Pesach is the Jewish holiday of hope. It marks the beginning of the Jewish (lunar) year – and new years are always times of hope. It is celebrated in…
Pesach: Now that is Slavery!
Our images of Egyptian slavery are those of forced labor and murder by a ruthless tyrant and his many followers. Despite Joseph literally saving…
Pesach: A Seder in Sedom
"He made a feast for them and baked matzah and they ate" (Breisheet 19:3). The "angels" had come to Sedom to rescue Lot from…
Purim: For the People
What should one do when the needs of the Jewish people conflict with the needs of Judaism? When the only way to keep our people Jewishly involved is…
Chanukah: 70 Bulls and 8 Lights
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing Jewishly conscious people in the modern world is figuring out the proper relationship we are to have vis a vis…
Shabbat Chol HaMoed: Let's Skip This Year
"Keep the harvest festival as the year changes" (Shemot 34:22). This (half) verse is the only reference to Sukkoth (or more precisely Chag…
Sukkot: Fear and Joy
The Jewish year begins with the aseret yemei teshuva, the ten days of repentance. They begin with the strict justice of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Hadin; and…
Yom Kippur: Play Ball!
“There are those who acquire their world in one moment” (Avodah Zara 18a). One action can define a life. While some people have to work…
Yom Kippur: Where Are You?
“On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.” No two holidays are as thematically connected as Rosh Hashanah and Yom…
Rosh Hashanah: A Redemptive Moment
One of the strengths of the Jewish people is our ability to focus on the future. What we do tomorrow is more important than we did yesterday. The…
Tisha B'Av: Doing Nothing
"Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza Jerusalem was destroyed.” (Gitin 55b) So begins the most famous Talmudic story relating to the destruction of the…
Yom Ha'atzmaut 68
“In every generation one must see himself as if he had left Egypt.” Pesach may seem like a distant memory despite it having concluded less than two…
Pesach: Old Questions, New Answers
“Chanoch lena’ar al pi darcho, train each child according to their way” (Mishlei). It is at the Seder that we analyze the questions of the “four…
Pesach: The Wise and Wicked
The Seder night brings together Jews from all orientations and perspectives. The future redemption of the Jewish people, a theme which is central to…
Shabbat Hagadol: Redemption is Near?
Historians and sociologists have long debated whether it is historical trends that determine the course of events, the historical personalities being…
Shushan Purim: From Purim to Pesach
“When Adar enters, we increase our joy” (Taanit 29a). Presumably, the increased joy is due to the upcoming Purim festivities, the most joyous of…
Purim: One Is More Than Many
"It was contemptible in his eyes to harm Mordechai alone; for they identified for him the people of Mordechai; Haman sought to destroy all the Jews…
Adar Sheni: Two Redemptions
Imagine if every few years the Gregorian calendar had two Decembers. When would people shop? We of course are faced with a similar dilemma seven…