Massei Central Europe Jul 30, 2011

“And these are the journeys of the people of Israel” (33:1). The Torah lists over 40 stops along the long and winding route the…

Massei Central Europe Jul 30, 2011

“And these are the journeys of the people of Israel” (33:1). The Torah lists over 40 stops along the long and winding route the…

Jul 21, 2011

The sight of the CEO's of GM, Ford and Chrysler asking the Untied States Congress for 25 Billion dollars in aid as they flew to Washington on their…

Jun 20, 2011

Regardless of their personal piety (or lack thereof), Jewish law affirms that an almost superhuman level of respect be shown to our parents. What is…

Jun 16, 2011

The kashrut industry is about more than just food. In an industry where sales reach in the billions of dollars many of the largest food companies…

May 24, 2011

In its current form, the day school system is unsustainable. With tuition increases consistently at between two and three times the rate of inflation…

May 24, 2011

In its current form, the day school system is unsustainable. With tuition increases consistently at between two and three times the rate of inflation…

Pesach May 10, 2011

“It happened that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon were reclining in B’nei Brak…

Pesach May 10, 2011

“It happened that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon were reclining in B’nei Brak…

Kedoshim Apr 30, 2011

The line between greatness and failure is so small as to be unrecognizable, often revealing itself only after many years. This is true in the world…

Pesach Apr 23, 2011

It is hard to imagine a more impactful ritual than that of our weekly Torah reading. While its origins date to Moshe Rabbeinu—acting in his capacity…

Metzora Apr 11, 2011

Our Rabbis saw a link between the spiritual sin of lashon hara, slander and gossip, and the physical disease of tzara'at. At the…

Mar 29, 2011

Technological advances are rapidly changing the nature of almost all that we do. Many of the careers our children will pursue have yet to be invented…

Feb 28, 2011

In an almost unbelievable application of the verse, “Love your neighbour as yourself”, our Sages teach that one must give a convicted killer a “…

Vayakhel Feb 26, 2011

The primacy of Shabbat as the foundation stone of Judaism is self-evident. Shabbat is the culmination of the creation process; two distinct reasons…

Ki Tisa Feb 11, 2011

We have all been taught that it is the holiday of Shavuot that commemorates the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Interestingly, nowhere is this…

Jan 31, 2011

It is rare indeed to look to professional athletes for moral guidance. We learned long ago that the extraordinary talents they possess are manifest…

Mishpatim Jan 29, 2011

Knowing the right people is, more often than not, the key to success in the modern world. We in North America refer to “connections”, but in Israel…

Beshalach Jan 15, 2011

Our long sojourn in Egypt was meant to develop those character traits necessary to transform the Jewish people into G-d's special nation. We were…

Bo Jan 7, 2011

“And Pharaoh awoke, he and all his officials and all the rest of Egypt. There was a great cry, as there was no house where there was no death…

Vayigash Dec 11, 2010

“He kissed all his brothers and wept on their shoulders, and afterwards his brothers spoke with him” (45:14). What a change from twenty-two years…

Chanukah Dec 2, 2010

We tend to assume that, with the recital of the shir shel yom, the daily psalm—or Aleinu if you daven nusach sefarad, Shacharit is over.…

Chanukah Dec 2, 2010

We tend to assume that, with the recital of the shir shel yom, the daily psalm—or Aleinu if you daven nusach sefarad, Shacharit is over.…

Nov 30, 2010

One of the key aspects of the world of business is the crucial importance of the bottom line. And that is the way it should be. The primary—and some…

Vayishlach Nov 20, 2010

It is for good reason that co-wives are described as tzarot, literally, problems. Competing as they inevitably must for the same man, their…

Nov 1, 2010

In electing Rob Ford as mayor, voters in the city of Toronto have voted for change. Our mayor-elect has been most forthright in his plan of action,…

Vayeira Oct 23, 2010

Our Sages assert that the Torah pre-dates the creation of the world, in essence serving as the architectural blueprint of creation. This is a…

Sukkot Sep 23, 2010

This week’s d’var Torah is sponsored by Gershon and Leah Vandenbrink with best wishes for a joyous Sukkot. 
In rabbinic literature, Sukkot is known…

Sukkot Sep 23, 2010

This week’s d’var Torah is sponsored by Gershon and Leah Vandenbrink with best wishes for a joyous Sukkot. 
In rabbinic literature, Sukkot is known…

Yom Kippur Sep 18, 2010

The death of the righteous atones, our Sages teach, and it is for this reason that during Mussaf of Yom Kippur, just after recounting the special…

Yom Kippur Sep 18, 2010

The death of the righteous atones, our Sages teach, and it is for this reason that during Mussaf of Yom Kippur, just after recounting the special…

Rosh Hashanah Sep 9, 2010

“On Rosh Hashanah, it is written; and on Yom Kippur, it is sealed, who shall live and who shall die…” (Machzor). It is doubtful…

Rosh Hashanah Sep 9, 2010

“On Rosh Hashanah, it is written; and on Yom Kippur, it is sealed, who shall live and who shall die…” (Machzor). It is doubtful…

Yom Kippur Sep 2, 2010

The High Holiday period is one (we hope!) filled with introspection, reflection and a commitment to try to become a better person. Our religious…

Yom Kippur Sep 2, 2010

The High Holiday period is one (we hope!) filled with introspection, reflection and a commitment to try to become a better person. Our religious…

Jul 5, 2010

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet recently announced the launch of the “Giving Pledge” campaign, asking that all billionaires in America donate at least…

May 28, 2010

I wrote the thought below on that last day of saying kaddish for my father, Harav Chaim Yosef ben Harav Zvi Yehudah, z"l, four years ago. It…

Yom Kippur Acharei Mot Apr 23, 2010

“And G-d spoke to Moshe after the death of the two children of Aharon when they came close before G-d and they died” (16:1). The Torah then…

Yom Kippur Acharei Mot Apr 23, 2010

“And G-d spoke to Moshe after the death of the two children of Aharon when they came close before G-d and they died” (16:1). The Torah then…

Vaera Jan 4, 2010

Sometimes the reason why one does something can be even more important than what was actually done. While our Sages note that one should strive to…

Lech Lecha Oct 31, 2009

“And Terach’s years were 205 years, and Terach died in Charan. G-d said to Abram, Go away from your land, your birthplace and from…

Noach Oct 16, 2009

“Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generation” (6:9). It is hard to imagine a greater endorsement than that which the Torah gives to Noach.…

Sep 21, 2009

"In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth" (1:1). Light, sky, land, vegetation, animals and humans. The Torah's description of creation…

Devarim Sep 7, 2009

After forty years of wandering in the desert, the Jewish people were finally ready to enter the land of Israel. Their experience in the desert and…

Aug 25, 2009

Issues of church and state—especially in the United States, with its constitutional separation of these two realms—are always controversial, often…

Devarim Aug 8, 2009

After 40 long and, with important exceptions, mostly uneventful years, the Jewish people stood poised to enter the Promised Land. Undoubtedly, they…

Jul 28, 2009

Rav Yisroel Salanter, the 19th century ethicist, noted that it takes much more moral strength to be a businessman with integrity than to be a rabbi.…

Behar May 15, 2009

Our Sages equated farming with faith. Only a man of faith could put in months of backbreaking labour, knowing full well that all his efforts could go…

Kedoshim May 2, 2009

One of the cardinal principles of Judaism is the belief in the Divine origin of our Bible. While Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest of human beings, his…

Yitro Feb 13, 2009

This week's d’var Torah is sponsored by Dr. Charles and Nathalie Piwko in observance of the yahrzeit of Charlie's mother, ob”m, and in celebration of…