She was sitting not more than 20 feet away, but I never met her. She was 15, and full of life. I must have seen her, but was not paying attention; I was busy with other things.  It had been … more

When the three men/angels come to visit Avraham, the Torah describes the food that Avraham offers — bread (18:5) followed by a meal (18:8). Many commentaries note how the Torah doesn’t … more

Lot looked up and saw that the entire Jordan Plain, all the way to Tzoar, had plenty of water. It was like G-d’s own garden, like the land of Egypt. Lot chose for himself the entire Jordan … more

These past weeks Israel seems to be in the grip of a wave of terror: stabbings, shootings, firebombs, and riots, leaving us wondering whether there is anything left of the ‘peace … more

Developments in Israel have co-opted Rabbi Freedman writing time, so we’re reprinting his column from the week of Parsha Noach in 2012. He looked like a teenager, until he began to tell his … more

Harry Potter fans know that Lily Potter gave her life for her son, and what saved his life in his various encounters with the villain of the series (who must not be named) is Love. The theme of … more

What is better – to see something in its entirety, or to experience a smaller portion of that entity? This is the debate which winds itself through the commentaries on Devarim 34, as … more

He was a tough kid, with obvious “stuff” going on inside — always getting into fights, spending time in the hallway, and always with that sad, lost look. Years ago, I took a … more

In 2005, Steve Jobs delivered the commencement address at Stanford University. In it, he described how he had started Apple in a garage at age 20, and after ten years of hard work, built it into a … more

The laws pertaining to the construction of the succah are many and varied. Our Sages created an entire Talmudic tractate that analyzed every conceivable aspect of the succah’s constitutive … more