In 2005, Steve Jobs delivered the commencement address at Stanford University. In it, he described how he had started Apple in a garage at age 20, and after ten years of hard work, built it into a … more

Teaching in the old city of Jerusalem, one develops a certain awareness of the different types of people who can wander in off the street. Many of the people who frequent the old alleyways and … more

When I was in high school, my mother arranged for me to get a ride to school once a week with one of the teachers. We lived in Manhattan, and as the high school I attended was in Riverdale, having a … more

In Israel, even a bus ride can become an existential experience. On a long, crowded bus ride from Haifa to Jerusalem, a fellow in a long black coat and black hat was sitting towards the rear of the … more

We’ll call him Gabi (not his real name), a most unlikely recruit. None of us had any idea how and why he had gotten into our unit — he was overweight, to put it mildly, and was always the … more

An open road on a beautiful day, with your kids in the back seat, maybe even a picnic lunch; what could be more perfect? I will always wonder what Tali Hatuel, eight months pregnant, with her … more

Literally translated, Acharei-Mot-Kedoshim means “after the death of the holy ones,” a reference that is all too appropriate following weeks that included Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron and … more

In September 2000, in the wake of the second intifada, my unit was activated up as part of the massive call-up of reserves that occurred as fighting broke out all over the country. We had no idea how … more

A number of years ago, I had an uncomfortable experience. I ran into an old friend who, like me, is an alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion in the Gush. He had started a cutting-edge program for women … more

Previously published. I noticed the jeep in the distance almost immediately; it was impossible to miss. We were on maneuvers deep in the Negev and there was nothing around but us. Twenty minutes … more