We all have different ways of celebrating life and the great joy we are able to derive from it. For some a fulfilling life includes buying a small house that has been perfectly livable for those who lived in it for the past 30 years and tearing it down to upgrade all of the living quarters with the most modern features and

Every year, I print a camp newsletter one week instead of my usual column, and I feel like I’ve been neglecting a very special kind of camp—Mommy Camp. So here goes:

Wow! Yet another exciting week here at Camp S’dei Home! Between all the games, trips, crafts, laundry, and bugging the kids to spend

Believe it or not, some Orthodox sleepaway camps actually have a staff position titled “Director of Chesed.” This is a truly wonderful development because it reflects a camp’s commitment to a summer experience that is about more than just Color War, day-trips, late-night raids and bug juice. By installing a Director of Chesed, these

God wants us to enjoy life. This week’s Torah portion (12:20-25) tells us that it’s perfectly fine to desire and enjoy good food, etc., as long as we keep God and spirituality in mind as we do it. The Torah way isn’t to reject the pleasures of life, rather to enjoy them in healthy moderation.

In

In this parsha, Moshe discusses all the laws of kosher food and tells us which animals and fish we are allowed to eat. One thing we are allowed to eat is chicken. So let’s make one of my favorite chicken recipes: fire poppers!

Fire Poppers

Dear Shayna B.,

My aunt told me she’s moving back from California. She’s gonna stay with us. I find her very annoying. What should l do?

Dear Ayla,

Just think of all

Just one week ago it was impossible not to think about Ben & Jerry’s. Except unlike any other time, it was not because of a Cherry Garcia craving. Friends, politicians, influencers and the Jewish community at large made it known that the ice cream purveyor, now owned by Unilever, announced they would stop

There’s no doubt that Arabs have lived in the Holy Land for many hundreds of years. You can’t blame them for making claims to some of the land.

Arabs today control about 97% of the Middle East, and Palestinian Arabs represent about 70% of the population of Israel’s neighbor, Jordan.

Rabbi Sacks, zt’’l, had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book ‘Lessons in Leadership.’

“If only you would listen to these laws…” (Deut. 7:12). These words with which our parsha begins contain a verb that is a fundamental motif of the book

Crafting Excellent Divrei Torah

Preparing a sharp dvar Torah that will be well-received by one’s audience is quite challenging. One must begin with a compelling question. An out-of-the-box and unexpected query grab the audience’s attention; otherwise, they tune out very

Parshat Eikev

It was a little girl, I recall, perhaps 3 or 4 years old, who broke down in tears in the middle of a department store when she couldn’t find her mother. “What happened, little girl?” the security guard asked her, “Did you lose your mother?” The child responded immediately “NO!

The Mishnah (Sukkah 25a) relates that one engaged in a mitzvah is exempt from the obligation to sit in a sukkah. Thus, when Rav Nachman sat Rabba b. Rav Huna and Rav Chisda in a sukkah they deemed invalid, they didn’t object since they were attending the Exilarch’s pirka (learning event; Sukkah 10). Similarly, the pair slept on the Sura