Jewish history is a series of encounters with evil rulers. Pharaoh, whom we have been reading about up until this week’s Torah portion of Beshalach, was just the first tyrant who persecuted us. … more

On a whim, I checked out the website of a renowned Judaica store to see what’s available these days. That the only Judaica I really buy these days are books, and I felt a little out of … more

May 1948. Tough times for the Jewish people, particularly for Jews struggling to claw out a place for themselves in a land they hoped to claim as their own. A few months after the United Nations … more

Rabbi Yitzhak Shmuel Reggio, a 19th century Italian Torah commentator, offers an interesting insight concerning the plague of darkness in Parashat Bo. The Torah states that Egyptians spent three … more

On that day, you must tell your child, ‘It is because of this that G-d acted for me when I left Egypt’.” (Shemot 13:8). This is one of the best known pasukim of both our … more

One of the most revealing moments in the beginning of Parshat Bo comes when Pharaoh’s officials say to him, in advance of the pending plague of locusts, “How long will this [man] … more

I have long believed that all conflicts could be settled if the parties would simply sit down together and talk. There are, of course, times when I have wondered whether it is wishful … more

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The three of us represented a cross-section of Israeli society: Kachlon, a bank teller, Rami, an electrician, and me. It has always been my custom to say Tefillat Haderech before a patrol, and … more

When one reads through Parshat Shemot, one can easily become engrossed in Moshe’s story. Whether it’s the defiance of Pharaoh’s decree by placing him in a basket; whether it’s the anonymous women in 2:1-10 who save him more