The thoughts below are dedicated in celebration of the birth of our granddaughter, Tikva Razel. May our children Atara & Noah raise…
Some Thoughts on the Coronation of King Charles lll
Pomp and ceremony are very Jewish ideas. While this may come as a surprise to many, the Torah understood that pageantry has a great impact on people…
Running for Mayor: A Sad State of Affairs
Like many Torontonians, I was shocked and saddened to hear that our mayor, John Tory was resigning after having had an affair with a former staff…
Some Thoughts on the Passing of Queen Elizabeth II
That the passing of Queen Elizabeth ll marks the end of an era is a great understatement. One need not list how much the world has changed in the…
Voting for Heaven
For those living in the Province of Ontario—that includes yours truly—today is Election Day! While Jewish law may quibble with some of the…
Reflections on a Yahrzeit
The thought below is written in honour my father z”l, Rabbi Joseph Kelman, Rav Chaim Yosef ben Harav Tzvi Yehudah z”l, whose yahrzeit we observed…
May G-d Comfort...
For most of the world, the year 1492 marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' voyage to America. Yet for Jews, the year 1492 is a year of…
Powerless in Toronto
It’s always important to remind ourselves to be thankful for those things we take for granted—like having electricity. As many of you…
The Catholic Church, Gay Rights and the Jewish Community
The mark of maturity is the ability to disagree with others respectfully; to be able to appreciate the integrity and sincerity of an argument even as…
The Hertz Chumash United Us
During shul this past week, I was reading the notes of the Hertz Chumash, as I often do. This likely puts me in small company as the Hertz Chumash…
The Unsinkable Ship: 100 Years After the Titanic Disaster
Despite the passage of 100 years, the sinking of the Titanic holds a special fascination. In fact, the only time I’ve gone out to the theatres to see…
No, Israel Isn’t Turning into an Iran-Style Theocracy (The New Republic)
Gil TroyThe demonizing of Israel, dismissing the democratic Jewish state as a right-wing, religious, racist project, continues. The latest…
Monday Morning Quarterback
Monday morning at 1:30AM here in Israel, I joined over one hundred million of my fellow earth dwellers to watch Superbowl XLVI. When halftime rolled…
The Power of Kaddish
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…