Parshas Vayishlach – Bar Mitzvah Blues
I hate bar mitzvahs. There, I said it. I know it sounds like a strange thing for a Rabbi to say, but I can’t help it. Despite the many meaningful bar mitzvahs …
Parshas Nitzavim/Vayelech – The Most Wonderful Time of Year
It’s that time of the year again. Shofars are blowing, apples are dipping, briskets are cooking, and honey is sticking. But, most importantly, G-d Himself is calling. With apologies to …
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Parshas Kedoshim – Pious Pleasures
A fancy house, a cool car, an exciting vacation, pleasurable intimacy, designer clothes, the best doctors and hospitals, power, information, and popularity. Think about it: How much time, money, and effort …
Parshas Shemini – Pure Pork
There is nothing more “treif” (non-kosher) than a pig. Pig has always represented the prototype of impurity, the quintessential “treif” (non-kosher) item. In Hebrew, the very word for pig has become a common …
Parshas Terumah – The Character of a Man
How can you know who someone really is? In what way can we get real insight into the strength of one’s character? Using a pithy alliteration, the Talmud gives us some advice …
Welcome Home!
This year, the recently completed festivals, always a time of joy, were even more joyous than usual. Why? Because he’s home. Gilad Shalit is home. Everyone’s son, everyone’s brother, is …
Parshas Acharie Mos – Let Freedom Ring
Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.(“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, mounted on the Statue of Liberty). We all yearn to breathe free, to …