I once gave a lecture on the ethical challenges of the seventh commandment (“Thou shalt not steal”). Afterwards, I was approached by a fellow from Vienna who was a Shoah … more

During the Holocaust, the Klausenberger Rebbe, Rabi Yekutiel Halberstam, passed through the gates of hell many times. In the Warsaw Ghetto, the work camps and death marches and the final … more

Dedicated to the memory of the Israeli soldiers whose selfless sacrifice gave and gives us a State we can call our own. more

By Matis Friedman Issue of Sept. 12, 2008 Recently I picked up some new suits from being checked for Shatnez (wool and linen interwoven) and came away with quite a story. When dropping … more

Some lessons you learn the hard way, and they are never forgotten. In Infantry Officer’s training there is an obstacle course known as the “A’son Teva” (Freak of … more

Today, thirty years later, none of us remember exactly what it was we were supposed to have done, and what it was that had so enraged them, but our sergeants were on the warpath, and it was clearly going to be a long afternoon… more

One afternoon during the second Intifada, our unit responded to heavy gunfire coming from El Khader, one of the Arab villages along … more

A Jew defining (and dressing) himself as Ultra-orthodox goes on a stabbing rampage at the LGBT pride parade in Jerusalem, murdering a 16 year old girl and seriously wounding five others. Iranian … more

One of the greatest gifts we have in this world is the ability to make choices in our lives. Though sometimes, we might wish we didn’t have to make those choices. The choices we make … more

This past week we celebrated Rosh Chodesh Elul, a major step toward our upcoming encounter with the Almighty on Rosh Hashanah. As such, Chodesh Elul emerges as the preeminent time to prepare … more