The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 58:3) states, “Reb Akiva was teaching Torah and saw that his students were falling asleep. To awaken them, he asked, “Why did Esther rule over 127 countries? It’s because her ancestor Sarah lived 127 years.” The Chidushei HaRim zt’l explains that...
Can I buy non-kosher pet food to feed my pets? Yes. You can purchase non-kosher pet food. However, make sure that the pet food is not Basar B’chalav. This is because there is a prohibition...
The Torah in Parashat Hayeh-Sara tells the story of Eliezer, the trusted servant of Abraham Abinu, who was sent to find a suitable wife for Abraham’s son, Yishak. Abraham told Eliezer to go to his homeland, Aram Naharayim,...
On a recent Friday afternoon, my friend Chayale received a surprise gift package – a bottle of wine and a cake. She wasn’t expecting Shabbos guests. It wasn’t her birthday or anniversary. Her curiosity...
How Is Your Marriage? “How is your marriage?” Someone once asked a woman. Her response: “Before I got married, I was incomplete. Now, that I married, I am finished.” Sara’s passing This week’s parsha commences with the sad story of the sunset...
And Yitzchak went out to meditate (daven) in the field towards the evening. Bereishis 24:63 Although the common practice among the Jewish people is to daven Shemoneh Esrei in a very quiet voice and that is what we...
Marriage? Romantic. The source? Not so much! The Torah describes that a man gets married by “taking” a wife (Devarim 24:1). What does “taking” entail? Chazal note the appearance of that same word, “taking,” by Avraham’s purchase of Me’aras...
INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds thinly sliced chicken cutlets 1/2 cup flour Salt and pepper to taste 2 pints cherry tomatoes 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olive 1/4 cup capers 1/2 cup white wine DIRECTIONS: All the flavors I...
I still remember a slogan from a well- known public service announcement from my youth: “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” Simple yet profound, it captured the essence of true friendship: stepping in when someone else’s choices could cause harm. That...
One of the most antisemitic figures in the world today— responsible in no small part for the sharp rise in antisemitism in recent years—is the rapper Kanye West. He wrote songs such as “Heil Hitler,” and the like, which...