"If you don't get the best one available, you might as well not have any." "You can't do it. It's impossible; they're expecting too much from you." "Why do you trust them? The whole thing is questionable and unclear." Do these doubting comments sound familiar? We may...

There was once a man, whom we will call Andy, who was diagnosed with a rare and severe illness. Unique conditions often call for unconventional treatments, and he was advised to try psycho-physical therapy: he was told to find someone who lives in complete joy with no...

Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, gave us a chance to reflect upon the past, and perhaps make some New Year's resolutions for the future. So why do we celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, ten days later? First and foremost, our Sages teach us that the...

What has more power to change the present than crying? When someone we love begins to cry - a child, a friend, a spouse - it's as if the world stops in its place. "What's happened?" "You're upset about something." "What can I do to help?" "Are you hurt?" The tears...

With the presidential race now so prominent in the collective American consciousness, the following story is especially apropos. In the Ohr Somayach Yeshiva in Jerusalem, there was an elderly native of the city who prayed with the Yeshiva each morning. On the morning...

Yesterday, while on vacation with the family, I took a fascinating tour of George's Furniture woodwork shop in Marietta, Pennsylvania. One of the many things that impressed and inspired me was how the craftsmen manage to use absolutely every part of the wood. The...