Did you know that the success of the Entebbe mission was born of a question? In July 1976, an Air France airliner was hijacked and taken to the Entebbe airport in Uganda. After separating Israelis … more

Our parasha, Behaalotecha, is unique as it contains the only instance in the Torah with verses preceded and followed by an inverted letter nun (Bamidbar 10:35-36). One of the better-known … more

It was a nasty time in a nasty place: Ramallah, 1988, at Mutzav Sivan, next to the Arab “refugee” camps of Al Bireh and Al Amari during the first intifada. After a week of intense … more

There are moments in time one needs to forget. Often, though, these are moments we really need to remember. Such a moment came into my life on Aug 9th (the 20th of Av) in 2001. An beautiful … more

Chapter five of Pirkei Avot tells a poignant tale: “With ten tests our forefathers tested Hashem in the desert, as is stated … ‘they tested Me these ten times, and did not … more

One of the most difficult elements of the Torah and the way of life it prescribes is the phenomenon of animal sacrifices — for obvious reasons. First, Jews and Judaism have survived without … more

There are a number of three-word verses in the Torah. Some of them would seem to require no commentary, as only names are mentioned. See, for example, 25:14, when three of Yishmael’s children … more

Rosh Chodesh is one of the topics in this week’s Torah reading, parsha Bo: “The L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: ‘This month shall be to you (Hachodesh … more

The parsha of Behaalotecha speaks about the silver trumpets — clarions — Moshe was commanded to make (Bamidbar 10:1-2): “Make two trumpets of silver; make them of hammered work. … more

Balak, king of Moab, is the namesake of our parasha. He believed that his country was existentially threatened by the fledgling Jewish nation and consequently sought to annihilate us before we … more