The Torah’s first verse is purposely unclear. As the Ramban, Nachmanides, points out, the deepest truths of how the universe was created are unfathomable and inscrutable, hidden, ultimately, in the realm of mysticism, not...
It has been the best of times, and the worst of times, for Torah Judaism. We’ve seen strong, sensible leadership in parts of the community, and failed leadership elsewhere. We’ve seen the resilience of...
The Chasam Sofer notes that the Torah’s last word, “Yisrael” and its first one, “Braishis,” share the letters aleph, shin, resh and yud… spelling ashrei. Ashrei can be translated as “praiseworthy” or “fortunate.” That...
Over the past few weeks, I have been sending out short thoughts on the upcoming parsha to my list of subscribers, who receive links to my Ami Magazine column and other things that might...
“First, know evil.”[1] Rabbenu Bachya argues that good is easily compromised by forces that tarnish and degrade it. Unless a person learns about them, his goodness he develops will be endangered. Better to first...
A young man was mindful of the advice he received about jump-starting conversation with a date. He had already struck out with the first two suggestions: asking about family, or about food. (No, she...
There are reports that, if and when football season opens, you will be instituting, at the beginning of every game, the singing of the Black national anthem following the Star-Spangled Banner. Since there is...
A Note About an Unfortunate Article August 28, 2020 By: Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel A number of people have called my attention to an anti-Agudath Israel screed that was recently published as an op-ed...
By Dovid Kornreich I want to discuss two recent scandals in Israel which at first, seem entirely unrelated. One is the heart-rending day care scandal reported last month, where a number of female staff...
by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde [Editor’s Note: I did sign the Declaration. My expectations were a good deal less ambitious, so I was more inclined to look away from any flaws or overreach. The...
