Calendar for the week of 12/23/2011 more

Fulfilling a desire to be there for people in their time of need, Lawrence resident Rabbi Elozer Kanner, has served as a volunteer for Hatzalah of the Rockaways and Nassau County for26 years,. Along with fellow coordinators Louis Wolcowitz and Mark Gross, Rabbi Kanner’s most recent campaign is aimed at delivering the message that “They (Hatzalah) were there for me when I called them, they’re there for me even when I don’t need them. Rabbi Kanner points out that the potential for need is greater than actuality in every circumstance. more

A Cedarhurst family continues to run, picking up more family members in its expression of gratitude to Chai Lifeline. On Jan. 29, nursery school director Tova Plaut will be running for the fourth time in the ING Miami Marathon, joining some 200 runners on the Chai Lifeline team. “We have one of the largest teams in the marathon. It’s an incredible event,” Plaut said. more

Calendar for the week of Dec. 16, 2011 more

Rav Saadiah Gaon was one of the greatest of the Babylonian gaonim. His approach to Torah study was direct and to the point: Analyze the verse on its own terms based upon the actual language presented therein. In other words, instead of approaching the verse with pre-conceived ideas that will most likely determine its interpretative outcome, examine it in its most pristine form. more

It was not until the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory, that the importance of Rashi’s commentary in Chabad theology became apparent to the outside world. more

Among the sought-after kiruv speakers, Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak held a public ceremony in Jerusalem this week, where his followers tossed their television sets into dumpsters. It is clear that Rabbi Yitzhak’s act was unrelated to any specific program, but one recent set of televised ads by the Israeli Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, is stirring strong opposition across a wide spectrum of American Jewry. more

Calendar for the week of Dec. 9, 2011 more

Calendar for the week of Dec. 2, 2011 more

The recent and growing SAT cheating investigation by the Nassau County District Attorney, resulting in the arrests of several local high school students, has dominated the news and should be reason for society to take a collective pause. It should also be the impetus for us to redefine how we define and measure success. Within the affiliated Jewish community, shared values in the commitment to chesed is evidence that we already ‘get it.’ more