This week’s parasha, the third from the book of Devorim, is Ekev, where we learn of the sole Biblical source for the mitzva to recite Birkat Hamazon, the Grace After Meals. The third prayer … more

Here’s a good Torah trivia question: How do we know there was a river flowing down Mt. Sinai? Because it says so in the Torah (Devarim 9:21). In the context of describing the events … more

When presidential adviser Jared Kushner said in a recent private discussion that “there may be no solution” to the conflict between the Palestinian Arabs and Israel, he was just stating … more

Our Torah learning tradition is based upon the teaching of the Torah text with commentary. Without the commentary of our sages, the Torah text, standing alone, would not be understood. This … more

The phrase, “And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d,” appears twice in the Torah — the first instance is in our parsha, Vaetchanan (6:5), and the second is found in Eikev (11:1). … more

In the middle of Devarim Chapter 4, in this week’s parsha Vaeschanan, Moshe describes a future when the people abandon G-d in pursuit of idols: “G-d will spread you among the nations, and … more

I close my eyes and I’m there: a moment full of sound and fury and signifying … everything. Bullets flying everywhere, smoke grenades making it difficult to see, M-203 grenade … more

One of President Trump’s objectives during his May trip to the Middle East was to convince Palestinian Authority President Abbas to stop paying “blood money” to terrorists. Sadly, … more

So goes the legend in Jewish tradition: There were two brothers who together worked the earth on a piece of land they had inherited from their father. The brothers loved one another dearly. When … more

As I sit down to write this week’s column, I’m thinking about what I will eat before and after the fast (I’d rather not think about the fasting part). Jerry, on the other hand, … more