The Kotzker Rebbe offered an imaginative scene relating to the Revelation at Mt. Sinai.  While all the Israelites gathered to receive G-d’s words, a group of elitists started to leave in … more

A legacy is something to be appreciated by all who benefit from a person’s teachings and personal example. One such person is Rabbi Berel Wein, whose life’s work as a rabbi has … more

Note the contrast: When Matteo Salvini, Italy’s interior minister, recently visited Jerusalem, which he hailed as the capital of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him a … more

The alliance between African-Americans and Jews during the struggle for civil rights has often been invoked when tensions between the two have arisen in the years since the 1960s. Yet the memory … more

Probably the purest image in the world is that kidney-bean shaped baby in utero, cozily nestled in its mother’s womb. When I heard of the new abortion law passed in New York this week, in my … more

What do you want to be when you grow up?” That was once the standard question to ask an eight- or nine-year-old when trying to make conversation. Somehow, every child had an answer, which … more

Mishpatim is one of the more prolific parshiot in terms of mitzvot. Close to 10 percent of the mitzvot of the Torah are in Mishpatim. What sometimes gets lost in translation is the … more

Unlike many of my contemporaries, I wasn’t a crazy concertgoer in my younger days. Sure, I liked music, and had a few favorite bands, but I was never a rabid fan of anyone specific. I saw … more

There is nothing as wonderful to me as a “traditional” Shabbat dinner. But what does that even mean anymore? While it once meant wine, challah, chicken soup, roasted chicken, and … more

I am a big of a fan of Menachem Begin. One of the things I most admire about him is his tenacity in serving as opposition in Israeli politics for close to 30 years before becoming Prime Minister … more