For most of our readers, the name Nathan Lopes Cardozo has a non-Jewish, exotic ring. Nevertheless, when you read on you will discover that with his name comes a gentleman whose legacy and ancestry bespeaks of a personal history that legends are made of. more

From the day of the Revelation on Sinai, it was an accepted fact that Jews lived according to the mitzvos of the Torah. But Mendele Sokolover was not satisfied with the mere observance of mitzvos. He was searching for more than that. He was searching for what he called a “real Jew.” more

This year we are witnessing the publication of several new English language commentaries on the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar that will definitely warrant your attention. This essay will be the first in a series on this topic. more

Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld emigrated to Eretz Yisrael from Hungary in 1873 and settled in the Old City of Yerushalayim. Once settled, he meticulously refrained from remaining outside the walls of the Old City for more than thirty days. more

With the counting of Sefirah just about to end, the festival of Shavuot commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai can not be too far behind. In fact the observance of this briefest of holidays is the exact culmination of the Sefirah count and the climax of the historic link between Pesach, the Exodus, and Shavuot and the giving of the Torah. more

Ir David, the City of David, the name of the area beyond the southern edge of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, is fast becoming one of the most visited historic sites in Jerusalem, thus warranting discussion this week upon the annual observance of Yom Yerushalayim. Ir David is the original hill top upon which was established the ancient unified capital of the Jewish nation by King David over 3000 years ago. more

Recently I came across an out of print copy of “Karl Marx and the Radical Critique of Judaism” [Littman Library, 1978] by Prof. Dr. Julius Carlebach, himself a victim of National Socialism and whose parents Rabbi Yosef Zvi Carlebach and Charlotte Carlebach were murdered at their hands. This book closely examines Marx’s absolute hatred of the Jewish people and religion, and goes into great detail in explaining the various methods employed by Marx to justify his bigotry in terms of class warfare and economic philosophy. more

The Baal Shem Tov set out for Eretz Yisrael many times, but each time, his plans were thwarted by some unforeseen circumstance. Once the axle of his carriage cracked, once the boat upon which he traveled encountered terrible storms on the high seas and the captain refused to continue the voyage until the weather subsided. Eventually, he came to the realization that it was not destined for him to see the Holy Land. Nevertheless, he encouraged his disciples to make the trip, so they might be privileged to walk where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah had walked. more

With last week’s Torah reading encompassing a summary of the essence of the Ten Commandments and with Lag Ba’omer this coming Sunday, we are each day becoming ever more mindful of the oncoming of the festival of Shavuot, the holiday commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. This week’s essay is themed to this event that defines the core of our faith and very existence. more

Comments by two friends of mine concerning the link between the recently deceased former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and the Jewish people prompts this week’s review; this time, a review of essays, not of books. more