Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. …  It’s an ancient Jewish tradition. When a prayer book, a siddur, falls to the ground? We pick it up and kiss it. It’s a show of love and reverence. And it expresses something deeper. That the siddur is a beloved companion. Jews have always turned to the […]

Hi, I hope you had a meaningful and enjoyable Passover. … Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how important it is to remember. And to make sure the world never forgets!. Especially with what happened yesterday in Switzerland… Mahmud Ahmadinejad was given a platform at the U.N […]

You don’t need me to tell you. This is an historic day! A day that has inspired millions of people all over the world. And there’s a word that we’ve been hearing constantly. ‘Dream’. As in ‘dreaming of a better world.  A better future.’ And who didn’t hear it yesterday, Martin Luther King’s birthday? “I […]

There is no nation that prays for peace as often as we do!  I made a quick non scientific calculation. And came up with at least 15 times in our daily prayers! At the same time? There is a concept of war in the Torah. Of defending ourselves.  Of fighting the forces of evil. And […]

Hi, Next Sunday night and Monday is Tisha B’av. The ninth day of the Jewish month of Av. The saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Many tragedies happened to the Jewish People on that day throughout history. Including the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70. … For two […]

Hi, Mazal Tov! Israel is 59 years old. … And here’s something to think about. Jerusalem. 70 CE. The Romans capture the city. Destroy the Temple. Sell hundreds of thousands of Jew as slaves. It looks like it’s all over! And this is such a big deal to the Romans? That they mint coins to […]

Hi, Yesterday I said this is a great time for Jewish growth. So I’m going to do something that Jews are used to. Make an appeal! But with a twist. This one is not for money! … I think of Entebbe, Uganda. 1976. An air France plane is hijacked by Arab terrorists. At one point, […]

Hi, There is no nation that prays for peace as often as we do! I made a quick non scientific calculation. And came up with at least 15 times in our daily prayers! At the same time? There is a concept of war in the Torah. Of defending ourselves. Of fighting the forces of evil. […]

Hi, Here’s a follow up story to the last Torah Minute. It happened to me. A number of years ago I visited Boston. I saw a local paper with “what’s happening in Boston”. And something caught my eye. “Museum of Science and Industry: Ramsee the Second Exhibit”! What great timing! Ramsee is believed to be […]

Hi, We’ve spent quiet a while on the portion of Kedoshim. “Be holy.” We’ve seen many rituals and many moral and ethical obligations. Which brings me back to Purim! (It doesn’t take much)! … Haman. The villain of the Purim story. The prototype of the anti Semite. He convinces the King to destroy the Jewish […]