January 3rd, 2012. The first full work day of the new year. The parties are over, the last of the confetti has been cleaned up, and life is getting back to normal once again. For most of us that means settling into the old routine, but for a few individuals this date officially marks the beginning of something […]
In examining the sequence of events leading up to the formation of the Jewish people, one is struck by the unlikelihood that our nation would ever come to be. The Talmud in Yevamos (64a) teaches us that Isaac, Sara, Rebecca, and Rachel were all infertile. With 3/4 of our matriarchs and 1/3 of our patriarchs […]
Election Day 2012. It’s almost here. You can feel it in the air, as the pre-election hype has been turned up to full blast! Tens of millions of Americans will head to the voting booths to cast their votes. We must constantly be thankful that we live in such a wonderful country where we are […]
This week’s Torah portion, Noach, introduces Noach by saying “These are the offspring of Noach, Noach was a righteous man perfect in his generation.” (Gen. 6:9) One would assume that if the Torah introduces Noach’s offspring, it would immediately enumerate his children; yet the Torah details Noach’s piety. Why does the Torah deviate by discussing […]
Parshas Noach opens with the story of The Flood. The people of the world were immoral and endlessly corrupt. G-d decided that civilization would have to be destroyed and a new one built on top of it. He brought a great flood – a deluge of boiling water – that destroyed every living creature on […]
One of Judaism’s basic tenets is that things don’t happen in a vacuum. Everything that we experience has a purpose and when it’s time for us to move on in life, G-d provides the circumstances to enable us to do exactly that. This week’s portion serves as a perfect example. The parsha begins with the […]
If you’re like me, in the days leading up to Hurricane Sandy you didn’t take all of those ominous-sounding warnings too seriously. Just out of curiosity, I went to my local supermarket where I saw people stocking up on bottled water and non-perishable items like they were going out of style. I really couldn’t understand […]
For the past thousands of years, at every traditional Jewish wedding, as the bride and groom stand under the Chupah blissfully in love and gazing adoringly at each other, the Rabbi (or other distinguished guest) makes seven special blessings in honor of the new couple. One of them goes as follows: “Bring great joy to […]
