The Gemara’s stories are very terse, but extremely rich. Each time we delve into them, we can uncover more and more insights and teachings from
Homo sapiens are unlike any other creature. Brushed by the Hand of God, we are formed in His image. We, alone, possess intelligence, consciousness, freewill,
I was playing baseball as a kid, covering left field, when the batter hit the ball…hard! I moved in to catch it, but realized I
The introductory subject of this week’s Torah reading concerns itself with vows and commitments that a person takes upon himself or herself willingly, by simply
Parshiyot Matot – Mas’ei This week’s haftarah, the second of the “t’lat d’pur’anuta — three haftarot of punishment,” that precede Tisha B’av, is taken from
Nearly two centuries after his petira, the great leader of world Jewry, Rav Moshe Sofer, “the Chasam Sofer,” remains a paradigm of how impactful a
“רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶן דּוֹסָא אוֹמֵר … כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. וְכָל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, אֵין חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת (אבות ג:ט): רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה
The Sages instituted many leniencies to permit the classical agunah, a woman whose husband has disappeared and cannot remarry without proof of death. How far
A change of scenery is always nice and our family really takes pleasure in coming to the Pocono Mountains each summer. Aside from enjoying being
Am Yisrael was at the banks of the Jordan River. The new generation of leaders had been appointed, and instructions regarding the division of the
In Parshat Matot, Bnei Yisrael go to battle against Midian, seeking vengeance for the 24,000 Jewish lives that perished due to the Midianites. Although Bnei
Every year, I am the one who says Kaddish for my mother-in-law on her yahrtzeit. This year, it falls out during the 12th month of
