In his preface to this week’s review selection, “The Power of Aleinu” by Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit [Judaica Press, 2011], Rabbi Yisrael Reisman stated that, “It is the custom of Klal Yisrael to recite Aleinu in the middle of the Shemonah Esrei on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. more

Kudos Dear Editor: As our community, both near and far, has gone through very traumatic events these past few months, there is always one source that I turn to for inspiration and uplifting … more

Weiner and Spitzer. Enough said. Will New Yorkers elect “Carlos Danger” as Mayor? Considering how quickly the scandal-tarred Anthony Weiner rose in the polls, before this week’s revelations, we shouldn’t discount it. And Eliot Spitzer as Comptroller? Also possible. There’s a thought afloat that “character” doesn’t count, that instead, we should weight a candidate’s “competence” when voting. Yet both character and competence count. more

Towards the end of Shlach, the Torah gives us instructions for a case of what Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan entitles, “Communal Sin Offerings for Idolatry,” based no doubt on Rashi’s explanation of the phrase, “When [the collective] you err and don’t do all of these commandments.” more

Teaching in the old city of Jerusalem, one develops a certain awareness of the different types of people who can wander in off the street. Many of the people who frequent the old alleyways and ancient stones of Jerusalem are incredible people with incredible stories. But every once in a while you can get real characters walking through your door. more

Last week, after writing about Jerry’s freighting experience in Israel, I was emotionally drained, and decided to just write about a yummy favorite on Chanukkah, sufganiot … more

Yes, Purim is indeed a serious holiday. Joyous, yes, but serious too. With the leap year commemorative of Purim Katan, the little Purim just observed and now behind us, it is time to start giving … more

It’s interesting the way some companies react to anti-Semitism. On one hand, they wouldn’t touch someone like David Duke with a ten-foot pole, but when it comes to an anti-Semite and … more

This time of year compresses so much of Jewish emotion and history. Beginning with Yom HaShoah Ve-Hagvura (Holocaust Day) and continuing into the feeling of a “yoma arichta” (extended … more

The holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States of America is classically observed as a celebration of G-d’s bounty. It is for the same reason, according to Ramban, that the Torah tells us to … more