Gone AWOL

Gone AWOL

Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, which is in just a few days, is the culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance that began with Rosh Hashanah. A significant portion of the lengthy prayers of Yom Kippur is devoted to Viduy — confession of misdeeds, which includes a...
The Long Distance Call

The Long Distance Call

The verse says in Psalms [89:16], “Happy is the nation that knows the Teruah, the sound of the Shofar.” Rav Tzvi E. Hertzberg zt”l asks, “why is it such a great thing to know the sound of a Shofar — and how does blowing a Shofar make G-d less...
It’s All in Our Hands

It’s All in Our Hands

An elderly man checked in to a small, quaint hotel, only to learn at the front desk that the single elevator was out of order. He asked a bellhop to bring his bags up to his room, implying that the tip would be worth the effort. It was ten minutes later before the...
COVID Blessings

COVID Blessings

When a farmer is hit by a drought, or a destructive flood, this causes collateral damage to the market that buys his produce, and that sells him supplies. A disruption in one area of the supply chain disrupts all the other links in the chain… or so we think. The...
Assisted Giving

Assisted Giving

If your neighbor’s car won’t start, there’s a special Mitzvah (commandment) to give him (or her) a boost, call a mechanic, or do whatever it takes to get the car working again. “Do not ignore your brother if you see that his ox or...
Our Little Secret

Our Little Secret

“Be pure with G-d (Lev. 18:13)” — this is a beautiful expression, as well as a verse in this week’s Torah portion. While it describes a lofty spiritual ideal, what does it mean in a practical sense? We’ve all met kind people. It’s...