The phrase is practically a cliché at this point, but it is inescapably true that we find ourselves in very difficult times. These are times that challenge those who have lost a loved one in the most unimaginable ways and circumstances that challenge us all to adjust to a new “normal,” one that leaves usRead More...
A Sukkos Message for Finding Happiness When Thomas Jefferson was tapped to draft the Declaration of Independence, he famously included something as an “inalienable right” that wasn’t a right or priority before in a world that people were simply striving to survive. Every citizen of the United States of America, Jefferson concluded, will have theRead More...
*This article appeared in Mishpacha Magazine on April 10, 2019 The Jewish People are suffering through the servitude of Egypt. After being oppressed and persecuted for an extended period of time, they finally receive a message of redemption: Moshe relays the promise that Hashem will take them out, rescue them, and take them to the PromisedRead More...
According to management gurus, routine not only helps efficiency and productivity but also creativity. Many successful creative people swear by the routines they formed: author Stephen King famously sits down to write at the same time every morning. Routine is also a hallmark of many big thinkers: Geniuses like Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein liked to wear the same thing everyRead More...
The Mishna in Sukkah (29b) teaches that a stolen lulav and a dried out lulav are disqualified from fulfilling the mitzvah. The problem with a stolen lulav is evident: how could one possibly fulfill a mitzvah through an inherently corrupt and unethical action? The invalidity of a dry lulav, however, requires closer analysis. After all,Read More...
Pesach is all about talking. The Talmud tells us that matzah is called lechem oni, the bread of answering, since it is the bread upon which we declare many things. There is a specific mitzvah to tell the story of Exodus. We are encouraged not to be succinct, but rather, “It is praiseworthy to dwellRead More...
Don’t Forget Where You Came From “Don’t forget where you came from.” It is often said at graduations, it’s the title of a country music song, and many successful people include it on their list of the most important things to remember. And yet, when Yosef HaTzadik ascends to great heights and power in Egypt,Read More...
This article first appeared on aish.com On April 11, 1944, a young Anne Frank wrote in her diary: Who has made us Jews different from all other people? Who has allowed us to suffer so terribly until now? It is God Who has made us as we are, but it will be God, too, whoRead More...
“Mosquito tone” is a 17 KHz sine wave that teenagers use on their cell phone to alert them when they’ve got a text message so the teachers can’t hear it. Studies say that most adults can’t hear much above the 13-14KHz range, but teenagers can. Our ability to hear high frequencies falls as we age.Read More...
If your Seder looks anything like the typical one, you likely have young kids fighting over giving every single Dvar Torah they prepared in school, adults offering technical and complicated vortelach (Torah thoughts), someone napping on the couch due to drinking the four cups too zealously, and more than one person complaining that they spentRead More...
Now that Purim is behind us, the countdown to Pesach has officially begun, complete with its angst, anxiety, stress, and exhaustion. Sadly, many people associate Pesach with backbreaking work, exorbitant expenses, endless preparation, and bread deprivation. It is not unusual to hear moans, groans, and krechts coming from both men and women when mentioning theRead More...
Milton Friedman, the great Nobel Prize-winning economist and professor at the University of Chicago, had a very simple suggestion for how to identify a person or institution’s priorities. Many people eloquently describe their beliefs, values, and principles and talk about what is most important to them. Friedman advised to ignore what they say. If youRead More...
According to the 2013 Pew study, while only 23% of American Jews said they attend religious services at least monthly, 70% reported that they participate in a Seder on Passover. More than any other holiday, Pesach brings family together. These reunions are often filled with promise and hope of quality time that will yield onlyRead More...
A husband and wife are getting ready to go to sleep. The wife is ready to close her eyes and her husband stands staring at himself in the full-length mirror. “What’s the matter with you?” she says. Come to sleep already.” He turns to her and says, “Look at this, I am so depressed. AllRead More...
A woman in her seventies had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. She had the opportunity to ask Hashem, “Is my time up?” Hashem answered directly, “No, you have another 23 years, 2 months and 8 days to live.” Given that,Read More...
“Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” “I do.” Though there wasn’t formal training for this in Rabbinical school, over my career I have appeared in court on behalf of others at least a few dozen times. OftenRead More...
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress of the newly formed United States of America convened a committee to design what would become our Great seal, our emblem and the symbol of our sovereignty. The committee was comprised of three of the five men who had drafted the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin andRead More...
Now that Purim is behind us, the countdown to Pesach has officially begun, complete with its angst, anxiety, stress, and exhaustion. Sadly, many people associate Pesach with backbreaking work, exorbitant expenses, endless preparation, and bread deprivation. It is not unusual to hear moans, groans, and krechts coming from both men and women when mentioning theRead More...
A husband and wife are getting ready to go to sleep. The wife is ready to close her eyes and her husband stands staring at himself in the full-length mirror. “What’s the matter with you?” she says. Come to sleep already.” He turns to her and says, “Look at this, I am so depressed. AllRead More...
Please forgive me if I don’t send a mass email or group text message or Facebook post asking everyone for mechila. Also forgive me if I see you in the next few days and don’t shoot a “I am mocheil you, I hope you are mocheil me” your way. I will not be doing so,Read More...
Among the truly sweet things about the New Year are the heartwarming greetings and salutations being exchanged everywhere. It is heartening to have our mailboxes filled with Rosh Hashana cards, our inboxes filled with Rosh Hashana emails, and our Facebook timelines filled with Rosh Hashana wishes and blessings, even if they are not as personalRead More...
The word Pesach alone invokes conflicting emotions. On the one hand, we dread the hard work, labor-intensive cleaning, shopping, cooking, preparing, and of course the exorbitant expense involved. On the other hand, we hear the word Pesach and we immediately picture our grandparents and parents, our family’s Seder songs and tunes, we nostalgically remember theRead More...
Every year, on the first two nights of Pesach, I look out in Shul and have the same thought: This is not what the Rabbis meant when they instructed us to re-live the Exodus. Halacha dictates that Kiddush at the Seder cannot begin until after nightfall, leaving a significant gap in between the conclusion ofRead More...
House & Home – what is the difference between the two? We say home sick and not house sick, but we say house sitting not home sitting. We say hometown and not house town, but we say house rich and not home rich. We say home field not house field, yet we say house coatRead More...
The Jewish holidays are often associated, for many of us with family, particularly grandparents. As each holiday comes around, I can still hear my Bobe and Zada, Grandma and Grampa sharing their aphorisms and adages with me as if they were here. Each year at this time they would remind me, as I am sureRead More...
The Declaration of Independence grants us freedom and liberty, incredible blessings that we benefit from every single day while living in this great country. Interestingly, the emphasis is on a liberty that allows for the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, the capacity to serve our own interests, pursue our own needs and satisfy our own happinessRead More...
If your Seder looks anything like the typical one, you likely have young kids fighting over giving every single Dvar Torah they prepared in school, adults offering technical and complicated vortelach (Torah thoughts), someone napping on the couch due to drinking the four cups too zealously, and more than one woman complaining that they spentRead More...
“Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” “I do.” Though there wasn’t formal training for this in Rabbinical school, over my relatively short career I have appeared in court on behalf of others at least a few dozenRead More...
I once went to get my passport renewed and when they offered me a date for my renewal appointment I looked at my calendar and saw it would be Shavuos. I told the woman I couldn’t come then because it would be the Jewish holiday of Shavuos. She asked me to wait a minute andRead More...
The countdown to Pesach has officially begun complete with its angst, anxiety, stress and exhaustion. Tragically, many people associate Pesach with backbreaking work, exorbitant expenses, endless preparation, and bread deprivation. It is not unusual to hear moans, groans and krechts coming from both men and women when mentioning the upcoming holiday. Most describe themselves asRead More...
Imagine the following scene playing out on CSPAN: On a specific day of the year, the Supreme Court justices together with the member of Congress take copies of the United States Constitution and dance around the floor of the House of Representatives while singing, clapping and lifting the law books high in the air. WithRead More...
Zman simchaseinu, Sukkos as a time of great joy, took on a whole new meaning this year with the announcement that Gilad Shalit will be released in the next few days. After 5 years languishing in a Hamas dungeon in an undisclosed location with absolutely no visits or contact from family, the people of IsraelRead More...
This week, I received an email from one of the many Jewish organizations who have me on their list. The subject line was the usual Rosh Hashana salutation and well wishes. Indeed, the email began in the familiar fashion – “as the year comes to a close, it is natural for each of us toRead More...
On Thursday morning, together with close to 900 others Rabbis from across denominations, I participated in a pre-Rosh Hashana conference call with the President. As the operator of the call made introductory remarks, I was reminded of a great insight my colleague and good friend, Rabbi Gibber shared with me following last year’s call ofRead More...
