The Talmud teaches a profound lesson when it declares, “We interrupt Torah study to carry out the dead and to escort a bride” (Ketubot 17a). Torah study, the sages tell us, is an intimate bonding with God—a continuous dialogue that nourishes the soul and connects humanity to the Divine. Why, then, would we pause such …
We live in Jerusalem, where the sound of sirens from the threat of missiles has become a familiar thread in the fabric of our days. At some point, we stopped meeting them with urgency. If there is a shelter nearby, we walk, not run. I’ve come to believe that the panic, the racing pulse, is …
Since my teenage years, I have been captivated by the great proofs of God’s existence. Though they are not “proofs” in the strictest philosophical sense, they are rigorous arguments—elegant, intricate, and to me, profoundly stirring. I pored over them with wonder. Yet my fascination always struck me as puzzling. I grew up in a Middle …
The other day I had the good fortune to strike up a conversation with an Israeli man. He was as secular as they come. He lived most of his adult life in Japan and then in a small city in Mexico. He kept close to nothing religiously. He was disconnected, uninterested, and removed from his …
Shabbat is a time of peace and transcendence. It’s a time when the profanity of the week evaporates and palpable holiness envelopes the day. One who is sensitive can sense that time is fundamentally different on Shabbat. It might operate according to the same speed as the weekday, but it has an entirely different character. …
”It was meant to be” or “there is a reason for everything” are not expressions that are suppose to make you passive. On the contrary, they make you introspective and active, and let you know that no matter how much the hurt, no matter how great the loss, your pain is not in vain. That …
This is a very interesting article: https://www.theatlantic.com/…/social-media…/629369/. It was written by Jonathan Haidt, a world-renown psychologist who has a professorship at NYU. His article, which he is developing its thesis into a forthcoming book, ventures to supply an explanation of the profound societal malaise plaguing America. You can read it for yourself and draw your …
I took out my son and daughter today. I guess I was being too aware of my kid’s actions, and this woman commented to me about the importance of letting kids just run wild. She shared lots of gems about parenthood and raising children in general. She ended off by telling me if I’m planning …
At the beginning of the 20th century, Christians comprised 20% of the population in the Middle East. Today, they comprise 4% of the population. That’s actually the definition of ethnic cleansing. And to be totally transparent, Israel is actually guilty of committing ethnic cleansing at one point in its history. In 2005 the Israeli Government …
When you scan the news, there are certain recurring themes: the gyrations of the stock market, covid policy debate, midterm elections, etc. Tucked away in the top corner of the page is news about the possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Combining this fact with the lackluster response by Western Governments to counter Russian military …