The very leaf that falls calls to the earth that births the seed in need of rain drops to bloom from the hibernating tomb of nature’s nesting life... more

By the time most of you will be reading this article, it will probably be over a cup of coffee, Shabbat morning. more

In 1897, Theodore Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. Though he defined himself as a secular Jew to whom Judaism was just an afterthought he gave form to a 2000 year old dream: the longing of the Jewish people to return home to the land of Israel. more

Crunch time! You know, the time when you figured you would basically be done with 90% of your Pesach preparations, and in reality you’ve just hit the 25% mark. Really, why is it we think this year is going to be different from last year or the year before? I think we should get credit for thinking we could be finished at this point. more

Last week’s deaths of seven Hamas terrorists in the collapse of a tunnel they were digging coincided with complaints by residents of an Israeli town near Gaza that underground digging has come … more

When we encounter the parshas of Tazria and Metzora, our thoughts typically run to lashon hara (speech that brings people down), which is argued by the Talmud (Arakhin 15-16) to be the main impetus … more

A decade after fighting the Second Lebanon War against the Islamist terror militia Hezbollah, Israel is again facing a buildup on its northern border, with the prospect of fresh hostilities … more

Eli Wiesel describes one of the most painful moments he ever experienced as a push from behind. Shouting, chaos, dogs barking and attacking, SS guards with guns shouting commands in German which … more

America is aging. Ten-thousand Baby Boomers turn 65 every day and there are now 75 million people aged 65 and older living active and healthy lives. There are many reasons that we are enjoying … more

Rabbi Avi Shafran, public information director of Agudath Israel of America, writes a weekly column for Hamodia, which declined to publish this submission. He posted it at RabbiAviShafran.com and it … more