Parashat Bechukotai presents shalom as one of the greatest rewards that we will receive when we live lives dedicated to Hashem’s holy Torah: “And I will grant peace in the Land, and … more

It’s amazing these days how controversial Israel has become. It’s hard for me to watch. Like a dear friend who is being thrown under the bus, I admit I take it personally. I lived in … more

A haredi Jew looks into a mirror and sees the face of Adolf Hitler gazing back at him. The walls and guard towers of Auschwitz are squeezed into a snow shaker, with flying dollar bills replacing … more

Yom Yerushalayim, which commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem following the Six-Day War in June 1967, 49 years ago, is observed on 28 Iyar (this year, June 5). Jewish Star columnist Rabbi Binny … more

This week’s essay will be the first to deal with some of the latest thoughts and literature regarding the observance of Shavuot. Ohr Ha Tzafon, volume four, Nissan 5776, published by Beis … more

This past Shabbat, my husband Jerry and I were invited to our next door neighbors and good friends, Ely and Suzy Libin, for dessert. Their mechatanim, Claire and Stuie Hershkowitz, happen to be … more

Many years ago, while teaching an adult education class, the topic we were studying was pushing someone’s buttons. We were discussing the underpinnings of the mitzvah of respect for one’s … more

Finally! The Obama Administration has found a way out of its negotiation screw-up that allowed Iran to legally test long-range ballistic missiles. According to the Iranian military, the U.S. solved … more

In its description of the Jubilee year, the Torah tell us in 25:9 that the shofar is to be sounded throughout the land on Yom Kippur of Yovel.  Noting how we don’t blow shofar when Shabbos … more

Sefer Vayikra is the sole book in the Tanach in which the phrase “v’yarata m’elokecha” (“and you shall fear your G-d”) is found. It appears three times in Parashat … more