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

Originally published July 16, 2010 Every week now for the past half year there seems to be no letup in the growing quarrels between the diverse groups within the Orthodox Jewish spectrum and … more

This week’s haftarah for parashat Devarim is taken from the first chapter of Sefer Yeshayahu. As befitting the Shabbat immediately before Tisha b’Av, much of its message is very dark and … more

As the history of the Israelites in the wilderness is reviewed in Devarim, an interesting trend is presented. The nations of Eisav, Moav and Ammon are treated as closer than brothers with … more

Visit Yad Vashem , Israel’s national Holocaust museum, and wander off to the paths behind the plaza dedicated to the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and you will come across an actual cattle car, one of … more