To communicate effectively with people who disagree with us - especially those who are on the fence and can actually be won over - we must tailor our words to the listener.
A young man with degrees from Harvard and Yale decides to study Talmud....
There have always been jokers among us. Their destiny is not like everyone else's...
The Noahide laws are laws given by God to all mankind. They're fairly straightforward, but like anything in matters of faith, there's endless depth available for those who inquire.
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, "Israel had no days as festive as the 15th of Av, when the maidens of Jerusalem would go out dressed in white... and dance in the vineyards."
Too many Jews are turning their back on something they don’t even know. I was one of them.
Rosh Chodesh Chanukah, 5773 (2012)
I wrote the Secret to Chanukah late last night. Between then and now, I heard the horrific news coming out of Newtown, CT, where a mass murder occurred in an Elementary School.
As Purim approaches, we encounter a Talmudic conundrum:
Rava said: One must become so intoxicated on Purim that he cannot distinguish between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordechai.” Rabbah and Rav Zeira celebrated the Purim feast together. They became intoxicated. Rabbah arose and slaughtered Rav Zeira.
Jacob and Esau: two perspectives on the world that still resonate today.
Five different takes on Deut 20:8 - Is there anyone afraid and disheartened? Let him go back to his home, lest the courage of his comrades flag like this.
Five different takes on Deut 12:16 - But you must not partake of the blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.
The longest day of the year is a time when God's presence is most concealed. Even on a hot, cloudless day, however, the Sages’ words of Torah aroused moisture in the air, which in turn created the beautiful semblance of a rainbow.