In the course of a lifetime, we encounter any number of friends.
Some are friends by happenstance — friends who happen to attend school with us, happen to work where we do or reside near us. When we graduate from school, change careers or relocate, most such friends slowly disappear from our lives — and we from theirs.
On the eve of Simchat Torah, many synagogues auction the three major honors of the day, with proceeds benefiting the synagogue or other Jewish institutions.
On the eve of Simchat Torah, many synagogues auction the three major honors of the day, with proceeds benefiting the synagogue or other Jewish institutions.
Imagine a foreigner hearing some American idioms for the first time, and the ensuing confusion.
I chose not to attend Tarbut\’s trial of King David. Billed as \”the people against King David,\” it promised to be a trial that was \”3,000 years in the making.\”
Imagine the Jewish calendar as three concentric circles: the Torah reading cycle, the holiday cycle and your personal life cycle.
In this week\’s Torah portion, Vayechi, we have the most intimate description of a deathbed scene and the most elaborate description of a le\’vayah (funeral) contained in the Torah.
Years ago, one of my colleagues had the awesome task of officiating at the funeral of a 9-year-old girl killed by a car while riding her bicycle.
We are standing before God and God is standing before us — especially during this particular time, when certain fundamental liberties are being denied individuals and when justice is being withheld from specific groups — all in the name of "homeland security."
Korah forces us to examine the motives of those who are either appointed or elected officials. Furthermore, we\’re encouraged to probe the reasons why some people attempt to become self-appointed leaders.
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