Purim was subdued for many due to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, the trauma of Oct. 7 and the massive rise in antisemitism driven by the pro-Hamas fifth column in many countries. Several … more

L ike much of sefer Vayikra, our parasha, Tzav, focuses on the korbanot . Accordingly, the second verse presents the mitzvah of the korban olah: “Command ( tzav ) Aharon and his sons, … more

Purim is now behind us and the next time we are going to witness a full moon is exactly one month from now, Pesach. With that exciting thought in mind, I was taken by an essay by Dr. Adele Berlin in … more

T he world did not know that he was a mystic. He was an accomplished diplomat, who knew how to deal with people in positions of great power. Some characterized him as a shrewd, and even manipulative, … more

In “The Watchman’s Rattle,” subtitled “Think- ing Our Way Out of Extinction,” Rebecca Costa delivers a fascinating account of how civilizations die. When their problems … more

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s obscene call on the Senate floor on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ouster from power was the latest sign that … more

Collisions are often unintentional. Bumping into someone as you walk down a busy thoroughfare with one eye on your cell phone or scraping a parked car as you reverse along a narrow street are … more

Once upon a time, Achashverosh, the King of Persia, had his wife Vashti killed for failing to attend a banquet. Then he chose a beautiful Jewish woman named Esther to be his new Queen. He also … more

Every ending is a new beginning. When we conclude each of the five books of the Torah (as we did last week) the reader leads the congregation in the refrain “chazak chazak … more

With every day that passes, it becomes ever clearer that Western civilization is no longer civilized. Israel’s war of defense against a genocidal enemy is an inflection point in the … more