When I was in high school, one of my teachers was fond of asking us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer he was always looking for was, “I want to be an eved … more

Our parasha, Toldot, focuses on Rachel Emeinu and the intense psychological pain and suffering that resulted from her inability to bear children: “And Rachel saw that she had not borne [any … more

His name was Shachar, which means the dawn, and the joke was with him around it was always dawn, because he blotted out the sun. He was a massive fellow, and watching him squeeze into the … more

One of the more destructive qualities of any leader, teacher, mentor is being hypocritical. Anyone who looks up to someone else can easily be disenfranchised when they catch the person they admire … more

In Israel, even a bus ride can become an existential experience. There are many Jews with a more conservative approach to modesty within Jewish tradition, who are very uncomfortable sitting next to someone of the opposite sex. I recall, once, on a long, crowded bus ride from Haifa to Jerusalem, watching a fellow in a long black coat and black hat struggling with this issue. more

One wonders whether the Mashiach (messiah) and the redemption he is meant to bring still have not come because we are still waiting for him, or because he is still waiting for us. more

Our parasha, Ki Tetze, contains two instances in which the term “zachor” (“remember”) is used — namely, Amalek’s attack and Miriam’s punishment. In … more

The Torah commands us twice to rejoice on Sukkot. For Shavuot it only says to rejoice one time. For Pesach “joy” is not mentioned at all (it’s difficult to rejoice when … more

After finally completing infantry officer’s course and then tank officer’s course, I was assigned to the 430th Battalion of the 500th Armored Brigade in the Jordan valley. Given a few … more

This week’s haftarah portion contains two of the most celebrated pasukim of Sefer Hosea: “And I will betroth (v’arastich) you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with … more