Ask any Israeli soldier who served in the armored corps what part of his army service he hated the most, and he will answer unequivocally “tipul shvui,” the weekly tank inspection. more

Kozhnitzer Maggid was known to be a pursuer of peace. It happened that a terrible fight broke out amongst the Jews living in a city close to Kozhnitz, which caused some kind of “breakaway” in the community. more

This has been a difficult week. Three of our sons, Yaakov, Gilad and Eyal have been missing since Thursday night and despite the best efforts of the Israeli army, the police, the intelligence community, and rescue units, we seem no nearer to learning their whereabouts. more

They were a small group of pioneers with a mission. The year was 1940, and Jews by the tens of thousands were being herded into the ghettos of Nazi-occupied Europe. And while the Nazi hierarchy was meeting to determine the “final solution to the Jewish problem,” this small group was preparing the groundwork for what they believed would be the influx of refugees who would need a home and a place to call their own. more

Towards the end of Shlach, the Torah gives us instructions for a case of what Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan entitles, “Communal Sin Offerings for Idolatry,” based no doubt on Rashi’s explanation of the phrase, “When [the collective] you err and don’t do all of these commandments.” 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. more

Who we are as a people begins with what we hold dear and what we truly value. There are many burdens we carry in this world. The challenge may well be in how we choose to carry them. This week’s portion, Naso, contains a case in point. “Ki avodat HaKodesh Aleihem ba’katef yisau’.” (“For the holy [items of] service they shall carry upon the shoulder.”) (Bamidbar 7:9) more

The jobs of the Levitic families were spelled out in last week’s Torah portion, giving us the jobs of the Kehat family; now, moving into our parsha, we view depictions of the Gershon and Merari families. more

Three thousand years ago, King Solomon wrote in the book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) that there is a time and a season for everything under the sun. “A time to sing, and a time to dance, a time to rejoice and a time to mourn, a time to reap and a time to sow.” And, like all things, there is a time to ask questions and a time to remain silent." In the Israeli army, there is a type of question known as a she’elat kitbag or kitbag question. more

The beginning of our new book informs us of the order of travels, and how the people encamped around the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Those most immediately around the Mishkan were the Levite families, whose jobs consisted of carrying the different parts of the Mishkan. more