“And the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth” ( Bamidbar12:3)

A close look at this unusual editorial comment by the Torah can yield important lessons about Moshe Rabbeinuas well as the middaof anava(humility). What does the Torah mean that Moshe was more humble than anyone

Rabbi Dr. Noam Weinberg, in an article posted on JewishIdeas.org, speaks of the need for today’s Jewish educators to be able to relate to their students. While some in the education community argue that it’s best for these teachers to model a lifestyle free from the impure influences of modern, secular society, Rabbi Weinberg disagrees. He suggests that, in the

Almost anyone who’s ever gone out on a date has some sort of “date story” about the nightmares they encountered when meeting someone for the purpose of spending their lives together. You’ll find dates who got arrested, ones who fell asleep, and everything in between. Perhaps my favorite date story is one that didn’t happen to me.

A friend who lived in

The 20th of day of the month of Sivan ( chof Sivan) has been designated by sages to be a day of fasting and commemoration of tragedies that befell the Jews of Western and Eastern Europe in different eras.

In 1171, tragedy struck the Jewish community of Blois France. A horrific blood libel accusation which had been leveled on several occasions in England

When you ask someone to stop gossiping it can get awkward. On one hand, you don’t like what the other person is doing. On the other hand, you don’t want to act as if you are better than your friend. So, you can say something, you can try and ignore what is being said, or you can run away screaming “My neshama! My neshama!” Assuming you want to

In a continuing effort to get to know our wonderful mechanchimand hear their opinions about important issues and concerns facing our school-aged children, the following question was asked of our panel:

Is it the responsibility of the rebbe or teacher to mechanech (educate) his students beyond the time of the classroom? Furthermore,

The latest TorahWeb.org Leil Iyun will take place at 8:00 PM on Sunday, May 12, at Bnai Yeshurun. It will feature Rav Hershel Schachter discussing “The Role of Mesorah and Consensus in Psak Halacha,” and Rav Michael Rosensweig addressing, “What Must a Jew Believe? Foundational Beliefs and Their Practical Implications.”

TorahWeb.org events, serving the

In March 2011, the New York Timesattempted to discover the happiest person in the world. Using a formula called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the paper found that the happiest person in the world is an Orthodox Jew. Is this shocking to you? If we can generalize from this individual, what is it about our lives as Orthodox Jews that makes us so

Perhaps the most fascinating halakha associated with the rabbinic commandment of daled kosotis mentioned in the first Mishna in Arvei Pesachim. The Mishnah (99b) states “…Even the poorest amongst Israel …must not drink less than the four cups of wine [on Pesach night] even if he/she [must receive a stipend] from the communal charity fund.”

The

One of the central themes of the episode of Har Sinaiis the immense unity that the Jewish people enjoyed as they encamped at the foot of the mountain. Rashi, in his famous comment citing the Midrash on the verse, Vayichan shom Yisroel neged ha har, extrapolates from the usage of the singular vayichanrather than the plural

Sometimes, when it’s late at night and the whole world is still, you can feel like you’re the only one alive.  As you roam around, you can sense the solitude, taste the peace and quiet, and usually, you go to the kitchen for a midnight snack.  Okay, so maybe that’s just me, and for some reason, I imagine that those of you who know me aren’t

One of the interesting paradoxes of human life is our tendency to copy one another and to try to “fit in” with friends and acquaintances, while simultaneously trying to be distinct from others, and to be our “own person.”

The pressures of conformity are very strong in all human societies. People who are different are often treated as outcasts. And each