He never returned phone calls. He certainly never returned e-mails. He rarely smiled. He had very sophisticated tastes in wine and fine liquor. A seven-course gourmet dinner with a wine … more

The Akedah represents the ultimate trial that any parent could possibly bear. It must have been exceedingly difficult for Avraham Avinu, who was the personification of gemilut chasadim. With his … more

I love visiting residences for senior citizens. For one thing, being around older people invariably helps me feel young by comparison. Recently, I was a weekend guest scholar at such a … more

When did Jews start reading the haftarah? If you were asked that question, you might recall a link to the Chanukah story, to a decree by Antiochus that the Torah itself could not be read in … more

There was a time not too long ago when the three words, “ignorance is bliss,” would engender a long discussion. There would have been speculation about the origin of the statement. … more

Overheard from a second grade rebbe: “If I don’t load the kids up with Pesach preparation, parents think they haven’t learned anything all year.” I don’t know if that is a truism across the board, if many parents think that way, or if just a minority take the Pesach prep as a reflection of the entire school year. But I think such a notion is antithetical to what Pesach is all about. We are doing it all backwards. more

Bereishit contains many celebrated phrases that have shaped our people’s destiny for all time. One of them occurs in this week’s parasha: “And Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Please … more

A while ago, I needed some dental work. As I sat in the waiting room, I noticed a rack of brochures, including one ominously entitled “Root Canal.” On the cover was a picture of an … more

Three different individuals inspired me to write this week’s column. One was a newspaper editor who “dared” to censor a sentence in one of my submissions. The other was a very wise …. One was a newspaper editor who “dared” to cen more

People are motivated by many things. The search for pleasure is certainly one of the great motivators of human beings. So is the search for power and the search for riches. There are also those among … more