From the other side of the bench by David Seidemann Issue of January 1, 2010/ 15 Tevet 5770 What a week. No matter where you turned it seemed that the news revolved around parents and … more

With Pesach literally just around the corner, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest several Haggadah selections, as well some other learning resources, that, hopefully, will serve to further enhance your holiday. more

One of the more fascinating narratives in the Torah is the one surrounding the fate of Moshe, the great leader, and his passionate effort to gain entry into the Promised Land. In last week’s parsha he seemed to imply that the episode of the spies doomed him to the same fate as the entire generation (Devarim 1:37). more

The Senate passed the “Comprehensive Immigration Bill” by a wide margin. The bill was full of pork — it had something for everybody with the one exception that it did not have anything for those who wanted the United States’ borders secured. The border security amendment praised in the press had holes in it so large you could drive a space shuttle through any of them. more

As usual I was stumped for a topic for this week’s article. Upon awakening to snow on Monday, I remembered the time I was “forced” to go white water rafting. It was 1984 and our good friend Shimmy Stein put together a white water rafting expedition to Lehigh. He had his chevra from Forest Hills (us) and his friends from everywhere else. All my friends said it would be a great experience and that I had to try it at least once. The Webers and Maels were also going and talked me into it as well. As we got close to our destination, I started to panic. I knew I was going to hate it. more

You are snuggly under your blanket or in your sleeping bag when all that peace and serenity comes to an abrupt halt. Shouting and yelling, darkness turning into abrupt harsh light, sleeping bags … more

In the sweltering heat of a Chicago summer, my friend marched outside the South African consulate, protesting apartheid. Years earlier, she had protested Jim Crow in front of a Woolworths store in … more

“When in Rome, do as the Iranians do.” That was the core message from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Europe last week, in a bid to boost trade relations now that the … more

Should American Jewish leaders speak to the rulers of a petrostate that finances Hamas terrorists to blow up their fellow Jews in Israel? U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis (left) meets with … more

This week I am presenting a guest writer, Rabbi Jeremy Rosen, whose essay, “Italian Talmud,” excerpted below, introduces us to an interesting chapter in the long history … more