Memory foam, the Dust Buster, scratch-resistant glasses, Teflon, and other products developed as a result of the Apollo program were the least significant achievements of the moon landing fifty … more

I had to make an emergency run the other night. There were no wounds; it was not for Band-aids, Neosporin or hydrogen peroxide. It was for popsicles. In the sticky, sweltering New York … more

My wife’s maternal grandmother was a wise old woman. She was raised in the Old City of Jerusalem, where she accumulated wisdom from her family and the diverse Jerusalemites who lived all … more

In Parashat Pinchas, Moshe was in sight of the Angel of Death. Miriam had died. So had Aaron. G-d had told him “You too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was” … more

Both our parasha and Parashat Korach contain an expression that refers to Hashem’s unique knowledge of mankind: “the G-d of the spirits of all flesh” (Bamidbar 16:22 and … more

It is July again, so once again we have come to our vacation-favorite Italian restaurant — the one that makes amazing little garlic knots, crispy on the outside and fluffy soft on the … more

When I was growing up on New York’s Lower East Side, one of the greatest people, who was to become in our time one of America’s most prominent literary figures, was Herman Wouk. His … more

In 2006, Argentine government lawyers, led by federal prosecutor Alberto Nisman, formally named the eight leading Iranian officials who planned a bombing attack 12 years earlier, at 9:53 am on … more

A lot has happened since my last column! All my children were away in Israel (some with side trips to Moscow and Prague). I didn’t go away this summer, but I got to babysit my two … more

The plague is over, the story of Pinchas and Zimri Ahas reached its conclusion, and it is time for the Israelites to move on. G-d instructs Moshe to count the people, and in 26:4 he and Elazar … more