A year ago, the world of Jewish academia suffered an irreplaceable loss with the passing of Prof. Robert Wistrich, the head of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of … more

The June 8 terrorist massacre in Tel Aviv exposed all five of the major myths that cloud discussions of Israel and the Palestinians. Myth #1: “The problem is the settlements” This … more

One of the laws discussed in Parshat Naso concerns the Nazir – a person, man or woman, who chooses to remove himself or herself from society to a limited degree, through not consuming wine and … more

One of the best-known passages in our parsha, and the entire Torah, is that of Birkat Kohanim: “The L-rd spoke to Moses saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall … more

When my son was married last year, and I went through all the planning stages, and I promised myself that I would never attend another wedding without realizing all the work that goes into its … more

I was in a taxicab in Israel around the time of the second intifada and the driver was talking about … more

I recently heard a wonderful story by a flight attendant who, after being throttled by one too many rude comments, was starting to think she needed to change careers. Then a passenger had a heart … more

Tel Aviv terror attack shatters five myths The June 8 terrorist massacre in Tel Aviv exposed all five of the major myths that cloud discussions of Israel and the Palestinians. Myth #1: … more

Since this is the fourth Shavuot that I’m writing this column, and I’ve exhausted all my Shavuo stories, I’m going to do something novel and honor the original intent of this … more

Shavuot begins on Saturday night, and since one cannot begin preparing for the holiday before Shabbat ends anyway, the point being raised here about beginning Shavuot early is a non-issue in 2016. … more