Achi!” “My brother!” These were the words that always greeted me when I got to the meeting point for reserve duty every year, and it was the most common word on everyone’s … more

When I was in high school, one of my teachers was fond of asking us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer he was always looking for was, “I want to be an eved … more

Our parasha, Ki Tetze, contains two instances in which the term “zachor” (“remember”) is used — namely, Amalek’s attack and Miriam’s punishment. In … more

Our parasha, Shoftim, contains the pasuk: “Be wholehearted (tamim) with the L-rd, your G-d.” (18:13) This English version reflects Rashi’s midrashically-based comment on our verse: … more

The shofar sounding last Sunday began the wake-up call of the month of Elul that reminds us that Rosh Hashana will soon be upon us. The commentary of Rabbeinu Bachya on the coming parshas has found … more

This past week in Israel, the challenge of running a modern day state against the backdrop of a 3,000 year old tradition again came to the forefront. Tens of thousands of commuters, including … more

The theme of the Chosen People (am hanivchar) is repeated in a number of places in the Siddur, becoming a universally accepted principle of Jewish thought: •From the blessing before … more

T his week’s Torah portion, Vaetchanan, begins in the middle of Moshe’s explaining how, after he appointed Yehoshua as the next leader, he once again beseeched G-d for permission to … more

Is there any comfort? It’s been ten years since that terrible summer of 2006 and the Second Lebanon War, and many of us have moved on. But for the families whose loved ones never returned, it … more

Last week’s Torah portion concluded with Moshe telling the people what will happen when they enter the Promised Land. Owing to the terrible deeds of the inhabitants of the land, G-d had decided … more