Once again we come upon a new summer season of downtime from work. However, there is no downtime in reading for the devoted bookworm. more

He came to America, unknown and without a job, fleeing the Nazi tyranny in Europe. He was highly educated, deeply religious and heir to a spiritual legacy that was within his lifetime to redefine religious outreach to great heights. more

History has a unique way of both intruding on and inspiring current events. The recent trip to Israel by Pope Francis and his visit to the gravesite of Theodore Herzl is but one recent example of this phenomenon. more

Shavuot is the shortest Jewish Bible-based festival, yet it is the most spiritually-powered. Prime to this holiday is the commemoration of the receiving of the Ten Commandments, perhaps the most spiritual event in all world history. The central personality of the Shavuot saga is Moshe Rabeinu. more

This Shabbat will witness the beginning of the reading of the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar, sometimes translated as the Book of Numbers but never as the Book of the Desert (which is what bamidbar means). more

The current issue of Yeshiva University’s Alumni Today begins with the following: “Rabbi Hershel Billet ‘71 YC was a pre-med major on the day he sat in a shiur taught by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, that changed the course of his life. more

“I vaguely recalled that the song, ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ had been an expression of defiance and hope in Nazi Germany, and after the war it had been sung in Displaced Persons camps. As the Soviet Jewish resistance movement developed, the distinguished Yiddish poet Yosef Kerler composed his own version. However, when I enlisted Shlomo’s aid in 1964, none of these versions were current.” more

It has been said that for many, their legacy in history comes after death, and, in the case of the late, great Yaakov Birnbaum, his legacy has come. This week’s column will consider several memorial essays devoted to the life’s work of Yaakov Birnbaum, who passed away on April 9 at age of 87, just short of 50 years from the time that he launched the first of many demonstrations against communist anti-Semitism. more

With Pesach just around the corner, we conclude this year’s review of what’s new to read for this most glorious of all festivals. more

Perhaps three of the most iconic and beloved rabbis of our time are Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik, and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Each in his own way has given to our faith and people valued insights and teachings that have helped enhance the spiritual quality of our lives for now, and for generations to come. more