On Shavuot, we commemorate the pact of spiritual loyalty that G-d and the Jewish people pledged to each other at Mount Sinai. Yet a plain reading of the biblical text shows us that not long after the … 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 Jerusalem, teaches us that … more

Purim is a serious holiday. Joyous, yes, but serious too. With that in mind, I bring to your attention the gifted author and lecturer, Rabbi Evan Hoffman, and his wonderful and learned essay, … more

Rabbi Aryeh Pinchas Strickoff, author of “Inside Chanukah: Fascinating and Intriguing Insights on Chanukah, Its Miracles, and its History” (Feldheim 2012), perhaps said it best in his … more

What an irony. I always knew that the first commentary on a Sukkot machzor describing the rather sharp medieval reaction to a British-based Simchat Torah service would come from the pen of a former … more

As we are now in the midst of the yemei ratzon, with Rosh Hashana just around the corner, I would like to bring to your attention a book of divrei Torah from the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, … more

In his preface to a sourcebook on the biblical origins of the American republic, “Proclaim Liberty” (Toby Press, 2019), its editor, Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik informs us of the … more

The 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

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