004

My first-born son's recent marriage was a huge simcha for the family, but the wedding was actually the culmination of a simcha that began years ago - at his bris.