Other than former current events, nothing dates a Jewish book more than when discussing or quoting a deceased great rabbi with “Rabbi So and So, Shlit’a, says…” The … more

What an extraordinary way to the Book of books, with Moses seeing the Promised Land from Mount Nebo, tantalizingly near yet so far away that he knows he will never reach it in his lifetime. The … more

There are a number of mitzvoth which appear in the Torah multiple times: Shabbat, holidays, kosher animals, Shmittah (Sabbatical year), Eved Ivri (Hebrew servant), not to “cook a kid in its mother’s milk.” Sometimes there are differences in the repetition, and the repetition usually serves a purpose. more

Our parasha, Balak, contains one of the most famous pesukim in the Torah: “How goodly are your tents, O Yaakov, your dwelling places, O Yisrael!” (Bamidbar 24:5). Basing himself on Bava … more

In the last two weeks, I’ve been seeing a mix of reactions to the tragic massacre at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh. I don’t know how many people are living on the edge, … more

There was a time when I was fascinated by the great psychoanalytic thinkers, chief among them Sigmund Freud, whose attitude towards his Jewish origins piqued my curiosity. Although … more

In one of the opening statements of his essay “The Lonely Man of Faith,” Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik writes, “The nature of the dilemma can be stated in a three-word sentence. I am … more

By Rabbi Avi Billet Issue of Dec. 25, 2009 / 8 Tevet 5769 As soon as Paroh learns of the arrival of Yosef's family, he invites them to return to Canaan merely to bring their father and … more

Sometimes, things seem so obvious you start to wonder why you are the only one who seems to get it. Last week, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich got it, and it was nice to realize we are not alone. more

Sometimes, the experiences that impact us the most are the ones we almost miss. After finishing my regular army service, I was back in yeshiva, having recently begun my studies for the Israeli Rabbinate, on my way to the beit midrash (study hall) when I encountered a student whose face I did not recognize; he appeared to be upset, and looked as though he had been crying. I asked him if he was OK, and he nodded in the affirmative. more