TWO PHASES In a military class the professor asked the students, “What is the difference between an engagement and a battle?” No one in the group offered any answer. The...
These days we are dealing with a somersault of emotions. The summer is coming to a close and many of us say we can’t believe it’s already over. We are...
Shortly after my shul, BRS shut down in March, someone said to me, almost half-jokingly, “Imagine if things are still like this for Rosh Hashanah.” I vividly remember dismissing the...
Towards the end of Parashat Ki-Teseh, the Torah presents the Misva of Yibum, which applies when a married man dies without children. His brother is required to marry the widow,...
The parashah begins with the laws regarding wars. We know that the Torah is eternal and applicable in every generation. So how should we read this verse in our generation,...
The 1848 (5608-9) cholera epidemic has become famous in Jewish history because it was the moment when the 37-year old Rav Yisrael Salanter first took on a leadership role. Rav...
INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups watermelon, seeded and diced 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon white sugar DIRECTIONS: Blend watermelon, water, honey, lemon juice, and sugar together in a blender until...
The Torah in Devarim 17:17 tells us that a king may not marry too many women as they might turn his heart away from Yiddishkeit. Similarly, he may not accumulate...
What bracha do you make on licorice? She’Hakol. It was never mezonos. Those that learned mesechtas brachos learned that any food that has one of the 5 grains is mezonos....
FIRST ANECDOTE: A man goes out with a woman on their first date. For the first three hours he talks only about himself, his history, accomplishments and interests. Finally, he...