Friday, September 28, 2023 – י״ד תִּשְׁרֵי תשפ”ד The Rabbis of the Talmud had a saying when there was not a clear or obvious halakhic ruling one way or another. They would employ this Aramaic adage: “פוּק חָזִי מַאי עַמָא דָבַר” (Puk Hazei Mai Ama Davar) – roughly translated “Go out and see what the […]
September 22, 2023 – ז׳ תִשְׁרֵי תשפ”ד אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃ (דברים כט:ט-י) “You stand this day, all of you, before your God יהוה —your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials, every householder […]
September 14, 2023 – כ״ח אֱלוּל “תְּכלַּהֶ שָׁנהָ וקְִללְוֹתֶיהָ, תָּחֵל שָׁנהָ וּברְִכוֹתֶיהָ” “Let the old year and its curses end; let the new year and its blessings begin.” There is no question that 5783 has been a challenging year, a year of drama and trauma, a year of anger and activism, of insight and […]
September 8, 2023 – כ״ב אֱלוּל Thirty years ago, the world watched as archenemies did the unthinkable – the meticulously choreographed photo-op in the Rose Garden of the White House lawn between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shaking hands after decades of rivalry, violence, and enmity. It was a moment of hope despite its surrounding […]
September 1, 2023 – ט״ו אֱלוּל תשפ”ג Each of us has a ‘where-were-you-when?’ moment. For my parents’ generation, many vividly remember the assassination of JFK in 1963, the assassination of Dr. King in 1968, and the historic landing on the moon in 1969 (and we could list many more). For me, and many in my […]
Friday August 25, 2023 – ח׳ אֱלוּל תשפ”ג וְכׇל־בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי יְהֹוָה וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ׃ (ישעיהו נד:יג) And all your children shall be disciples of God, And great shall be the happiness of your children; (Isaiah 54:13 – Haftarah Shabbat Ki Teitze) אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר רִבִּי חֲנִינָא: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מַרְבִּים שָׁלום בָּעולָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: “וְכָל בָּנַיִךְ […]
Friday August 17, 2023 – א׳ אֱלוּל תשפ״ג שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכׇל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃ “You shall appoint judges and officers for your tribes, [to be stationed at] all of your gates of that your God יהוה is giving you for you to settle, and they shall govern the […]
Friday August 11, 2023 – כ״ד אָב תשפ”ג Since before its founding in 1948, Israel has been a fundamental touchstone for American Jews. For some, it served a unifying purpose, and for others, it seemed more of a nuisance. As Professor Sivan Zakai explained, “The American Jewish community’s relationship to Israel has waxed and waned […]
Friday August 4, 2023 – י״ז אָב תשפ”ג “Israel is One: The Land of Israel and the Diaspora of Israel – two that are one.” ~ Simon Rawidowicz (1949) Now that the Knesset has gone to its summer recess only to return in mid-October, and we are steadily approaching the introspection-filled months of Elul and […]
Wednesday July 26, 2023 – ח׳ אָב תשפ”ג – עֶרֶב תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב During the early days of the Yom Kippur War – which were among Israel’s darkest and bleakest – then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan uttered an exasperated defeatist sigh and said, “The Third Temple has fallen.” The existential threat that Dayan and the State […]