I figured I would compare it to the Freeze Bowl between the Bengals and the Chargers, when Jerry, “I’ve got it, you’ll knock it out of the park with this one: Sid Luckman.” more

Nobody does double standards quite like the Europeans. Where the Middle East is concerned, there are two complementary messages coming out of the European Union at the moment. The first proclaims that Israel is a legitimate target for boycotts and divestment for as long as the “occupation” continues — and here, “occupation” principally refers to the West Bank and the eastern half of Jerusalem, feebly eliding the fact that the Palestinian leadership, through its insistence on the so-called “right of return,” regards the entire territory between the Mediterranean and the Jordan as “occupied.” As for the second message, that can be neatly summarized in a potential advertising slogan: Iran is open for business! more

Earlier this week, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asked if she would like any do overs relative to being Secretary of State, responded that the September 2012 Benghazi attacks were her “biggest regret.” more

Koren [has just published the] first ever Israeli edition of an English translation and commentary of the Talmud Tractate of Sukka based upon the original Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Hebrew commentary, timed to the Daf Yomi schedule that has the upcoming study of Sukka to begin this Wednesday, Feb. 5. more

In just about all of the instructions for the making of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the Torah utilizes the singular “V’asita” – and you shall do or make – the items for the Mishkan. “V’Asu” – and they shall make” – appears only twice. more

Ultimately, the fulfillment of a mitzvah is dependent upon the commission of an action, and not on the Kavanah, or intent, that is meant to accompany it. more

Last week, my dear mother-in-law, Sima Mattel (Sari), a”h, passed away. I never heard her complain about her lot in life. This was a woman who was taken from her home when she was 14, lived in a ghetto with her parents and seven siblings and watched her mother die of cancer. She ended up in Auschwitz, where four of her siblings and her father were sent to the gas chamber. She also walked on the death march and was in Bergen-Belsen. more

Here are three disturbing memes about Jews and Israel that I’ve noticed in three separate-but-related news stories. 1. ‘You’re ungrateful.’ Here’s State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf responding to remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon regarding Secretary of State John Kerry: “We find the remarks of the defense minister to be offensive and inappropriate … given all that the United States has done to support Israel’s security needs and will continue to do.” more

Hillel CEO and President Eric Fingerhut plans to a review how campus Hillels should welcome other points of view, such as those of the faux pro-Israel organization, J-Street. [But] J-Street is not a pro-Israel group with a different perspective; it is an Arab-funded anti-Israel “wolf” in “sheep’s clothing.” For Hillel to tolerate it is an outrage. more

One of Maimonides’ lasting legacies was his attempt to systemize the specifics of Jewish belief. Consisting of 13 statements, he gave our faith a form wherein we are able to point to specific basic beliefs that go to the core of our faith. The seventh one focuses upon the belief in the role of Moses in our tradition. more