Book collectors often have many books on their shelves that never move from their place. But sometimes it is the thin volume you never look at that contains gems of insight and wisdom. In recent years I have found this to be true of a book I purchased when I was in yeshiva. The author is Yeshayahu Moleyoff (not sure how that is spelled in English), and it is one volume on Bereshit (I don’t even know if he has more) called “Meotzarot Bereshit.” more

The essays by Rabbi Moshe Sokolow and Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik cited in last week’s essay prompted great interest, especially in the Bible commentary by Henry Ainsworth referenced by them. This prompted me to research this matter further and to bring to your attention a work written and published three years ago by British historian, Nick Bunker, entitled, “Making Haste From Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World” [Vintage Books, 2010]. more

Pope Francis on Tuesday released his widely anticipated first Apostolic Exhortation, which included a strong reaffirmation of dialogue with the Jewish people and an expression of regret for past anti-Semitism. more

An electrician turned Judaica artist has fused function and art in the cause of enhancing Jewish ritual, creating a three-foot tall copper-pipe menorah as an encore to his 12-sided sukkah. The menorah, like the sukkah, was erected for the Yavneh Minyan and Shulamith School for Girls in Flatbush. more

Blame it all on Jackie Chan. It would have been a normal Chanukah if not for Hong Kong’s legendary movie action hero. In 1998, as marketing director for a Manhattan-based agency that designed and produced postage stamps for 70 foreign governments, it was my job to come up with unusual promotions to make postage stamps marketable to collectors the world over. Prior to 1995, no living celebrities had ever been featured on a postage stamp due to strict global taboos — only royalty, and a handful of world leaders, had owned this privilege. more

It’s been four years since Alan Gross, an American subcontractor who was raised in New Hyde Park, was arrested and imprisoned in Cuba, and his life is in danger. On Dec. 3, 2009, Gross was planning to return to the U.S. the next day and had just hung up the phone after speaking with his wife when Cuban officials entered his hotel room and arrested him. He was held in a Havana prison for 14 months without charge. After a summary trial in March 2011, a Cuban court stated that his work there was an attempt to undermine the Cuban government by distributing communications systems not under government control. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. more

How bad is the deal that the Obama Administration made with Iran? It is so bad that leading Senate Democrats have attacked it. Within hours of the announcement that an agreement was made, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the No. 3 Senate Democrat, said he was “disappointed” by the pact and opined that Iran won more from the deal’s loosening of economic sanctions than the international community gained by slowing down the country’s nuclear program. more

Rabbi David Fohrman stands by the podium at the Young Israel of Woodmere and speaks with a clear intensity, self-effacing, folksy, stating the pshat (the text of the Torah). He points to a phrase here, a word there, drawing connections, linking 3,300 year old verses and suddenly it’s all clear and alive. Fohrman, an internationally renowned lecturer on biblical themes, is presenting a well-attended series of talks on Bereishit at 7 pm motzei Shabbat. The live classes are videotaped for use by Aleph Beta Academy, an online Jewish studies program. more

In Kabul, Afghanistan, he exhibited courage under fire. When he came to Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, he was teary eyed. Maj. David Chartier, commanding officer of the combat outpost Bala Hissar in Afghanistan was the keynote speaker at Rambam’s Annual Veteran’s Day Assembly. Since its inception in 1992, Rambam has paid tribute to American forces fighting abroad. more

For 11 fifth and sixth graders at HANC Plainview, election day was personal. more