I recall, after my cousin Benjy Hillman was killed in the Second Lebanon War, hearing of one particular Shabbat when Benjy, a company commander in the Elite Egoz anti-terror unit, was due to go home on leave. It’s difficult to describe, to anyone who has not experienced it, just how valuable a weekend pass is in the army. more

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to take a long-overdue vacation with my family in Walt Disney World.For our children, who had just spent the better part of a year dealing with the day-to-day challenges of living in Israel post-Oslo, and especially watching their father constantly in and out of the army reserves, Disney must have seemed like a fantasy world, and I was curious to see how they would respond to the educational challenges it would present. more

As we dress in costumes for this weekend’s celebration, it should be noted that one of the stories in the Megillah of Esther is very much about clothing. more

Sometimes, heroes are the most ordinary people, who rise to the most extraordinary occasions. Like Noam Apter. more

I couldn’t help myself; a huge grin spread across my face, and I felt like dancing, and then that one terrible word escaped, the one I still remember: “Todah.” (“Thank you.”) I could tell I was in trouble as soon as the words left my lips; his eyes changed first, then his entire face, and then the glare we all feared, the one that meant you were about to get a serious work-out. more

Rav Shlomo said: If you love someone, never ignore him. When you love someone and ignore him, it means they don’t exist. And that really hurts.” “Va’yakhel Moshe et kol adat B’nei Yisrael, vayomer aleihem: Eileh ha’devarim asher tzivah Hashem la’asot otam.” (“And Moshe gathered together the entire congregation of Israel, and said to them: these are the things that G-d commanded us to do.”) more

Sometimes, the experiences that impact us the most are the ones we almost miss. After finishing my regular army service, I was back in yeshiva, having recently begun my studies for the Israeli Rabbinate, on my way to the beit midrash (study hall) when I encountered a student whose face I did not recognize; he appeared to be upset, and looked as though he had been crying. I asked him if he was OK, and he nodded in the affirmative. more

Ultimately, the fulfillment of a mitzvah is dependent upon the commission of an action, and not on the Kavanah, or intent, that is meant to accompany it. more

A former chief rabbi accused and arrested for possible bribery and embezzlement, a rabbinic leader found guilty of inappropriate behavior with his students, and yet another rabbi accused of bribing senior police officers. Even if one has to take what one reads in the press with a grain of salt, something is clearly amiss. Where have we gone wrong? How can we avoid these horrific pitfalls in the future? more

It was silence of such magnitude and such power, I was sure that even the angels in heaven were standing still. I remember it like it was yesterday. more