Refusing Comfort, Keeping Hope
Jewish history may seem to signify irretrievable loss, a fate that must be accepted. Jews never believed the evidence because they had something else to set against it – a faith, a trust, an unbreakable hope that proved stronger than historical inevitability
Asseres Yemei Teshuvah
The Emek Berachah explains that indeed after Rosh Hashanah the din is sealed and one is only judged on his actions of the previous year.
Leadership In Time Of Crisis
Ours is a small and intensely vulnerable people. Inspired, we rise to greatness. Uninspired, we fall
The Universality Of Sukkot
Sukkot's the only festival sharing the pilgrimage cycle & part of Tishrei sequence-hence, double JOY
A Lost License
I felt ill at ease in a strange way when our daughter drove off in our old Dodge Caravan to pick up my son from yeshiva. She was new at the wheel, and there was plenty of traffic to maneuver around in Lakewood on Friday afternoons. An innocent, precious neshamah in my eyes who didn’t belong on the busy roads, she wanted to help out. So when I was called later to the scene of the accident, the One Above seemed to confirm that my assessment had been totally accurate.
A Tale Of Two Todds
I was pretty open [and naïve] about accepting dating suggestions. There was the Israeli that spoke little English with whom I could barely communicate, the brilliant scholar who I discovered was manic depressive, the frum hippie that was still more hippie than frum, and a slew of others – all interesting, but not for me.
A Window Of Opportunity
Sophie eagerly anticipated her meanderings through the ancient streets of the Old City of Jerusalem where her ancestors had walked thousands of years ago.
The Taxi Ride
I have been living in Israel for many years, yet there are still special moments that catch me by surprise. A series of such moments occurred recently, reminding me of how very lucky I am to call Yerushalayim my home.
The Objective Basis For Morality
Recently, an entirely new scientific basis has been given to morality from two surprising directions: neo-Darwinism and the branch of mathematics known as Games theory. As we will see, the discovery is intimately related to the story of Noah and the covenant made between G-d and humanity after the Flood.
Screening Our Calls
As I sit at my home computer typing these words, virtual gale-force winds are blowing through my apartment, filling it with fresh – and free – air. This has not always been the case. In fact the electric bill for the past two months was astronomical, due in large part to our high usage of air conditioning virtually around the clock.
Master Maestro
Yesterday was another heartening day, one that provided me with yet another unexpected, but much-needed boost to my mood and self-esteem.
Singing in the Rain
In an April Lessons in Emunah column, I wrote an article called “Learning to Dance in the Rain” about two friends who were very ill. One was in a hospice. The doctors had given up hope and the family waited with a heavy heart. But there was still One Doctor left. And He began to heal her. Slowly, the disease began to reverse itself, slowly it began to withdraw.
Special Delivery
Despite our age difference and the fact that they were newly married and we were expecting our fourth child, the newcomers and us hit it off well.
The Rubashkin Saga – VIII
Another installment on the ongoing assault against Agriprocessor. This week's article discusses unions taking on the Rubashkins.
Seeing Red
“One of the drivers is nearby right now, and will pick you up between 9:05 and 9:07!” Very good tidings indeed. Except for the fact that I was then distributing freshly washed laundry while listening to the 9 PM News.
Soldiers In Hashem’s Army
The scene was surreal. We could hear the battle raging in Aza, but in the host’s realm there was relaxation, conversation, and the bubbly voice of our grandson.
A Meaningful Hospital Stay During Chanukah
Patience seems to be in such short supply these days, yet it can make a world of difference. This is particularly so in certain kinds of stressful situations whereby we think we only have time to act in a knee-jerk way instead of acting thoughtfully.
Civil Disobedience
How moving it is, therefore, that the first recorded instance of civil disobedience – predating Thoreau by more than three millennia – is the story in this week's parsha of Shifra and Puah, two ordinary women defying Pharaoh in the name of simple humanity.
Hashem Supports All Those Who Fall
May 3, 2009-9 Iyar 5769: This is a date I will always remember and give thanks to Hashem. I was crossing 14th Avenue at 1 p.m. on a rainy day when I was suddenly struck by a car. The Almighty zokef kefufim straightens the bowed.
The Significance Of The Shofar
One of the fundamental aspects of Rosh Hashanah is malchus – accepting Hashem as our king; the one and only king.
Learning To Dance In The Rain
When I call my friend on her birthday and ask her how it feels to be her new age, she answers, “It's better than the alternative.” Yes, we’ve all heard Vivian Greene’s words: “Life’s not about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.”
Miketz: Why Didn’t Joseph Write Home?
This new perspective helps us understand Joseph.
Sha’ar Yeshuv
This tragedy was in the forefront of my mind as my family and I wended our way, the week before Pesach, from Har Nof, Jerusalem to Sha’ar Yeshuv.
The Rubashkin Saga – IX
While we rejoice at the recent release of Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin from prison, the series continues this month and beyond.
We Are What We Do Not Own
Parshat Behar deals with a problem that is as acute today as it was 33 centuries ago: The inevitable inequalities that arise in every free market economy teaching us to ask not, “what can I gain?” but “what can I give?”
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