Our lives - and the lives of our children - depend on it After describing the choice between “life and good” and “death and evil,” Moshe urges the Jewish people, “U’vacharta ba’chayim - choose life” (Devarim 30:19). But...
The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 11a) lists several events that occurred on the date of Rosh Hashanah, the first of Tishreh. These include Sara conceiving with a child at the age of 90, after decades of infertility and desperate...
Israel, June 1982. The First Lebanon War. It is also known as Operation Peace in the Galilee – Shalom HaGalil, for it was fought with the hope to protect the communities in Israel’s north....
The Scroll This week’s parsha (Vayalech) relates the dramatic events that transpired during Moshe’s last day on earth. Among the many things he did on that fateful day was committing the entire Torah (the Chumash, the Chamisha Chumshei Torah) to...
A fascinating debate broke out online last week over a question that sounds semantic but is actually profound. Though it wasn’t framed this way, to me, the question being debated was essentially: is there a difference between being a...
In this generation- the generation of the Geula, we are witnessing a remarkable and blessed phenomenon, one that would have been difficult to imagine only a few years ago. Increasing numbers of Jews from all walks of life...
A member of the Jewish community in Minneapolis once brought me to give a speech in that community, and the man who picked me up at the airport was none other than the owner of the Mall...
It’s a Mitzvah to be Happy This week’s parsha contains the mitzvah of bringing one’s first fruits (Bikurim) to Jerusalem. The farmer must thank G-d for the bounty with which he has been graced. In addition to the declaration,...
Every morning in Elul, the call of the shofar reminds us to use this special time wisely and fully. The Yeitzer Hara adroitly keeps us distracted with the still lazy days of summer coupled with the hectic, frenetic...
The Torah discusses the mitzvah of going to the Beis HaMikdash to proclaim there that you kept all the mitzvos of terumah and maasar etc. At this time, one says, “I did everything You commanded” (26:14). Rashi writes, “I was...