In the twentieth century, Jewish Orthodoxy experienced a golden age of leaders and teachers who sought to bridge the world of Torah and that of the West. Some of these Torah figures were deeply … more

For the last few weeks the exchanges have been the same “Shanna Tova” or my favorite, “gut g’benched yur,” as my grandparents used to say. They were very good at … more

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are festivals that ask us how we have lived thus far. Have we drifted? Have we been travelling to the wrong destination? Does the way we live give us a sense of … more

In a few days we will be standing before Hashem on Rosh Hashana. Each of us will ask our Creator’s forgiveness for sins we committed over the course of the preceding year. Since this is the … more

Sometimes even the corniest of old jokes has a profound lesson to teach us.   “How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?” “Just one. But it has to … more

Arguably the most enigmatic of the names of Rosh Hashana is Yom Hazikaron. What is being remembered and who is remembering? When we read through the selichot, particularly those of the Aseret … more

Everywhere I turn, I see a country that has neither been made “great again” nor is respected as the protector of human rights and the ingatherer of the downtrodden … more

The former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, Jonathan Sacks, has come in for some stick over remarks he recently made about religion and politics. In an interview with JTA published in last … more

When I’m not in Israel, I don’t usually pay much attention to its weather. But an item last week about rainfall in the Holy Land caught my eye. It deserves the attention not only of … more

Speak to policy analysts or policy-makers about the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and you’ll frequently encounter a series of truisms. For example, that Jordan is both a friend of the West … more