by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Dec 23, 2016 | Lifeline
The holiday of Chanukah is often misunderstood. People imagine that it was a fight of military prowess and for political liberty. Yet neither of these is true. Chanukah, rather, tells us that we can accomplish miracles when we truly dedicate ourselves to G-d. The...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Dec 9, 2016 | Lifeline
The story of Laban and Jacob is critical to our understanding of anti-Semitism, the pernicious hatred of Jews. We know this from the Passover Haggadah — we learn briefly about Pharoah, read that this hatred happens in every generation, and then continue,...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Nov 17, 2016 | Lifeline
Last week we learned that Avraham and Lot had separated. Lot moved to the fertile land surrounding the city of S’dom, yet he retained some of the traits of his holy and generous uncle. So when two disguised angels came to the gates of the city, he rose to greet...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Nov 4, 2016 | Lifeline
There is an old joke of a mugger demanding of a Jew, “your money or your life!” The Jew doesn’t move, and the mugger demands, “hurry up already!” To which the Jew responds: “I’m thinking, I’m thinking!” Despite its...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Oct 28, 2016 | Lifeline
With an insight that my friend Rabbi Leonard Oberstein called prescient, the very first comment of Rashi on the Torah quotes a Medrash: Rebbe Yitzchok says: He did not need to begin the Torah [here,] but from ‘this month will be for you the first of...
