by Rabbi Sender Haber | Jun 5, 2009
I have always said that when learning Gemara, it is worthwhile to look up the sources and learn the entire amud. President Obama quoted the Talmud (Gittin 59b) as saying “The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace”. The statement is based...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | May 26, 2009
In 1920 (or thereabouts) a car made its way down Rechov Yaffo. It was not the first car to arrive in Jerusalem or even the first car to drive down Rechov Yaffo, but it was unusual. All of the students, teachers and staff poured out of the Eitz Chaim Yeshiva to have a...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | May 13, 2009
Living a Torah life in a spiritual wasteland is like making a Minyan on an Airplane. Davening in shul can be inspiring for participants and spectators; Davening on a plane is often inspiring to neither. Reb Yosi Ben Kisma held that Torah should not be brought to...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | May 4, 2009
Makom Torah is a state of the mind, not a city on the map. The Mishna in Avos tells a story that should, on it’s surface, trouble any out-of-towner: “Said Rabbi Yossei the son of Kisma: Once, I was traveling and I encountered a man. He greeted me and I returned his...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | Apr 27, 2009
Azaleas are in bloom this week. Native Norfolkians claim that our city is uniquely suited for Azaleas. I haven’t found any scientific confirmation, but it has something to do with the cold winds from the north converging with the warmer southern wind off the bay....
