The Spiritual Child
Moses prepares the Israelites for freedom by discussing-children, several times in the parsha
A Reason For Everything
Yosef * had a dream. He wanted to open a yeshiva for young men like him, men who had returned to their roots and wanted to expand their learning in a relaxed, pastoral atmosphere.
The Rav Davens ‘Too Slow’
In the early 1970's, my father, HaRav Moshe Aharon Shapiro, z"l, served as rabbi of a kosher, shomer Shabbos hotel in the Catskills. During one of those summers, my brother-in-law invited us to use his bungalow over the July 4th weekend. On Sunday we drove from the bungalow colony to visit my parents, arriving at the hotel between Minchah and Ma'ariv.
Aleph Beta: Beha’alotecha: Where It All Went Wrong
WIth this week's parsha, Israel begins its 40 years wandering in the desert before entering the Land
Der Mensch Tracht…
Although I spontaneously burst out crying that my beloved Tatty was no more, part of me acknowledged that positive development as well.
Celestial Reunion
The exact details of that nocturnal levayah have long since faded from my memory. However, one poignant story shook me to the core of my being – and remains with me still.
It´s A Small World After All
So I feel especially blessed that I have experienced both the small world phenomenon and the pre-destined shidduch reality, all in one obviously bashert bit of matchmaking.
Blood Of Love, Blood Of Hate
Her husband was one of the first Zaka first aid volunteers to arrive at the scene of the shootings.
While I Was Sleeping
Even in the best of times, life is not free of calamity or crisis. But like the well-known Jewish expression goes: “It could be a lot worse.”
Statistical Probability In Real Time
He handed it to me and hmm… yes, it was definitely a private check book left unattended, with a woman’s name, address, and phone number printed at the top.
Science, Nature And Revelation
The best argument against the world of ancient Egypt was Divine humor. The plagues were G-d’s joke at the expense of the magicians who believed that because they controlled the forces of nature, they were the masters of human destiny. They were wrong.
The Rubashkin Saga – VIII
Another installment on the ongoing assault against Agriprocessor. This week's article discusses unions taking on the Rubashkins.
Jewish Practice In The U.S. Military (IX)
The ongoing legal saga of whether Dr. Simcha Goldman could wear his yarmulke while serving in the US Air Force
Rabbi Lord Sacks: The Hardship Of Freedom
First in Parshat Yitro there were the Asseret Hadibrot (the Ten Utterances, or general principles). Now in Parshat Mishpatim come the details.
The Yale Five (IV)
The Yale 5 became the cause célèbre of liberals who maligned & conservatives who triumphed the cause
The Will To Live
It was a year of Torah learning, a year of fostering new friendships, a year of encounters with diverse educators and personalities, a year of becoming more attached to the land, and a year of relative innocence.
Brain Freeze
Once again neither of us had the tickets, but this time we knew to follow the unusual protocol and pick up our tickets at the airline counter. So we dutifully waited in line and requested our tickets. This time, however, no tickets awaited us.
Hakaras Hatov Can Save Lives
And so it was that both those women whose lives had been saved in Yerushalayim only about a month earlier, were now in a Manhattan hospital with the woman who inadvertently had helped save their lives.
Education In The Shtetl
The shtetl of Apt would rise early every weekday morning when the men would rush to one of the houses of prayer, better known as shteiblech.
The Power Of Ruach
What happens at the sea is poetic justice of the most exquisite kind. The powerful are now powerless, while the powerless have made their way to freedom.
A Humbling Lesson (Part IV)
“he’s my rabbi” the Black painter said with pride, pulling out a photo of the Rebbe from his wallet
Soul To Soul
During this period of time, Shai often drove to Lubavitch Headquarters in London to hear the Rebbe’s sichot. He was hooked.
Lifting Heads
The challenge that emerges from the way the Torah describes taking a census is that we must “lift people’s heads.” Never let them feel as if they are merely a number. Make those you meet feel important, especially the people whom others tend to take for granted.
Torah As A Marriage Contract
On the face of it, the connections between the sedrah and haftarah of Bamidbar are slender. The first has to do with demography. Bamidbar begins with a census of the people. The haftarah begins with Hosea’s vision of a time when “the number of the children of Israel will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or numbered.” There was a time when the Israelites could be counted; the day will come when they will be countless. That is one contrast between the future and the past.
Jacob’s Destiny, Israel’s Name
A Jew is an iconoclast, born to challenge the idols of the age,whatever the idols, whatever the age.