There are many steps that we ascend on our journey towards the holiday of Passover, including the special Sabbaths that precede it. holiday. I fondly remember the wise old rabbi whose little … more

There was a time when I would only go out of my way to listen to speakers who were older and more experienced than I. Recently, however, I changed my preferences and began to seek out rabbis and … more

He was an old man, and in many ways came from a very different world than I. And yet he taught me more than anyone else ever did. One of the things he taught me was that no one suffers as much as a … more

T he world did not know that he was a mystic. He was an accomplished diplomat, who knew how to deal with people in positions of great power. Some characterized him as a shrewd, and even manipulative, … more

The Torah requires us to celebrate three major festivals — Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot — and to do so joyously. Our Sages instituted two additional festive holidays, Chanukah and Purim. … more

Be strong, be strong, and we will be strong! — Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek! The week we read parshat Pekudei, which comprises the concluding chapters of sefer Shemot. As the … more

Q uite a few years ago, I spent almost every Sunday afternoon in one of the great museums of the city where we then lived. I no longer remember what first stimulated my interest in art, and … 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

There is a well-known joke that is told about the Jews, which I find particularly sad. The joke tells of a group of explorers who find a Jew who has been stranded on a desert island for years. As he … more

Early in my postgraduate training, I became familiar with the important role that empathy plays in successful psychotherapy. As the eminent psychotherapist Carl Rogers wrote, “Empathy is the … more