When the U.S. Army liberated Buchenwald concentration camp and began administering to the survivors, Rabbi Herschel Schachter, then chaplain of the U.S. Eighth army, stayed in the camp to attempt to create a Jewish experience for them. more

In this most dramatic of Torah portions, the opening pesukim (verses) read like storyboards of a film’s opening sequence of images around the locale where it is set. The people turn from going straight along the Mediterranean coast towards the Red Sea. Moshe is arranging the transfer of Yosef’s bones. They travel from Sukkos (first stop 12:37). We then see the people during the day being led by the Pillar of Clouds. In the dark of night, the Pillar of Fire provides the necessary light and protection. more

Walk into any Jewish home and ask yourself: What distinguishes it as a Jewish home? There is actually no ritual, biblical obligation concerning the Jewish home, save one: the mezuzah. One would expect to find this symbol, therefore, in the center of our homes, the living room or dining room. Yet we place our mezuzah in the doorway at the entrance to the home, a place we only pass through, never really stopping to focus on much of anything. more

The story of Balak and Bilaam is fascinating because it is indicative of an obsession that hasn’t waned in the history of mankind since the time of Avraham our forefather. more

The word terem or b’terem (just before) appears in the Torah close to 20 times, sometimes serving as a dramatic preposition enhancing a narrative tale, setting the stage for the … more

Holocaust survivor Marlit Wendel shared her incredible story with my students … more

None of us remembers exactly what it was we were supposed to have done, and what it was that had so enraged them, but our sergeants were on the warpath and it was clearly … more

We encounter the following pasuk toward the end of our parasha, Noach: “These are the generations of Terah, Terah was the father of Abraham, Nahor and Haran” (Bereishit 11:27). If you … more

There is a little known test that officer cadets undergo in one form or another during Infantry Officer’s training that they almost always fail, which is precisely the point. It takes many … more

A year ago, 17 families’ worlds and lives were turned upside down, as were the lives of countless relatives, friends and communities with the horrific shooting in Parkland, FL. A … more