On the surface, the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah appears to be quite straightforward. The Rambam formulates the mitzvah in the following fashion: What is the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah? One should eat and drink and dwell in the succah for the entire seven-day period both at night and during the day in exactly the same manner that he dwells in his house during the other days of the year. Throughout the entire seven-day period a person should treat his house as a temporary dwelling and his succah as his permanent dwelling. more

A number of years ago, I struck up a friendship over Pesach week with a Holocaust survivor, a former inmate of the Janowska work camp and Auschwitz. Towards the end of the week I summoned up the nerve to ask him if there was anything in particular that stood out in his mind as the reason he had survived. Without hesitation, he responded: “It was one mitzvah; the Sukkos I spent in Auschwitz. more

The most vivid thing I remember about growing up Jewish was walking with my father for 26 blocks to shul on the High Holidays. Most of the congregants would park their cars two blocks away from the synagogue and walk the rest of the way. It was strange that my dad felt the need to walk. Maybe he knew that those walks would light an ember inside me, because as I got as I got older and drifted away from Judaism, the remembrances of those walks kept me from moving completely away. more

With the massive annual pilgrimage to the Breslov Rebbe’s grave in Uman, Ukraine, now behind us, the attraction for some Jews to return to the “alte heim” remains. Somehow, the option of having an independent Jewish homeland and the freedom of life in the First World do not compare to living in the ruins of your ancestral shtetl, davening in the empty synagogue of your great-grandparents, and communicating with the silent voices of the graveyard. more

Dear Aviva, I have been divorced for 5 years and am serious about getting remarried. I don’t have any kids, I present myself well and have a decent job that I’m happy with. I know that it is much easier for me to find dates since I am a guy, but I am having trouble finding the type of woman that would fit my haskafa. more

The adage that all beginnings are difficult applies equally to all human endeavors. In the world of Bible commentaries on the Book of Genesis, Bereshis, such beginnings are both literal as well as metaphoric. High quality peshat and derash are not easy to fine. This week’s review will hopefully prove that this year’s newly published works are the exception. more

If you would have collected a group of world-renowned military strategists on Oct. 6 1973, and asked them, at 4p.m. Israel time, for a prognosis on the status of the events unfolding on the Golan heights that afternoon, they would have probably told you Israel should be preparing the airport and shipping ports for a massive evacuation. more

Notwithstanding all the jokes about lawyers, there is no question that society would come to a grinding halt without legal counsel, and the role played by so many, in so many fields. From immigration to real estate, criminal cases to bankruptcy, lawyers act as intermediaries, guiding and often negotiating through difficult issues. It occurred to me recently that the very same principles that attorneys rely on in their everyday practice would likely make for a truly creative marriage guide. more

Dear Aviva, My husband and I are doing something that we never thought we would do. We are going to our son and his wife for the upcoming yomim tovim. First of all, we are only in our 50s and perfectly capable of still hosting the family. Second of all, our daughter-in-law is not quite domestic, and we are concerned that the food will not be up to par. (We have past experience with this). And third, our son has adopted various minhagim along the way and my husband gets pretty insulted that he doesn’t follow what he grew up with. I think we are in need of some survival tips. -Hungry and Offended more

As our community prepares for the imminent arrival of the Yomim Tovim, The Eliezer Project (TEP) is working hard to help our clients. The Eliezer Project is a local organization that was created three years ago to help those residents of the Five Towns, Far Rockaway, and West Hempstead communities who are impacted by the economic crisis and are experiencing extreme financial crisis and job loss. more