Do You Hate Shabbat?

Is your Shabbat an out-of-this-world spiritual experience? Here's how to make it one.

Is There A New Israel?

In the Purim story, Achashverosh, Ahasuerus, dresses himself as the High Priest in the Holy Temple. What did he hope to gain by doing this?

The Hidden Light

The light of Chanuka becomes dark in Tevet but it never disappears.

The Day The Music Died

Music has a tremendous power - for the good or the bad. It all depends on the soul of the composer and the musician.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Yom Kippur

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Yom Kippur

Was It Worth Creating The World For Me?

Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of the creation of the first man. It's also the day on which God judges the whole world. What is the connection between the two?

Fear of Elul

Right now, faced with the prospect of having to turn my life and my emotions upside down, I go into a panic that results in total spiritual paralysis. Fear of Elul.

Leaving Our Comfort Zone

One of the most difficult things in this world is to change. To become more than we are. To realize our true potential. We don't want to change. We'd rather sit by the pool and watch the water-lilies float-to-and-fro. Any true change is painful. The Hebrew month of Elul is the time that demands from us to leave our comfort zone and realize our true spiritual potential.

Richard Branson and The Ultimate Joy Ride

It's easy to think of life as a trip through a treasure-house of experiences. Climbing Everest. Flying around the world in eighty days, or to the edge of space. The truth is that all the pleasures, all the experiences of this world, are given to us for one reason only: that we might sense to the smallest degree, the taste of life itself. But what is life itself if not our experiences in it?

Tisha B'Av, IBM, and the Nazis

How were the Nazis able to carry out the Holocaust - something extremely complex - without a computer?

The People of the Moon

Have you ever noticed that from the Earth, the Sun and the Moon look exactly the same size? Is it just a coincidence? Maybe there's a deeper meaning to this?

Tragedy in Miami

When tragedy strikes, each one of us must make an accounting.

Book Burning and the 17th of Tammuz

A hallmark of all repressive regimes is burning books. One of the tragedies that we mourn on the 17th of Tammuz is the burning of the Torah - the ultimate repression of the ultimate book.

Why Do We Say Shabbat Shalom?

All right-thinking people in this world want shalom – peace. Why is it that almost since the beginning of time, peace has been elusive and often illusory. Shabbat holds the answer.

A Real Jewish Princess

A magical parable about Shavuot.

The Empty Landscape

Seasons of the Moon

Pesach has Matza, the Seder, the four cups of wine, "Ma Nishtana.…" Succot has the Four Species and the Succah. Shavuot, however, has no single identifying Mitzvah, no recognizable landmark in its scenery. Why?

Respect For Others

Seasons of the Moon

Nineteen hundred years ago, the twenty-five thousand pupils of Rebbe Akiva all died in the days of the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot. This was a punishment for not treating each other with enough respect. The majority of the days Omer are in the month of Iyar. Thus Iyar is a time for us to work on improving respect for others.

What's So Wrong With Bread?

Everyone knows you can't eat bread on Pesach, but what's so wrong with bread?

Will You Throw Away Your Mask This Purim?

Sometimes rather than endangering lives, throwing away your mask can save lives. A message for Purim.

Out Of This World

Why do we say "Pnei Shabbat Nekabela"? What does the Shabbos have to do with the face?