Unlike other religions, Judaism is founded upon moments of direct Divine revelation. Despite the infinite and non-physical nature of God, He reveals himself and His
For approximately 2,000 years, humanity was lost in theological confusion and moral mayhem. Finally, one great man uncovered the Creator of the universe and journeyed
Sadly, an entire planet had suffered total moral collapse and was tragically annihilated by the violent waters of the flood. Noach’s world disappears and humanity
Around 25 years ago, on Shabbat Bereishit, I attended a Friday night talk of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l, prior to Maariv prayers. These extensive wide-ranging
The holiday of Sukkot is flavored by two distinctly different mitzvot. The experience of four minim is the most aesthetically pleasing mitzvah and the arrangement
The dramatic story of Yonah being swallowed by a whale exhibits classic teshuva themes. An entire metropolis of Ninveh, condemned to death, ultimately rallies, repents
We often cluster Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur into one large experience: the days of solemnity and gravitas. Though the two days share much in
Parshat Ki Teitzei presents a seemingly harsh set of guidelines for inclusion within the Jewish people. Marriage is strictly limited to pedigreed Jews and, additionally,
The ancient pagan residents of Israel practiced widespread sorcery and black magic. Many of these rituals, including witchcraft, wizardry, necromancy and soothsaying, were aimed at
Pinchas is celebrated for his courageous intervention and is lavishly rewarded with priesthood. Indeed, special circumstances call for special measures, and his intrusion into this
Moshe’s initial daring message of redemption went unheeded by the Jewish population. The Torah describes the national state of kotzer ru’ach and avoda kasha; the
While Western civilization views history as evolutionary and open-ended, Judaism views it is cyclical and predetermined. At several points in our tefillah we recite the
