This week’s portion, Re’eh, begins with Moshe’s dramatic presentation of the blessings and the curses, which seem at first glance to be all about the rewards and punishments that await us when we enter the land of Israel, just across the Jordan river: “Re’eh anochi noten lifneichem hayom brachah u’klalah…“See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. more

During the second Intifada, after a wave of violence broke out in Israel, our unit was called up for nearly forty days as part of an emergency draft order. It is difficult to describe how challenging it is to be completely uprooted from your life, literally overnight, with no idea of how long you will be needed, or when you will be able to get back to the routine of job and family. It was more than a challenge; it was often overwhelming. more

It was a glorious Shabbat morning, but truth be told, if I had been left to my own devices, I might have slept all day. But there at the edge of my bed was Benji with his older sister Abigail, … more

It was a blisteringly hot day, and the shade of the trees offered little respite for the 40 prisoners of the Waldkommando (forest brigade) whose job it was to cut down trees for lumber for the … more

More than what he was saying, it was his face that caught my attention. Flicking on the television absent-mindedly as I was getting dressed for a wedding, I came across the middle of a program on what, after a moment, I realized was a story from the Second Lebanon War. more

Jabalya. Anyone who has been there has no desire to go back. A nasty piece of real estate in the Gaza strip, Jabalya is a densely overpopulated refugee camp that is always waiting to explode, … more

Anger is one of life’s greatest challenges. Who can resist and overcome its formidable temptations? There is a fascinating moment in this week’s parsha of Vayishlach that demonstrates … more

I couldn’t help myself; a huge grin spread across my face, and I felt like dancing, and then that one terrible word escaped, the one I still remember: “Todah.” (“Thank you.”) I could tell I was in trouble as soon as the words left my lips; his eyes changed first, then his entire face, and then the glare we all feared, the one that meant you were about to get a serious work-out. more

As we approach Yom HaShoah (Holocaust memorial day on 27 Nissan), Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day on 3 Iyar) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day on 4 Iyar), Rabbi … 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