Hi – Hope you’re having a great day. … Chinese president Hu Jinatao is in the United States. And will be in Chicago today. What does this have to do with the Torah Minute? Everything! Because among the issues that always come up? Human rights violations in China. American leaders always bring it up. And […]

Hi, Hope all is well. Our two boys, who are in day camp, went on a three day over night last week. So my wife and I “escaped” for a few days in Milwaukee. Among the things we saw advertised? An outdoor concert by the Milwaukee Philharmonic Orchestra. And off we went. But we were […]

Hi, Happy Chanukah! You may remember the name Christopher Hitchens. He’s the Jewish atheist who wrote a best selling book “G-d is Not Great”. In the book, he “trashes” every religion in the world, including Judaism. Here’s one of the many incredible things he says. “If I had to nominate an absolutely tragic day in […]

Hi, Hope all is well. Is there a Jewish response to the dog fighting scandal? I think so. The first is obvious. We should be shocked by the brutality of it. And so should every decent human being. … But here are some less obvious thoughts. I think we should know that all “decent people” […]

I always appreciate feedback from Torah Minute readers. And quiet a few were inspired by the stories about Rabbi Manis Mandel. … The world is very far from the ideals of Rabbi Mandel. In some very obvious ways. Like terrorism, violence and just plain lack of respect. And the next day, my wife told me […]

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 […]

Hi, One last thing about Lashon Harah. Say you’ve been asked to evaluate someone that’s being considered for a position. And after a few Torah Minutes about Lashon Harah? You want to be very careful! But you need to convey some negative information that you know of first hand. It will serve a constructive purpose. […]

Hi, Hope all is well. And that you had a nice Passover.  And had enough to eat! … We had started the “Ten Commandments”. How one tablet was about our obligations to G-d. Like not worshiping idols.  And observing Shabbat. What we might call “theology” or “ritual observance”. And the other tablet? Obligations to other […]