Eat Your Heart Out
I have never been to an engagement party, a wedding, or even a birthday party that didn't have refreshments, if not a full course meal. What's a party without food and drinks? Of course, the reason for this staple of merriment is that the hosts of the party want the...
Astounding Surroundings
The benefits of having good neighbors are well known. A good neighbor will keep an eye on your house when you're away, take in your mail, water your plants, and feed your fish. Good neighbors will watch out for you, greet you on your walk around the block, and join...
On the Other Side
In this week's reading, Abraham is called an Ivri, a Hebrew, for the first time. "And it was told to Abraham, the Hebrew... (Genesis 14:13)." What is the meaning of this word Ivri, one of the most common descriptors of the Jews? An Ivri, simply, is "the one on the...
The Greatest Thing in the Whole Wide World
At the end of last week's portion, Bereishis, we were introduced to Noah, the one man who found G-d's favor in the debased generation of the flood. This week the portion opens, "These are the children of Noah" -- but the Torah then elaborates on Noah's personal...
Back to the Beginning
When I finish a book, I most often have little desire to read it again. I even feel somewhat relieved that I've made it through the few hundred pages, even if I enjoyed the journey. It is rare to find a book so rich with ideas or intriguing characters that I might...
Real Joy and Plastic Frogs
The Siddur describes the holiday of Sukkos as "Our time of happiness." After the intense and cleansing High Holy Days, we can now rejoice with our Creator, celebrating our renewed relationship. Also, if we consider the agricultural cycle in Israel (or most anywhere in...
A Closer Look
We are now in the middle of the Ten Days of Repentance, culminating with the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, which just passed, was the Day of Judgment for the new year. Many have asked a simple, yet compelling question: why shouldn't we first have our...
The Counsel of My Heart
Our reading this week contains an extraordinary passage, one which is very relevant for the upcoming High Holy Days. Moshe gathers the Nation of Israel together, and describes to them a truly unforgivable sin. It is so terrible that "Hashem will not be willing to...
That First Time
The first Mitzvah found in this week's Torah portion is the obligation to bring the first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. At the end of this passage, Moshe (Moses) says "Today, G-d, your Master, has commanded you to carry out these statutes and the laws. You should...
Looking Down the Road
In this week's reading, Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, tells us to what extent the Torah demands an elevated standard of conduct. He warns us that even if we follow the letter of the law, but try to push the envelope — doing what we can get away with rather than...
Bias in Belarus
The laws of Kosher slaughter are complex and demanding, and typically only someone with the necessary training and piety can become a Shochet, trusted to provide Kosher meat for a community. During the days of the saintly Rabbi Yozel Horowitz zt"l (also known as the...
Glorious Food!
Food is the fuel that energizes both man and beast - the great equalizer. If both Fido and I have to eat to stay alive, and we both seem to enjoy eating, is there a fundamental difference between my food consumption and his? The answer, of course, is yes. We humans...
