This period of time is dark, literally and figuratively. Daylight hours are short. The weather is cold. It’s easy to get sick. Lethargy sets in. There are no holidays. The financial crisis is raging. Israel is at war. What’s a Jew to do? There’s a surefire way to illuminate ourselves and the world around us, […]
One of the most powerful questions that arises from the story of the Exodus is how could God harden Pharaoh’s heart without stripping him of his free will to decide between good and evil? I’d like to convey two answers offered by one of the greatest Torah scholars of the early twentieth century, Rav Shlomo […]
An excerpt from Goodbye, Mom: A Memoir of Prayer, Jewish Mourning and Healing by Arnie Singer The rabbi of the shul I’ve been saying kaddish at recently handed me a card with someone’s hebrew name on it, and asked if I would have them in mind when I said kaddish on their upcoming Yahrzeit. I […]