A standard question to ask an eight-year-old used to be, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Every child had an answer, which ranged from “fireman” to … more

He was an old man, and in many ways came from a very different world than I. And yet he taught me more than anyone else ever did. One of the things he taught me was that no one suffers as much as a … more

Distinctly sanctifying His name By Rabbi Avi Billet Issue of May 1, 2009/ 7 Iyar 5769 Over the course of one week, Jews around the world commemorate the destruction that was the … more

It is hard to imagine, looking down at the windswept desert floor far below, what it must have been like 2000 years ago, to be a Jewish rebel soldier atop the isolated fortress of Masada. What kept you going, as you gazed down at the might of three Roman Legions, bent on your destruction? more

There are a number of mitzvot associated with the Korban Pesach — the Paschal Lamb sacrifice that was first commanded in Egypt and eaten the night before the Exodus — that apply anytime the Korban Pesach is offered and eaten. One concerns how it is to be prepared: “Do not eat it raw or [very] cooked in water, but only roasted over fire; its head (on) its legs and (on) its internal organs” (Shmot, Bo, 12:9). more

There is an oft repeated quote, attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is to perform the same experiment over and over again, expecting different results” more

The verse in Yeshayahu 54:9 twice contains a curious phrase. “For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I … more

My interest in the relationship between a person and their clothing goes back to my early days in graduate school. I was taking a course on human personality, under the tutelage of a remarkably … more

There are two kinds of people.” I am sure that you all have heard one variation or another of that theme. We seem to have a well-ingrained habit of dividing people into two categories (for … more

One of the most amusing scenes in Anglo-Jewish history occurred on Oct. 14, 1663. A mere seven years had passed since Oliver Cromwell had found no legal bar to Jews living in England (hence the … more