9/11 Ten Years Later

When the terror attack occurred, Avremel was fifty-five; his friend…

Through the Valley of Death

The following is a meager attempt to record the awesome occurrences…

Reflections on 9/11

“The great tragedy of life,” Kierkegaard wrote, “is that it must be…

Nancy Morgenstern, a”h: Remembering a Life of Joy, Faith and Passion

Nancy Morgenstern, a”h: Remembering a Life of Joy, Faith and Passion…

Thinking Like a Jew: Reflections on Chanukah

In 1918, Max Weber, the German sociologist, famously described…

Variations on the Chanukah Theme

Variations on the Chanukah Theme was originally delivered as a sermon…

The Winter Solstice: Chanukah And The Darkest Point Of Light

Everybody but the Maharal of Prague knows that the miracle of Chanukah…

A Chanukah Meditation: Money To Burn

There is a price tag affixed to the Jewish legal principle of mitzvah…

A Kinah on the Tragedy in Toulouse

“The World Endures Solely on Account of the Breath of Schoolchildren”…

IF I FORGET THEE, O JERUSALEM

Following the Destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, our Sages introduced…

Kinot: The Language of Loss

My birthday is on Purim. But my destiny seems to be linked with Tishah…

In the Narrow Places: Daily Inspiration for the Three Weeks

The Three Weeks between the fasts of Shivah Asar B’Tammuz and Tishah…

What’s the Truth about . . . Eliyahu HaNavi at the Seder?

MISCONCEPTION: According to ancient tradition, Eliyahu HaNavi makes a…

Hold the Knaidlach

Sure, many families observe the minhag of not eating gebrokts on…

Curious about Kitniyot?

Everyone knows that Ashkenazim don’t eat rice or beans–kitniyot–on…

My Pesach Miracle

It is 1:15 a.m. on Seder night. My fatigue is settling in, along with…

What’s the Truth About . . . Reading the Megillah on Purim Morning?

Misconception: Of the two Megillah readings on Purim, the one at night…

Purim with Dr. Suess

I will not come before the king I will not come for anything! …

Misconception: Mordechai and Esther, the Purim heroes, were uncle and…

Majesty and Mystery: A Commentary on Megillat Esther and The Ma’ariv Evening Service for Purim

Rabbi Norman Lamm, one of the most articulate leaders of the Orthodox…

How Was Your Davening?

Every year, as certainly as Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first two days…

“Of course a person should do teshuvah, but I am a bit puzzled. I…

A Chazzan’s Reflections on the Days of Awe

It is late in the afternoon on Tishah B’Av day. Having just spent the…

There were precious few things that I shared in common with my father,…

Redemption and the Power of Small Things

Three women, all widows, walked hand in hand. Although they were…

Linking Ruth to Bereishit

In 1616, Rabbi Joel Sirkes (popularly known as the Bach), a noted…

Go Where I Send Thee: A Former Minister Finds Torah

Some years ago, Ahuvah Gray found herself in a kosher restaurant in…

Logging on to Judaism: A Convert Retrieves Her Soul from Cyberspace

In 1993, nearly twenty years after Shoshana Zakar converted to…

Yisrael V’Oraita

A poem in honor of the Siyum HaShas.

Gemara and the Ba’al Teshuvah

“Why learn Gemara?” is a question most ba’alei teshuvah will ask…

Women and Torah Study

"One who teaches his daughter [Oral] Torah -- it is as though he…

The Sweetness of Torah

“And Israel camped there before the mountain” (Exodus 19:2) “As one…

your February bar mitzvah like every bar mitzvah took place on the…

Guest Pass

though through serrated holes of branched schach above this temporary…

The Etrog : Jewish Beauty and the Beauty of Jewishness

Every civilization and every philosophical system searches for the…

Chag HaSukkot is unquestionably one of our most enjoyable holidays.…

Renewal

By Joel M. Schreiber The ancient tree stood in the yard, Its leaves a…

Happy New Year! (Tu B’Shevat)

In agricultural-based ancient Israel, Tu b’Shevat—the traditional new…

Open

My grandparents left me Emunah Beyond their rheumy gazes And their…

Healing a Wounded Covenant: Children of Holocaust Survivors Reclaim their Heritage

Children born in the post-Holocaust era of the 1940s, 50s and 60s grew…

Memories of a Third-Generation American Assimilated Jew and How She…

Responsa From the Holocaust

Rabbi Ephraim Oshry served as the spiritual leader of the Kovno Ghetto…

How Was Your Davening?

Every year, as certainly as Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first two days…

“Of course a person should do teshuvah, but I am a bit puzzled. I…

A Chazzan’s Reflections on the Days of Awe

It is late in the afternoon on Tishah B’Av day. Having just spent the…

There were precious few things that I shared in common with my father,…