A poem on Passover by David B. Chideckel of Woodmere more

When I get together with my brother-in-law, Yossi, our conversation is usually about the newest wines on the kosher market. When I found out that we would be attending the same wine tasting in Manhattan I was excited. Now I would be able to hear if he had a different angle on the Gotham Wine pre-Pesach tasting. more

Can a young holocaust survivor direct a drama program in a 1950s Catskills summer camp? Robin Garbose, an accomplished Hollywood-based Orthodox film director tackles the question with a movie musical, where lead character Miriam is initially a quiet and broken spirit, but she and her campers are both transformed by their interactions. more

Dear Aviva, Isn’t chessed supposed to begin at home? My wife is well respected by others because she is constantly helping others. She goes the extra mile and ends up short changing my kids and me. She could cook a three-course meal for someone who just had a baby while defrosting fish sticks for the kids’ dinner. How do I ask her to pay more attention to us without looking like the bad guy? -Chopped Liver more

They call me Chametz. I don’t get to the gym very often; I’m kind of a couch potato. Actually, I’m an “in between the couch sectional” potato. Sure, I can be grainy, grimy, boxed and bagged, but I’m mostly in the cracks, crevices and crannies. I foment, ferment, leaven, rise, bloat and bellow; and I don’t clean up after myself. more

Calendar for the week of April 15 more

With Shabbos Hagadol now upon us, I thought it would be worthwhile to bring attention to a Shabbos Hagadol sermon delivered in 1962 by one of American Jewry’s most gifted thinkers who in his longtime capacity as rabbi of The Jewish Center in Manhattan delivered some of the most eloquent and meaningful d’roshos. more

Aharon's sons died three parshas ago, in Parshat Sh'mini, and nary a word has been said about them. Acharei Mot opens mentioning their deaths, picking up exactly where the Torah took a break in its narrative to discuss other things. Is there any significance to a multi-chapter tangent from the regular narrative of the Torah? Not unless the Torah doesn't view the tangent as a disruption of the narrative. more

Comedy was once a clean business comprised of short stories and one-liners and it was once a Jewish business as well. While comedy among Jews is still a thriving field, the raunchy content of mainstream comedians has driven away Orthodox audiences. more

He’s done it again. Rabbi Anchelle Perl is no stranger to innovation. For 37 years his Chabad of Mineola has presented everything from matzo factories to Rosh Hashanah apple cutting to modern day Tuesday night webcasting. more