A Most Meaningful Mineral
The word “sacrifices” used for korbanos, the mainstay topic of parshas Vayikra, is a misnomer. Korban doesn’t carry the meaning of “giving up something.” Its most accurate, if awkward, translation would be “bringer of...
British Jews are not silent. No one should be.
[Ed. note: This is an expanded version of an editorial that first appeared in the Intermountain Jewish News] Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State, on his last day in office, declared China’s persecution...
The Supreme Court Conversion Ruling Is Something No Orthodox Rabbi Can Support
The Israeli Supreme Court ruling which affirmed citizenship under the Law of Return for those who undergo domestic non-halachic conversions was condemned by Orthodox leadership pretty much across the board, from Tzohar to Agudah...
Parshas Tetzaveh – Redolence and Relationship
After the Torah prescribes the details of the various vessels attendant to the mishkan (tabernacle), of the construction of the mishkan itself, of the mizbeach (altar), of the daily lighting of the menorah, of the...
Parshas Terumah: Inside, Outside and In-Between
The aron habris, the holy ark described in the parshah, was essentially a wooden box set into a golden one, with another golden one set inside it (Yoma 72b). The Gemara (ibid) sees in...
Parshas Mishpatim: The Far-Reaching Import of a Vav
Your Uber driver might be pleasant to you because he values another human being, but his desire for a four-star rating likely plays a larger role in his affability. A sure way to anger...
Lazer in Space
It takes an impressive degree of repugnancy for a Republican lawmaker to evoke condemnation from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Enter newly elected Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. She earned that dishonor by...
Parshas Yisro – The Barrel’s Secret
Our ancestors’ acceptance of the Torah was imperfect: It included an element of coercion. The Gemara (Shabbos 88a) teaches that “Hashem held the mountain over the Jews’ heads like a gigis (a barrel).” The...
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, zt”l
It is with profound sadness that I announce the petirah of one of the gems of our generation, Rabbi Dr. Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Twerski, zt”l. The shock is too great and too sudden for...
We Pray for the President, Whether We Like Him or Not
Four years ago, when Donald Trump took office, Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz (in)famously declared to the public his refusal to recite the Prayer for the Welfare of the Government (Tefillah Li’Shlom Ha-Medinah), which is read aloud on...