Articles:
Not Just Tenderloin Steak
In Israel and the world over we are mourning the loss of innocent and wonderful Jews. Children and teenagers are cut down by forces of evil. The tragedies are at times unspeakable. How can we respond? Esau anguished Yaakov in injuring his thigh. Esau's descendants...
It Begins at Home
This week’s Dvar Torah is dedicated to Mrs. Toby Singer who passed into Gan Eden this past week. Growing up in Buffalo, NY, Mrs. Singer’s home was my second home. She taught me by example about Judaism, Torah and life. It was there that I learned about the light of...
Integrity; Living Like a Jew
Avrohom Avinu is often referred to as ‘the first Jew’. He stood out from the masses in one important way. He searched for truth. He lived by the truth. He always did what was right. “Avraham, from his earliest childhood, began his own intellectual search for truth and...
The Hero
Abraham in his life time endured ten great challenges. He withstood them all. (Pirkei Avos 5) Abraham was not the first human being to be tested by G-d. Adam and Eve were also tested; but they were not able to stand up to God’s test. The generations following Adam...
Tradition vs. Creativity
Adam and Eve had three sons. The first two were the famous Cain and Abel. The third is introduced in the following manner. "When Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image [bid'muso k'tsalmo], and named him Seth" (Gen. 5:3). Similar...
From Tallis to Timberlands
There is an old story about a man who attended Daf Yomi and knew just how to build a sukkah. He bought his lumber, marked off the shiurim, measured for lavud, made his plumb line. He followed the Gemara exactly and was very proud of his perfect sukkah. With a big...
Where are the Pashkevil?
Pashkevil are protest posters that are pasted on walls. They are particularly common in Jerusalem as a means of conveying directives to the public. I had the privilege of living in Jerusalem. Everyday there are posters about a new threat or problem facing the Jewish...
The Quest For Jerusalem
On a spiritual voyage, the expedition, the trek, searching, yearning, finding it and just getting there, is the mission in and of itself! If we would know where it is then it wouldn’t be as holy.
It’s Hug Time
The three weeks and the nine days are behind us and the High Holidays are not yet here. So, it’s party time. Concerts, barbecues, hiking and a lot of junk food in the Mountains. The Catskills have the feel of a Jewish Woodstock. It is a break between crisis and...
The Jewish Neshama
Some years ago while serving as a Rabbi in Buffalo, New York I remember standing at my place in Shul, Sunday morning, seeing the large oak door to the Shul open a crack. There at the door was an elderly woman, a member of the congregation, who was motioning for me to...
“We Need Our Space”
"We love Torah and we love G-d, but we can't live together with the rest of the Jewish people. We are willing to support you, teach you, do business with you; we'll even fight in your wars! But we need our own space." These were the words of the leaders of Gad and...
Finding our Moment – the Lesson of Pinchas
How to draw energy from deep within us to do what is right. The lesson of Pinchas is to be able to do what is right at that moment, no matter what everyone in the world thinks.
The Cow of Infinity
The Parah Adumah or Red Heifer is the classic example of a Mitzvah which is beyond our comprehension. As described in the Bamidbar (19:1-22), the cow had to be slaughtered outside the camp and its blood sprinkled in the direction of the holy of holies in the...
Greatness: A Jewish Definition
Determination and strong backbone can be the ingredients of true greatness or it can be the prelude to stupidity. I watched a documentary while on vacation. It made such an impression on me that I must share the inspiration. "Into Thin Air" is a gripping account of...
The Divine Mitigating Factor
According to the Wex Legal Dictionary the definition for Mitigating Factor is “any fact or circumstance that lessens the severity or culpability of a criminal act. Mitigating factors include an ability for the criminal to reform, mental retardation, an addiction to...
When Blessings Conflict
A dream is the first step of any new venture. We see a vision for our lives, our families, our community and the world we live in. We dream about how the world can be improved, and of the contribution that we can make. I personally dream of a life of Torah and a home...
The Cry of The Shofar
I recently came across the ‘tzavaa’, or the ethical will of Rav Menachem Mann Shach OBM, famed Rosh Yeshivah of Ponevez. This document was written when the Rav was over one hundred years old. The Rosh Yeshiva reflects on the whole of his long life and the possibility...
Defining Greatness – Emor
In Kedoshim, the portion of the Torah that teaches us how to be holy, we learned that being a holy person, is primarily focussed on interpersonal relationships. The classic themes of holiness refer to asceticism, a serious demeanor, and so on, may be part of the...