This week’s column is dedicated to the memory of Ezra Schwartz and Rav Yaakov Don, two lights we will never forget. Prince Charming doesn’t always find Cinderella, and stories do not … more

One of the more challenging fact-finding questions we encounter every year is “how old are the Biblical heroes in the tales which are shared with us?” In some cases the Torah tells us, … more

Every year, Shabbos Chayei Sarah is accompanied by a special Jewish gathering in Hevron, the “City of the Patriarchs.” The source for this is our parsha, in which we find Avraham … more

There are a number of three-word verses in the Torah. Some of them would seem to require no commentary, as only names are mentioned. See, for example, 25:14, when three of Yishmael’s children … more

When Steve Jobs was 17 he saw a quote: “If you live each day as though it were your last, some day you will most certainly be right.” In a Stanford University commencement address in … more

Many years ago I had the privilege of sharing the land of Israel with a Birthright group for ten days. One afternoon, when we visited Emek Habacha, the valley of tears, I shared with them one of the … more

She was sitting not more than 20 feet away, but I never met her. She was 15, and full of life. I must have seen her, but was not paying attention; I was busy with other things.  It had been … more

When the three men/angels come to visit Avraham, the Torah describes the food that Avraham offers — bread (18:5) followed by a meal (18:8). Many commentaries note how the Torah doesn’t … more

Lot looked up and saw that the entire Jordan Plain, all the way to Tzoar, had plenty of water. It was like G-d’s own garden, like the land of Egypt. Lot chose for himself the entire Jordan … more

These past weeks Israel seems to be in the grip of a wave of terror: stabbings, shootings, firebombs, and riots, leaving us wondering whether there is anything left of the ‘peace … more