Midway through the month of Tammuz, our religious focus shifts to observances commemorating the saddest events in our history. The destruction of the two Temples, the murders and massacres of … more

When I was growing up on New York’s Lower East Side, one of the greatest American literary figures was Herman Wouk. His reputation was great because of the books he wrote, which are cited in … more

This week we are focusing on an autobiography of Isaac Sturm, titled Filling in the Pieces: A Survival Story of the Holocaust [Gefen Publishing, 2019], timed to the upcoming observance of the Three … more

Rabbi Abraham Twersky once stated: “Color is an emotional experience. Techeiles [blue] is the emotional reminder of the bond between ourselves and G-d and how we get closer to G-d with … more

In his preface to a new sourcebook on the biblical origins of the American republic, Proclaim Liberty (Toby Press, 2019), its editor, Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik informs us of the … more

This past Tuesday, we experienced the passing of one of our community’s leaders, Velvel Pasternak z”l. Velvel was among the founders of the Stiebel of Cedarhurst, the Young Israel of … more

Of the three major festivals on the Jewish religious calendar, Shavuot is the shortest, with a one-day observance in Israel and two days in the Diaspora. However, when we consider that this … more

On Shavuot, we commemorate the pact of spiritual loyalty that G-d and the Jewish people pledged to each other at Mount Sinai. Yet a plain reading of the biblical text shows us that not long after the … more

In his essay “Megillat Ruth and the Story of Yehuda and Tamar: A Study in Biblical Contrast,” Rabbi Alex Israel of the Pardes Institute quotes the following the following from Ruth Rabba … more

In his highly spiritual introduction to this commentary on the weekly Torah parsha, the author, Rabbi Pesach Siegel informs us of the following: “The name of this sefer, ‘Sparks of … more