It took me two years to recover from the death of my father, of blessed memory. To this day, almost 20 years later, I am not sure why. He did not die suddenly or young. He was well into his eighties. … more

By Rabbi Avi Billet Issue of Feb. 27, 2009 / 3 Adar 5769 Parshat Terumah always begs the question: If the instructions for the Mishkan (Tabernacle/Sanctuary) were only for the single time and … more

The first Pirates of the Caribbean film spent a few moments discussing the “honesty” of pirates. The lead character cheats in a duel and is thus accused, “You cheated!” He responds, “Pirate!” as if to say, “I don’t follow conventional rules.” One of the more memorable moments is when the female protagonist demands, in exchange for a precious medallion, that the pirates who are currently attacking Port Royal “leave and never come back.” When they agree, they begin to set sail with her on board, leading her to exclaim, “Wait! You have to take me to shore.” And she is told, “Your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing…” more

After arriving at Mt. Sinai at the beginning of the third month, we are told in 19:3 that in going up the mountain, “Moshe went up to the Elokim,” which is followed by “and … more

In April of 1988 I was called up for my first reserve duty, a few months after the first intifada exploded. We were stationed for a month in a nasty little place called Jebalya, a Palestinian … more

There are few things in life that can elicit a collective gasp from everyone in a room. A real shocking twist in a novel is limited to the reader, while the same twist in a film might be expected by … more

Less than two chapters after telling us “Thou shalt not commit murder,” the Torah in this week’s parsha of Mishpatim gives us an example of where it is perfectly … more

One of the saddest “what might have been”s of the Holocaust was the story of Joel Brand. In the spring of 1944, the Jews of Poland, Western Europe, Belarus and the Ukraine were largely … more

Rebekah loved Jacob. She had received an oracle from G-d in which she was told: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger … more

This Shabbat Shuvah is named after the stirring words of Hoshea that are found in our haftarah: Return, O Israel (Shuvah Yisrael), to the L-rd your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. … more