With the passing of President George H. W. Bush, another chapter in American history has been signed. He was my first American president. I had just graduated from high school in Israel and was waiting for my army service when Iraq invaded Kuwait and instigated the First Gulf War. Soon after, scud missiles were starting [...]
Over the last weekend, I attended my good friend Angela’s wedding in Chicago. Angela married Jason, and since they are both members of Mensa, they were permitted to wed at the Newberry Library downtown. The 12-foot chuppah was placed in the middle of the museum lobby — pure white sashes flowing down from all four [...]
It’s been a hustling and bustling time — from intense High Holidays observances to a season of elections, from a time of seeking forgiveness for wrong past choices, to a time of making important new choices. Shortly after the High Holidays, I flew to Israel to see family and friends, and to prepare our next [...]
“And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of living water. And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac's herdsmen, saying: 'The water is ours.' And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. And they digged another well, and they strove for that also. And he called [...]
Many explanations make clear why the Torah starts with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The letter Bet has many meanings that can justify it being chosen to inaugurate the Holy Scriptures. One of the most recognized explanations of the Kli Yakar — 16th century Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz — is a short paragraph in his [...]
This year, Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the month of Av, was observed on Sunday, the 10th of Av, because public mourning and fasting are prohibited on Shabbat. It is a day of mourning for the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. Thus, we are encouraged to read the book of Lamentations (Eikha): “How does the city sit solitary, [...]
Earlier this year, when we were dealing with the issue of a path to citizenship for the so-called Dreamers, children brought to this country by illegal immigrants, I wrote “Let My People Stay.” In my essay, I compared the discussion about immigration to that of abortion. I claimed that America may secure its borders, but it [...]
The day before we completed the counting of the 49 days of the Omer, we escorted Arthur Levin — Aaron ben Enoch z”l — on his last journey. This occurred just before Shavuot — the holiday of receiving the Torah. In various places throughout the text, the Talmud claims that in studying Torah — beginning [...]
“The days of our years is seventy years, and when in vigor, eighty years; most of them are but travail and vanity. They pass by speedily, and we are gone.” Psalm 90:10 is a song marked equally by fear and trust, of terrible death and tender friendliness. Commentators have noted that the reference to “seventy years” is usually associated [...]
When we sit around the Passover table every year, we don’t normally ask ourselves whether this is the shank bone of a sheep or of a goat. According to the Torah, before the Israelites left Egypt, God commanded, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; you shall take it from [...]
