Category Archives: Uncategorized

Parshat Shoftim, always read at the beginning of Elul, the run-up month to Rosh HaShana, begins Shoftim v’Shotrim Titeyn L’Cha B’Chol Sha’arecha. We’re instructed to create a justice system including judges and law enforcement. But it wasn’t until the Oral … Continue reading →

You don’t always get a second chance and should never count on a “do-over”. When you are graced (and I use that word deliberately, referring to the Hebrew word, Chen, which is associated with Chesed, loving-kindness, and Rachamim, compassion) with … Continue reading →

Closing my eyes to something unspeakably sad and depressing doesn’t make it disappear. Nor can I merely refuse to speak of it, naively hoping it will no longer be there the next time I take a peek. The breach in … Continue reading →

Now that I have another deeply satisfying Shavuout under my belt, I have a confession to make. Until the very last moment, when I was finally immersed in the day (or, in this case, the evening), I wasn’t really sure … Continue reading →

Here we are, just a few days (or hours) from the start of Pesach, and other than check what’s availabe, what’s needed to purchase, day-to-day life continues and I figure that “by hook or by crook”, I’ll be able to … Continue reading →

We can find many levels and objectives in Mitzvah observance. Certain individual mitzvot seem specifically directed to a specific goal or set of goals.  Some seem to aim for the unity and survival of Am Yisrael. Others have moral lessons … Continue reading →

To my dear student, Just to clarify, I want to say that I agree with you, that what we see today, both in Israel and the Diaspora as “orthodox” Judaism is not what I see in our future. I also … Continue reading →

It goes without saying, M’lo Kol Ha’Aretz Kvodo, that The Creator fills the entire universe with His Presence. However, our ability as humans to experience that phenomenon is not uniformly distributed. As Jews, our ability will run much better in … Continue reading →

Increasingly, over the last twenty-five years (yes, Oslo), the Jewish Communities in Israel and those in the United States seem to have less and less in common. Burning questions in Israel concern the necessary and in-progress transformation of Halacha, and … Continue reading →

1) Avot 2:4 tells us to make God’s Will into our will, in other words,to subjugate our person agenda to God’s so that he will come to make our will His Will. Politics, entertainment, sports and celebrities are now on … Continue reading →