I t was the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, that translated tsara’at, the condition whose identification and cleansing occupies much of Tazria and Metzora as … more

The words that come to me as I absorb with great sadness the sudden passing of Joseph Lieberman, of blessed memory, are from the verses describing his namesake, Joseph in ancient Egypt: How all who … more

What do you call a Jewish house of prayer? When was the State of Israel founded? Which cities in our country have the largest Jewish communities? These are just three of the 20 questions about … more

B eware the Ides of March. Not that Ides! This past Ides of March — give or take a few days. The infamy of that earlier Ides lives on, 2,068 years later, with a similar drama of betrayal, … more

It’s no surprise that one of Israel’s harshest critics in Washington doesn’t understand Judaism, even as he uses it to obscure his antisemitism. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the … more

Here we are, on the cusp of the holiday of Pesach that in every manner of theme and observance surely defines us as a people. To help us prepare to respond to our children who may questions the … more

Years ago, I had the opportunity to take a long-overdue vacation with my family in Walt Disney World. For our children, who had just spent the better part of a year dealing with the day-to-day … 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

Shemini tells the tragic story of how the great inauguration of the Tabernacle, a day about which the Sages said that G-d rejoiced as much as He had at the creation of the universe, was overshadowed … more

This year, a raging war, increased antisemitism, and trouble on our college campuses weighs heavily on all our minds. We struggle with so many issues, all the while praying … more