When new prisoners arrived in Auschwitz, if they survived the infamous selections on the train platforms, within an hour they were robbed, stripped, shaved and deloused. … more

Naaseh v’nishmah” (we will do and we will hear / understand) are arguably two of the most famous words that appear in this week’s parasha, Mishpatim. When the Jewish people uttered … more

Less than two chapters after telling us “Thou shalt not commit murder,” the Torah in this week’s parsha of Mishpatim gives us an example of where it is perfectly … more

On my recent trip to Miami Beach I had the opportunity to visit the only Jewish bookstore in town, Torah Treasures, and speak to its wonderful owners, Yakov and Sammy Selanikio.  This father … more

Imagine you are an impoverished religious Jew living in Paris. You can no longer wear religious garb out of fear of being set upon by assailants from North Africa who will beat you to within an … more

I am getting my article in later than usual this week (and it’s usually pretty late!). You see, my husband Jerry was visiting Israel, to see his marred son, married daughter and six … more

To hear the news media tell it, Israel’s Knesset has approved extreme right-wing legislation that will steal Palestinian land by legalizing illegal outposts and thereby demolish the last hopes … more

Though this week’s parsha begins with a story of Yisro, its chronological relationship with the rest of the Exodus narrative is debated by the commentaries. If we ignore this story for a … more

The penultimate pasuk of our parasha, Yitro, focuses on the law of constructing an altar made of stone: “And when you make for Me an altar of stones, you shall not build them of hewn stones, … more

There is a story told by Rav Ephraim Oshry, one of the last rabbis of the Kovno Ghetto, in his monumental work of Holocaust responsum, Mima’amakim. When the Nazis arrived in the small … more