It had been a really long day, at the end of a really long week. We were in the middle of infantry officers’ training course and we had spent the week learning and practicing maneuvers in the … more

Four of the plagues involve living creatures coming to disturb the lives of the Egyptians — Frogs, Lice, Arov (purposely not translated here as this one is complicated to identify), and … more

After Moshe and Aharon are reunited and they convince the nation of Israel that they were sent by G-d to redeem them, they declare before Pharoah, “Send My nation to celebrate for me in the … more

Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel z”tzl, the famed rosh yeshiva of the Mir, once asked a small group of businessmen what they thought was the most important lesson of the Holocaust. “Never … more

On his deathbed, Yaakov gives blessings to all his children. The first three sons — Reuven, Shimon and Levi — receive farewell wishes which are not as pleasant as those given to the rest … more

Someone recently sent me this story about Moe Berg, the strangest Jew ever to play baseball: When baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig went on tour in baseball-crazy Japan in 1934, some fans … more

Shortly after revealing himself to his brothers, Yosef tells them that “It has already been two years of famine throughout the land, but there will be five more years where there will be no … more

The thundering sounds of artillery fire echoed through the valleys beneath the Golan Heights and across the Sea of Galilee. All along the northern border with Syria, civilians were huddled in their … more

Strange as it seems there’s been a run of crazy dreams,” sings the narrator in the musical about Joseph, and what is most needed is a dream interpreter. What a strange time to live in, … more

R eb Moshe Chaim Tiefenbrun was one of the personalities I grew up with, and one of the two people who first introduced me to nusach, the beautiful melodies of our liturgy and prayer. He was a … more