Contrary to popular myth, there is no better or worse way to lose someone close to you, but there is definitely a worst way to find out about it. It had been a long day, and I was finally taking a … more

The verse in Yeshayahu 54:9 twice contains a curious phrase. “For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I … more

We encounter the following pasuk toward the end of our parasha, Noach: “These are the generations of Terah, Terah was the father of Abraham, Nahor and Haran” (Bereishit 11:27). If you … more

After she finished reading Dara Horn’s novel “The World to Come,” my wife said to me, “The last chapter is amazing.” I am more of a non-fiction reader, but on her advice … more

There is a powerful story I heard many years ago but never shared publicly, considering it too fantastic to possibly be true. But having recently read an accounting of it in Yitta Halberstam’s … more

While Shemini Atzeret occurs at the end of Succot, it is, as Midrash Bereshit Rabbah notes, a chag bifnei atzmo (festival in its own right) rather than a part of Succot. (100:7) This is clearly … more

The festival of Succot contains two major mitzvot, dwelling in the Succah on the night of the 15th of Tishrei, and the taking of the Arba’at ha-Minim (the Four Species). Both of these acts are … more

The holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States of America is classically observed as a celebration of G-d’s bounty. It is for the same reason, according to Ramban, that the Torah tells us to … more

His steely eyes should have given him away, but over 30 years ago, I was a new immigrant, only four months into my Israeli army service, and I had no idea who this Lieutenant General really was. We … more

We have been on a spiritual journey since the beginning of Chodesh Elul. This month helps us to focus upon what is false and what is real, in order that we may pursue matters of ultimate spiritual … more