T he origin of the verse inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is in Behar, one of this week’s parshiot. Its theme speaks to the ideological foundations of our republic, of freedom and … more

In his commentary on the Counting of the Omer, “The Siddur Illuminated By Chassidus, Shabbos” (Merkos/Kehot, 2015), Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, formerly of Cedarhurst, now of Har Nof in … more

Alan Dershowitz may have written a book titled “Chutzpah,” but if anyone’s picture deserves to be in the dictionary alongside that idiomatic Yiddish word, it’s that of Sen. … more

A US Air Force chaplain who lives in Hewlett introduced his new book, “Jokes, Quotes, and More,” to a Woodmere audience last week. The book is a compilation of Rabbi Levi … more

A unique liturgical feature of this holiday is the recitation within the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon of Al Hanissim acknowledging the miracles of that long ago era, of history’s first open … more

It is rare indeed that an impactful social activist changes his stripes to become a serious and respected academic, eschewing action for theory. Such an exception is Ronen Shoval, who, as a … more

W e live in interesting times that witness murder as state policy and also brazen and often violent religious intolerance. These are also times, by contrast, of religious tolerance in many … more

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, I would like to bring to your attention a wonderful and informative work entitled, “Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American … more

Jesus was born in a country called “Palestine,” which is also known as the Holy Land and located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This piece of information, which … more

When we think of Noach we tend to envision a flood and a world covered with water. However, in the historical sense, the biblical saga of Noach is transcended by a short listing of  … more