The Sages understood tsara’at , the theme of this week’s parsha, Metzora, not as an illness but as a miraculous public exposure of the sin of lashon hara , speaking badly about people. … more

The main course is a tasty, room-temperature side dish that you should make in advance so that when you are ready to grill, most of your meal is already prepared. I broil the eggplant slices in the … more

Matzah is as old as the Exodus. The flour and water cracker bread has a starring role in the saga, with the Jews leaving Egypt so quickly that they couldn’t let their bread rise. The … more

A United Nations fact-finding mission, charged with investigating Israel’s war against Hamas, concluded in a widely disseminated and exploited report that the Israel Defense Forces deliberately … more

I once interviewed former Israeli Ambassador to the US Zalman Shoval, who was in his 90s (he is approaching 94 this month). He had lived the entirety of Israel’s history, often in high … more

In a speech given on the cusp of Israel’s creation in January 1948, future Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, “There can be peace in Palestine in five minutes. It depends entirely … more

This is not how I grew up. My children are living a very different life than I had. When I was growing up, the only funerals that I attended were those of my elderly grandparents. In England, it … more

F or several years now, my media consumption habits have been guided in part by what I call my “escape routes.” As someone who spends his days immersed in reports and analysis of … more

Perhaps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t blowing smoke. After the announcement of a withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from southern Gaza, he pledged that a … more

T he primary focus of our parasha, Tazria, is the illness known as tzaraat . In his commentary on the Torah, the Rashbam presents the unique nature of this disease: All of the sections dealing … more