I remember the first Mishnah I ever learned, and it wasn’t in a classroom. (The Mishnah is the basic text of the oral tradition, as codified and edited by rabbi Yehuda Ha’Nasi circa 200 C.E.) The synagogue we attended when I was five years old had a strict decorum, and I recall the challenges this presented to my parents; vague images of my red-faced and embarrassed father carrying me out of synagogue kicking and screaming come to mind. more

It was the height of the Intifada, and we were in the midst of a months’ worth of reserve duty....It is so easy to demonize the ‘enemy,’ but life isn’t always quite so simple. Deep in the heart of Hebron was an Israeli lookout position, meant to spot trouble on the road below and protect Israeli civilians driving through. more

During the Holocaust, the Klausenberger Rebbe, Rabi Yekutiel Halberstam, passed through the gates of hell many times. In the Warsaw Ghetto, the work camps and death marches and the final unspeakable horror, Auschwitz, the Rebbe lost his wife and their 11 children in less than a year, yet never sat shiva, refusing to take the time to mourn for his own children, while so many thousands were being lost daily. more

Today, thirty years later, none of us remember exactly what it was we were supposed to have done, and what it was that had so enraged them, but our sergeants were on the warpath, and it was clearly going to be a long afternoon… more

What motivates some people to do more than just appreciate the blessings they have in their lives; and to actually be a vehicle for blessing? This week’s portion, Ekev, contains one of the pivotal verses of the entire Torah regarding the concept of blessings: “Ve’achalta’ ve’sava’ta’ u’verachta’ et Hashem Elokecha al ha’aretz hatovah asher natan lach.” “And (when) you shall eat and be satisfied and bless G-d your G-d for the good land which He has given you.” (Devarim (Deuteronomy) 8:10) more

In 1897, Theodore Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. Though he defined himself as a secular Jew to whom Judaism was just an afterthought he gave form to a 2000 year old dream: the longing of the Jewish people to return home to the land of Israel. 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 waiting and ready for him and his entire family. more

In 1986, an Israeli fighter-plane was shot down over Lebanon, and the pilot and navigator, safely ejected from the burning plane, found themselves trapped behind enemy lines. more

Nineteen hundred and forty two years ago, this week, (on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz) the end finally began. After two and a half years of siege, the Roman Legions broke through the ancient walls of Jerusalem, and began their savage rampage of pillage and looting through the streets of Jerusalem. more

I remember, as a high school student, hearing our Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shlomo Riskin relate one of the questions he used to ask when interviewing prospective rebbe’im (rabbinic teachers) for our yeshiva high school. more