In every field and profession, there are the good guys, the bad guys and the mediocre guys. Rabbinics and Jewish education are no different. Our sages were very aware that not every rabbi will be the right fit for every person or frankly even qualified for the job. So they empowered we the people with […]
As 2021 comes to a close, there’s a lot of talk about what a difficult year it’s been. And it has been a difficult year in a lot of ways. A year filled with pain, disappointment and loss. Yet there have been many positive things that have happened this year, both on an individual and […]
During the Gaza attack on Israel this summer, as Jews around the world were being physically assaulted, I was concerned that my pre-teen son wasn’t paying much attention to the news or aware of what his people were enduring. I saw a powerful clip on Instagram of Hitler addressing Nazis over 70 years ago which […]
Turn away from evil, do good, seek peace and pursue it. ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב בַּקֵּ֖שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ׃ I always understood the verse from Psalms in a simple way: remove yourself from bad behaviors, busy yourself with good ones, seek peace, and pursue it. It seems pretty straight forward. Recently, under the guise of our Tikun […]
We are naturally wired to want freedom. No one sets out to follow as many rules as possible. But just as a soccer game offers the pleasure of competition and exercise, and a recipe offers the satisfactory result of something delicious to eat, Judaism, too, promises a more meaningful life. There are requirements, it’s true. […]
The Lev Tahor extremist cult has been in the news lately with a horrific kidnapping crime. They have warped even the most stringent forms of Judaism to something unrecognizable and get kicked out of every country in which they have tried to settle. But as the brainwashed members and their leaders search for a home, […]
