Monthly Archives: September 2014

Each year I enter Rosh HaShana totally unprepared. I want to share this Bracha (blessing) with each of you.    

The second perek (chapter) of Mishna Berachot concludes with  רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, לֹא כָּל הָרוֹצֶה לִטּוֹל אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִטֹּל, Rabban Shimon, son of Rabban Gamliel, says that not everyone who wants to assume the title (of a tzadik) is … Continue reading →

I often wonder if each of us is really expected to do it all. The number of  religious people who take an active part in Israel’s defense has dramatically increased. Likewise, a growing number of formerly non-religious people, who historically have taken … Continue reading →

As we focus on the Yomim Noraim, the days of fear and awe (Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year and, ten days later, Day of Atonement), there’s value in exploring whether we actually buy into the whole … Continue reading →

Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount, a mere 35 acres at the top of a very small hill in Jerusalem, is the most hotly contested real estate on earth. It’s a political hot potato, to the degree that when Jerusalem was … Continue reading →