I can still remember the feeling of the weight seeming to lift from my shoulders. It was the summer of 1986, and I had just returned my gear after four-and-a-half years in the Israeli army. … more

Beloved by his entire generation and revered for his incredible knowledge of Torah, he was given the chance to get out of 1939 Poland; safe passage to America had been secured and a new life was … more

How important is it for us to comprehend all that we do? Where lies the balance between pure faith and our need to understand? This week’s parsha, Chukat, provides the ultimate example of … more

Some time ago, at a Rosh Chodesh prayer service at the Kotel, things got ugly. As they had been doing for nearly 25 years, a group of women from a range of Jewish backgrounds, known as the … more

It is a conversation I will remember forever. We were in the midst of basic tank training, enjoying a brief respite from the grueling pace of maneuvers and marches. The tanks were encamped … more

Many years ago, an elderly man approached me following a lecture on the topic of emunat chachamim (the faith we are meant to have in our sages). “Do you know why I am no longer … more

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to take a long-overdue vacation with my family in Walt Disney World. For our children, who had just spent the better part of a year dealing with the … more

This doesn’t look like such a good idea, said Benjy, commander of an elite company in Golani’s Egoz unit, in the summer of 2006. “I know,” responded his commander, … more

The sun had long since set, dark clouds hid the stars, and the wind was howling off the Shouf mountain range in central Lebanon. I had managed to quietly sing the Kabbalat Shabbat service … more

One afternoon during the second Intifada, our unit responded to heavy gunfire coming from El Khader, one of the Arab villages along … more