Although it’s been seven years since my youngest has been to sleep away camp, the middle of June always evokes nightmares of “trunk packing.” As the middle of June arrives, I have to remind myself that I don’t have to go through that anymore. Come on, you all know what I’m talking about. Buying, labeling, folding and then the hard part, fitting it all into an oversized trunk and duffle bag. more

An unofficial theme of the book of Bamidbar is that the strings of narratives are connected thematically. The most quoted example of this is the first critique given to the spies of Parshat Shlach, who did not learn from the tale of Miriam’s tale-bearing punishment. more

In Israel, even a bus ride can become an existential experience. There are many Jews with a more conservative approach to modesty within Jewish tradition, who are very uncomfortable sitting next to someone of the opposite sex. I recall, once, on a long, crowded bus ride from Haifa to Jerusalem, watching a fellow in a long black coat and black hat struggling with this issue. more

Among the many new synagogues being established within our community today, it should be noted that the majority follow the prayer rite known as Nusach Sepharad. This rite has a long history, which was detailed by Dr. Philip Birnbaum, the pioneer American liturgist, in his introduction to his historic translation of the Sepharad rite close to a half-century ago. more

A call to support the JCC’s purchase of the #6 school more

Thirty-year Congressional veteran Edolphus Towns retired in April leaving an interesting battle for the Democratic Party Nomination in New York’s 8th Congressional District-a district that is overwhelmingly minority (52.9% African-American, 18% Hispanic). more

This week’s portion, Shelach, contains one of the most challenging stories in the entire Torah: the story of the spies. “Sh’lach Lecha’ Anashim Ve’Yaturu …” “Send out spies for yourselves…” (Numbers 13:1) more

In his introduction to the book of Bamidbar, Nachmanides posits that the majority of the mitzvot of this book were commandments for the specific time period of wilderness travel and would not be applicable once they reached the land of Canaan/Israel. more

A few weeks ago, my son, Daniel graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The feeling was surreal. As he walked on stage to receive his diploma, I stopped crying just long enough to clap and cheer with our family, as well as the parents of another graduate, whose son was called up earlier. They were so impressively loud that I secured their services to cheer on Daniel when his name was announced. more

Timely in its publishing date, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s commentary on Bamidbar continues his “Torah Lights” series being produced by Maggid Books featuring some of his finest Torah teachings for this time of year. As is his style, Rabbi Riskin blends together the sacred text with current history in the successful attempt to demonstrate the relevance that each plays in our lives. more