How To Bring About A Less Divisive New Year In 5784
Both sides need to decide on their own now that there will be no more victories of one side over the other and that from now on, key decisions on the country's future will have to be made by consensus.
Dementia Diary – Chapter 51
The problem is of course that because Violet is sweet and caring, he misinterprets her kindness as a romantic gesture. Being a caregiver is full of unexpected challenges. I notice that she now sits on a different sofa when keeping him company. Smart girl.
Yachad Members Take Center Stage In Chicago
Everybody had a great time. The benefit for our members has been learning how to work as a team, learning how to support each other, how to speak in public and how to advocate for themselves.
The Dance Of Love
In the spirit of Yom Kippur, I publicly apologized to this person as I realized my words had obviously caused him pain. This interaction seems simple yet it wasn’t.
Too Young For Yizkor
Every action, every hour of learning, chesed, brachos, tefillos were done for their father’s neshama to merit a closeness to the Kisei HaKavod. That was all that was left for them to do for him.
For Crying Out Loud
Chances are that the members of the band think they are impressing their audience with their talent by equating ear-splitting with cool. In a misguided attempt to win over fans and potential bookings, they blast their music. But their reasoning is totally off.
Must Tzedaka Pledges Be Paid Promptly?
To avoid potential violation, when a person commits to give ma’aser kesafim or designates money for tzedaka, poskim recommend that he stipulate to distribute it slowly or that the money not be considered tzedaka until he is ready to give it.
Dear Dr. Yael
As your fathers’s cognitive function continues to decline, his daily life will change. It’s important to create a routine to help reduce confusion and disorientation.
Daf Yomi
Polite And Respectful
“It Is Audacious to Appoint One’s Father a Shaliach”
(Kiddushin 45b)
Academic Freedom Isn’t An Excuse For Antisemitism
A Palestinian event featuring Jew-haters at the University of Pennsylvania shows that in the age of DEI loyalty pledges, some forms of prejudice are tolerated on campuses.
Two Forms Of Repentance: Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur has the power to purify because on this day the bond between the essence of the soul and G-d’s essence is revealed.
Yom Kippur: Forgive Us For Forgetting
Every sin is rooted in a deep-seated character flaw. Ignoring these flaws and focusing our teshuva solely upon actions or behavior increases the likelihood of recidivism.
The Spirituality Of Song
As music connects note to note, so faith connects episode to episode, life to life, age to age in a timeless melody that breaks into time.
1800s New Orleans Jewry
He also gave thousands of dollars each to existing 23 Jewish congregations in 14 states – especially the Newport, RI synagogue, where he endowed the cemetery in which he was laid to rest, the final surviving member of the Touro family line.
More Than Just Kapparah
Most of us are familiar with the process and stages of teshuva. But how do we purify ourselves?
There’s Always Hope!
Although it is difficult to imagine, it seems that Dovid HaMelech – the exalted individual, leader of the Jewish nation, fearless warrior of Hashem – was afraid that he had possibly accrued so many sins that he could no longer repent.
Mi Casa Su Casa
When your family, the shadchan, or a friend, offers you information about a potential match - inquire about her home life and the type of house she grew up in.
Taking Torah On The Road
Whether nature is vanity or just lower on the values hierarchy than Torah study, both of these approaches seem to agree that nature disrupts the learning process, and presumably, if possible, learning should be done inside, with minimal distractions from the natural world.
The Messages And Power Of L’Dovid Hashem Ori (Part II)
Many of us, after making an honest and blunt cheshbon hanefesh, a personal reevaluation of our behavior during the past year, might be filled with despair and despondency at our chances for a good judgment.
What’s Teshuva All About?
To analyze the entire book in such a short review is to attempt the impossible, so I will instead focus on a particular question that arises throughout: What, exactly, is teshuva?
Torah Study And General Wisdom
All of this would be true even if it were not so that a general education is required for gaining an appreciation of G-d’s wisdom, philosophy, ethics, and laws.
Yeshayahu In-Depth
It turns out that this book is so remarkable it works for all levels of learning.
Q & A: Prayer And Its Origins (Part III)
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this time. Did we pray before their innovation or not?
Menachem
Via Email
Biting The Hand That Feeds You
The heavens have been programmed by G-d to supply rain. Instructing them not to do so is against their nature. It is only harsh and insistent words that will convince the heavens to go against their own nature.
Agunah Asifa Addresses The Agunah Crisis And Solutions Moving Forward
I created the event with the intent to raise awareness, said Haber-Goldstein. We wanted to show the agunot that as a community we are here for them, and they are not forgotten. It seems we have accomplished both goals, at least [as] a starting point.
The Art Of The Kotel
I present here from my collection several of my favorite artistic depictions of this most sacred Jewish site.
Reading The Paper
There is much good that we do with our cell phones, and they help us in so many ways. But how often do we take them out to look at them during davening in shul, during family meal times, or at any time when we are conversing with another person?