Good Neighbors
When considering a move to a new home, be sure to do your due diligence and inquire whether your prospective neighbors are upstanding individuals. Never underestimate the critical…
These Lights We Kindle
While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah – the menorah is lit in a window or doorway – it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the deeper…
The Final Analysis
After the soul departs, it journeys to the gates of heaven where it must present its case for entry. The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) states, “When an individual is brought before the Heavenly…
The Foolishness of a Hardened Heart
Learn from the mistakes made by Pharaoh and other tyrants and the futility of trying to control others. Human nature sometimes compels us to reject personal responsibility and…
Honoring King
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated today. “The Hebrew prophets belong to all people because their concepts of justice and equality have become ideals for all races and…
Your Jewish Life Coach
Do you have a life coach? For those unfamiliar with the term, life coaches work to help their clients determine and achieve their personal goals. While life coaching as a profession in…
The Elder of Slabodka
Students who choose to study the history of the development of the twentieth century rabbinic leadership will likely come across the name “Slabodka.” The town for which the renowned…
Indirect Damages
“An eye for an eye” as is set forth in this week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim (Exodus 21:24), is one of the most commonly quoted phrases from the Hebrew Bible. This phrase, of course, is…
Penny Lane
While the well-known adage requests, “A penny for your thoughts,” perhaps those coins should be sought, instead, in between the cushions of sofas and car seats, in washing machines and in…