Why are we so captivated by a presidential inauguration? In 1797, after John Adams was inaugurated as second president of the United States, succeeding George Washington, he wrote to his wife Abigail, “When the Ceremony was over, [Washington]...
Since the inaugu- ration of President Trump, we have w i t n e s s e d numerous pro- Jewish and pro- Israel initiatives from his administration. Among these, President-elect Trump announced the appointment of Elise Stefanik as...
Dear Rabbi and Shira, I am dating a guy who wants to be a rabbi. He’s a smart individual with sterling middis and a big heart. At the beginning of our...
INGREDIENTS: 1.5 - 2 lbs pargiot trimmed and cut in half 3-4 potatoes (any variety works) - chopped 1-2 red onions - chopped 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce 1/2 cup teriyaki marinade DIRECTIONS: This is so easy and so delicious and comes together in...
The Mitzvah There is a great mitzvah for one to be involved with making shidduchim between a boy and girl. Hashem was the first shadchan in the world who made the shidduch between Adom and Chavah. The Chozeh from Lublin is...
Great thinkers convince people and do not try to intimidate them. In the introduction to his Guide for the Perplexed, Rambam issues a command to the reader, invoking G-d’s name. This demand is puzzling on two levels. First,...
Immediately after Beneh Yisrael left Egypt, Hashem presented a number of commands that are intended to commemorate and memorialize this miraculous event. One of these mitzvot is pidyon ha’ben – the “redemption” of the firstborn. Hashem declared that on...
Following Moshe’s warning to the King of Egypt of the impending plague of Locusts, the pasuk says, “And he turned and went out from Pharaoh” [Shemos 10:6]. The Ramban writes: Moshe knew that following the plague of Hail that...
In this week’s parsha, the Torah sometimes says, “Moshe and Aharon,” and other times it says, “Aharon and Moshe,” putting Aharon first. Rashi explains that the switch is to convey that in Hashem’s Mind, both were of equal stature....
Reward and Punishment are also largely dependent on what one thinks. We will offer a couple of examples: A spy hid his maps and papers in the pocket of a yeshiva bachur’s suit from Yeshivas Radin. The bachur...