The holidays culminate next week with the joy of Simchat Torah. Before we settle down to the long year ahead and the approaching dark winter days, we celebrate with dancing and singing and, for … more

President Trump says he has made a decision on whether or not the U.S. will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the P5+1 deal and officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of … more

These days of awe are such an interweaving of botha pragmatic and spiritual preparation. As I weave and braid another challah, as I drench a rosette challah wreath with another layer of honey glaze, … more

“On the first day you shall take the fruit of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the L-rd your G-d seven … more

We have been on a spiritual journey since the beginning of Chodesh Elul. This month helps us to focus upon what is false and what is real, in order that we may pursue matters of ultimate spiritual … more

Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal, author of Eim Habanim Semeichah,  described a Kol Nidrei during the Holocaust, Yom Kippur 1942. He was in Hungary, from which mass deportations wouldn’t … more

I still don’t know how he made it into Infantry Officer’s course, but I do know how difficult it was for him. Overweight, and far from being an athlete, the physical challenges he … more

This week, I became an American citizen. As I intently studied my naturalization certificate after the oath-taking ceremony, it struck me how fortunate I am to be accepted into this nation on the eve … more

With the coming observance of Yom Kippur, the recently published “Behind The Music,” by the esteemed Jewish musicologist, Velvel Pasternak of Cedarhurst, affords us the opportunity to … more

This year, two days before Rosh Hashona, it will be my dear dad’s 15th yahrzeit. Hard to believe it has been that long already. My dad was a member of the Young Israel-Beth El of Boro Park … more