Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a cool greeting at the United Nations General Assembly last week, but he has much to say. Here are some key points of his speech. more

In an interview with Foreign Policy Magazine, Bill Clinton said the reluctance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the terms reached at Camp David in 2000, is a main reason for a lack of peace today. more

This past month, I have been honored to attend three weddings that exemplified the solution to the so-called shidduch crisis, couples representing very different backgrounds, with love triumphing. A story worthy of publicizing. I brought my dancing shoes, a shiny Borough Park suit, and practiced my handstands for the mitzvah of sameach chasan v’kallah. But there was one item that I left in my parked car, and for good reason. The facts below have been slightly altered to protect the parties’ identities. more

Last week a witness refused to answer any questions that I was asking by pleading the “Fifth Amendment.” Although the case was a civil matter, this witness was fully protected by the Bill of Rights, from responding for fear that his answers might later be used against him in a criminal case. more

Dear Aviva, My husband and I have been married a couple months, and so far we think our marriage is great. But we’re a little nervous—how do we maintain a healthy, loving marriage for a lifetime? Do you have any pointers for cultivating a lasting, happy marriage? — Keeping the Bliss more

Editor’s note: With a double parsha this week and the calendar edging closer towards Rosh Hashana, we present a second Torah column. Rabbi Etengoff is dedicating the following dvar Torah in memory of his sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam. more

There is a mystical idea, which suggests, that hidden within every fire of destruction is the spark of redemption. Such, for example, was the case on Aug. 3, 1492, which was also the Ninth of Av, the anniversary of the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. On that day, the Inquisition was imposed on the 250,000 Spanish Jews, faced with the choice of expulsion, conversion or death. more

In what will be one of this season’s most popular commentaries, Rabbi Moshe Weinberger of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere has written a translation of Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook’s “Orot Teshuvah.” Entitled “Song of Teshuvah Volume One” [Penina – Urim Press, 2011] this new work is the result of over seven years of a shiur that Rabbi Weinberger gave on Friday mornings at his shul. more

Moshe’s goodbye speech that is the book of Devarim contains a number of references to the fact that he will not accompany the people into the Promised Land. He talks about how he requested, knelt, pleaded before G-d to be given a chance to enter the land — if only for a short time — and how each request was summarily rejected. more

You can tell much about a politician from the donations he accepts. Where I live, my representative in Congress is Steve Israel. He is also the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Mr. Israel accepts money from at least one donor who should make people wonder about his support for his eponymous ancestral nation. more