Menashe and Ephraim
Joseph’s two sons, Menashe and Ephraim, are familiar names because (a) they each became the forefather of a tribe when Jacob divided the tribe of Joseph into two tribes, and (b) because…
Surviving Via Shanghai
In his youth, Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz probably never imagined that he would visit Shanghai, let alone take care of the finances for several yeshivas in that Chinese city. Thanks to visas…
Hail the Holy Pomegranate
The Pomegranate is a funny sort of fruit. Rather than eating the flesh and throwing away the seed, as one does when eating an apple or orange, pomegranate seeds are eaten and the flesh…
The First Advisor on Jewish Affairs
In 1942, after first serving as a rabbi in Buffalo, New York, and then in Chicago, Illinois, Rabbi Judah Nadich (Baltimore 1912 - New York 2007) enlisted in the United States Army as a…
Rain, Rain…
“Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day...” This cute ditty must have been written in a northern country–someplace like England–where they have the luxury of wishing rain away. In…
But Wait, There’s More
Now that the Jewish people have repented on Yom Kippur and, hopefully, received Divine forgiveness, it is time to sit back and relax... Just kidding! It is time to celebrate! Just five…
Disclaiming a Mystery
Who doesn’t like a good mystery? In the twenty-first century, whodunnits dominate the best-sellers lists, perhaps because one feels safer knowing that no matter how elusive--the bad guy…
The Jews of Hawaii
According to The American Jewish Year Book (2012), there are approximately 7,000 Jews residing in the state of Hawaii. While there was no established community until the 20th century,…
Hail to Brotherhood
In the earliest days of humankind, a man named Cain asked God the now famous question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). Cain’s question was meant to be a distraction from the…