It is often difficult to take time to relax and enjoy a day with family and friends. Even when we have a big family dinner, I often hear friends complain that by the time they get to sit down, the … more

As part of a two-hour rant on Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared that the Oslo Accords signed with Israel almost 25 years ago were now dead. That was a false statement because those … more

The announcement from J Street that it plans to sponsor a free trip this summer for college-age students, to compete with the popular Birthright Israel program, provoked predictable outrage. Many … more

It started out as a normal Monday morning. I came down to the kitchen, made myself a cup of coffee and began to read the newspaper. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my … more

We all nod in agreement when we hear the phrase. We chuckle when we hear the anecdote about the Jew who was discovered after years of living alone on a desert island. His rescuers noticed that he had … more

One of the more fascinating family relationships in the Torah surrounds that of Yaakov with his wives, and that of the wives themselves with one another. The following discussion of parsha Vayetze is … more

After three years, the “Deal of The Century” has finally been revealed, generating some support from a number of Israel’s Muslim neighbors and opposition from some in the … more

The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and the government’s national security adviser is in Washington this week on an important mission that has failed even before it … more

There is a mystery at the heart of the biblical story of Abraham, and it has immense implications for our understanding of Judaism. Who was Abraham and why was he chosen? The answer is far … more

The Torah sometimes says something of fundamental importance in what seems like a minor and incidental comment. There is a fine example of this near the beginning of this parsha. In last … more