Of all the unexpected visitors I have ever received, none even come close to the surprise I got in the summer of ‘94. I was teaching a course on Jewish values deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania, at a camp called Moshava, near Indian Orchard. We were in the middle of an intense discussion on Jewish ethics, when I noticed three fellows standing at the entrance to the lodge. Their features were far- eastern; Chinese, it seemed, and they were standing patiently at the door, taking it all in. more

This week’s parasha (Torah portion) contains a verse that seems to defy all manner of understanding: “Now Joseph’s brothers saw that their father had died…” (Sefer Bereishit 50:15, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach). What can the Torah possibly mean when it tells us this? more

At some point over lunch on Shabbat, the story of my husband Jerry’s first car accident came up. My sister-in-law, Shirley, while trying to catch her breath, because she was laughing so hard, turned to me and said “this is you’re article for next week’s paper.” And so it is.... more

By and large, the tribe of Shimon does not fare well in the Biblical story. The second of Yaakov’s sons is completely bypassed for any leadership role. The Yalkut Shimoni notes (Shoftim 42) that the tribe of Shimon, “Never had a judge or a king, on account of the sin of Zimri.” more

The word “legacy” should bring to mind all the greatness and grandeur that any human being would desire in anyone of spiritual authority. Legacy bespeaks of the bequeathing of knowledge, a code of conduct, honesty, and integrity to a posterity that we wish for ourselves and our progeny. 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

To most of us, it was not surprising that when we woke up this past Friday, we woke up. The doomsayers were wrong—there was no Mayan apocalypse at midnight on December 20th. While the Mayan myth turned out to be nothing to worry about-fasten your seat belts--the fiscal cliff, an economic apocalypse predicted for midnight December 3l, is very likely to happen. more

As details emerge about the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting attack, it becomes painfully clear that law enforcement personnel may not be able to respond quickly enough to prevent a massacre once a heavily armed gunman, intent on dying, has initiated an attack. more

A not-too-farfetched reading of the end of Chapter 45 can indicate that only one person intended to go down to Egypt to stay there. “… And bread and food for his father for the journey” (45:23). “He saw the wagons Yosef had sent to carry him…” (45:27) “Israel said, ‘My son Yosef still lives: I will go and I will see him before I die.’” (45:28) more

For many reasons, this was a sad week in our country. The obvious reasons loom over Newtown, Connecticut and words cannot express how sad and empty we all feel. There are no good answers when children are harmed, much worse killed. They are the most vulnerable among us and they look to us; they rely on those older, wiser and hopefully more reasoned to keep them safe and guide them into adulthood so that they can do the same. We have failed in so many ways. more