This sedra, Tzav, speaking about sacrifices, prohibits the eating of blood: “Wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird … more

I noticed the jeep in the distance almost immediately; it was impossible to miss. We were on maneuvers deep in the Negev desert, and there was nothing around but us. Sure enough, 20 minutes … more

Parshat Zachor has a bit of a cult following. People who are not necessarily strict to hear Torah readings in general will run to shul to hear Parshat Zachor. Many synagogues have multiple readings … more

Human beings will go against every natural instinct for reasons that often cannot be explained. We will give away our food, despite being hungry, when others are in need. We will give another our … more

Three different individuals inspired me to write this week’s column. One was a newspaper editor who “dared” to censor a sentence in one of my submissions. The other was a very wise …. One was a newspaper editor who “dared” to cen more

The Five Books of the Torah contain two instances of the phrase, “vayikra Hashem el Moshe,” “and Hashem called to Moshe.” The first appears in Shemot 24:16, in the context of … more

The American Declaration of Independence speaks of the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Recently, following the pioneering work of Martin Seligman, founder of … more

In a cattle car in Poland, in the summer of 1942, Reb Azriel Dovid Fastag, a composer for the Modzitzer Rebbe, was headed to his death in Treblinka. Over a hundred Jews, forced to stand for days on … more

Our parasha contains the final verse of Sefer Shemot: “For the cloud of the L-rd was upon the Mishkan by day, and there was fire within it at night, before the eyes of the entire house of … more

Pekudei has sometimes been called the accountant’s parsha, because it begins with audits of the money and materials donated to the Sanctuary. But beneath the dry surface lie two extraordinary … more