I magine a very important project in which you were once involved. It could have been at work, in school, or in your personal life. You gave it your all. You used all the resources at your command, … more

Yom Kippur’s Kol Nidre payers is an enigma wrapped in a mystery, perhaps the strangest text ever to capture the religious imagination. First, it is not a prayer at all. It is not even a … more

If you would have collected a group of world-renowned military strategists on Yom Kippur in 1973 and asked them, at 4 pm Israel time, for a prognosis on the status of the events unfolding on the … more

In describing the Yom Kippur service, the Torah tells us that “with this shall Aharon enter the Holy, with a bull that is ben bakar as a sin offering, and a ram as a burnt offering.” … more

A passionate British soccer fan was asked whether he considered soccer a matter of “life and death.” He said, “No. It’s much more important than that!” I’d … more

The Torah reading on the first day of Rosh Hashana begins at the point when Sarah is remembered. The Talmud tells us in several places that Sarah and Rachel and Chana were all remembered on Rosh … more

It was advertised as a symposium at a major psychology conference, a discussion about memory and forgetfulness, but it turned out to be one of the most intense and instructive days that I ever … more

More than what he was saying, it was his face that caught my attention. Flicking on the television absent-mindedly as I was getting dressed for a wedding, I came across the middle of a program with a … more

This column was published in September 2014, at the end of a year — 5774 — during which Israel fought Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. In the year that we are now parting with, it … more

I n our efforts to get closer to G-d in the days leading up to Rosh Hashana, every person employs a different strategy. Some learn the laws of Rosh Hashana, some give more charity, some pray … more