Years ago, after a very month in Lebanon, someone higher up decided our unit needed a break. Every unit maintains a daily events log (yoman iruim). Every patrol, ambush, search and seize, and … more

The shalosh regalim are the crown jewels of the Jewish year. Pesach commemorates the Exodus, Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah, and Sukkot is the festival that memorializes Hashem’s … more

In his essay “The Community” (Tradition, 17:2), Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik underscored the dignity of each individual: “To recognize a person is not just to identify him … more

When I was in ninth grade, our teacher, Rabbi Cohen, trained our class to respond to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with the answer, “an eved Hashem” … more

Some years ago, I attended a conference that attracted rabbis and academics. At lunch, I found myself sitting next to a gentleman whose nametag indicated that he was a “Professor.” Given … more

The concluding verse of parashaBechukotai, and of seferVayikra, contains a phrase that is crucial for a holistic understanding of the Torah: “These are the commandments (aleh … more

The opening comments of Midrash Rabba on parshaBechukotai address the Torah’s promise that those who follow G-d’s laws will be rewarded. King David was concerned for his own well … more

Many years ago at a parlor meeting of the coalition for the Israeli soldiers missing in action, someone spoke about a close friend with whom he had both studied and gone to war: Yehuda Katz. Along … more

We should not be surprised by the similarities between Judaism and the surrounding cultures, one of my professors, Rabbi Menachem M. Brayer, PhD zatzal, once noted. After all, they were in the same … more

Shortly after his election as Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel in the early 1970s, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef visited New York City and spent Yom Ha’Atzma’ut here. He gave a shiur for rabbis, at … more