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

One of the best-known passages in the entire Torah is that of Birkat Kohanim (the Blessing of the Kohanim): The L-rd spoke to Moses saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them:“May the L-rd bless you and watch over you. May the L-rd cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you. May the L-rd raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.” more

Seems like yesterday that I wrote about the chocolate cheesecake truffles recipe for Shavuot....oh, wait a minute it was yesterday that I wrote about it. Shavuot falling on a Tuesday, necessitated all columns to be in a week in advance, so that the paper would be published before Yom Tov. I’m more of a last minute, “Judy we need the column, we’re about to go to press” kind of person. 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

R. Shalom Isaac Mizrachi (Divrei Shalom Responsa YD 9) was asked a question: If a person slaughtered an animal but did not cover the blood, is the meat of the animal permitted to be eaten? He begins his answer quoting the Shulchan Arukh, who says there is a mitzvah to cover the blood (based on Vayikra 17:13), and the Rama who says that mitzvah is separate from the valid slaughtering which is still good even if he deliberately did not cover the blood. 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

Rabbi Moshe Taragin, in an interesting essay entitled, “A Desert Gift” [vbm.org/Shavuot], writes an interesting thesis on the importance of the venue of the desert for the revelation at Mt. Sinai. One series of very perceptive observations caught my attention and I wish to share them with you. Quoting from the Midrash Bamidbar 1:1, Rabi Taragin cites the following: “Whoever does not transform himself into hefker as a desert cannot acquire the inner wisdom of Torah.” more

After the Torah describes the order and population of how the Israelites traveled in the desert, we are told of how the tribe of Levi was not counted with everyone else, nor did they travel amongst the people. Their camp was around the Mishkan, and their jobs focused on breaking down, carrying and reconstructing the Mishkan as per the travels of the nation. more

Seems like I was just writing my last article about my impending cruise and here I am back on my computer in my den…a far cry from the 4,000 passenger cruise liner I was on. For those of you who were never on a cruise ship, there are a variety of cabins you can choose from, the best being suites, then balcony cabins followed by cabins with portholes you can view the ocean through, and, finally, the “inside” cabin, with no sign of daylight, along with no room to move around in. 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