This is the final Shabbat of 5777. We have been listening to the sound of the shofar each weekday morning throughout the month of Elul. This Motzai Shabbat, we will begin the recitation of Selichot … more

Our parasha, KiTavo, contains a verse which underscores the unique relationship that obtains between Hashem and the Jewish people when we are loyal to His holy Torah: “And it will be if you … more

One of the more disturbing images from the great rebuke in our parsha, KiTavo, “Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and beasts of the land, and no one will be … more

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman published an article in 2014 regarding a Gallup poll exploring the linkages between education and long term success in the work place. The research questioned … more

One of the major shul-based practices of the month of Elul is listening to the clarion call of the shofar following the morning recitation of Psalm 27, “L’David Hashem ori … more

I recently read a vignette which touched me: A fellow, on his way home, saw a Little League baseball game being played in a park. Sitting down on the sidelines to watch … more

In Devarim 22:13-21, we find two related circumstances that are both very disturbing from a contemporary vantage point. The first concerns a man who marries a woman and then claims she was not a … more

T wo things dominated the news last week: Charlottesville, and the solar eclipse that crossed the United States, with the umbra spanning 16 states. Each of these stories delivered a different … more

Is it possible to be truly impartial in life? Consider this story from Rabbi Abraham Twerski, told to him as a boy by his father (published in Rabbi Twerski’s “Generation to … more

The Torah employs the phrase, “Ki tetze l’milchamah al oivecha” (“When you go forth to war against your enemy”) two times in Devarim. The first instance appears in our … more