אוקראינה תופסת מקום מדמם וכואב מאוד בהיסטוריה של מזרח אירופה. היא שוכנת בין פולין, אוסטרו-הונגריה ורוסיה, אך איננה פולנית או רוסית בשפתה, בדתה או בתרבותה, ולכן תמיד מצאה את עצמה בסביבה בעייתית. סטאלין וחרושצ'וב גזרו מוות... READ MORE →
There is a well-known anecdote/legend that circulates in the Mussar/yeshiva circles about a young yeshiva student who left the yeshiva world and its environment to find his fortune in far distant fields. At the time that he left the yeshiva he had a beard and dressed modestly as was his Jewish tradition. A decade later he met by chance on the street the head of his former yeshiva. The former... READ MORE →
יש אגדה/אנקדוטה מפורסמת שהסתובבה בעולם הישיבות ובתנועת המוסר על בחור ישיבה צעיר שעזב את עולם הישיבה ואת סביבתו כדי לחפש את מזלו במחוזות רחוקים. כשעזב את הישיבה, הוא היה מזוקן ולבוש בצניעות בהתאם למסורתו... READ MORE →
There was a long and critical article that appeared this past week in one of the Hebrew newspapers here in Israel concerning the role of rabbis in society. There is no question that the role of most rabbis in the United States is far different than what is currently the case in Israeli society. In the United States the rabbi is a far more personal figure. He is a teacher, speaker and... READ MORE →
There is a wickedly funny and enormously sad piece of satire making the rounds about a “Lithuanian” charedi father attempting to explain to his inquisitive child the story of the Hasmoneans and their triumph over the Greeks. On the one hand the Hasmoneans were staunch “Lithuanian “charedim who learned all day, while on the other hand they apparently had weapons, organized an army that... READ MORE →
In matters of faith and religion there always is a struggle between the actualities of life that we physically see and experience and the beliefs that are mostly unable to be seen and proven empirically. To further complicate this matter, one generation’s miracle often turns out to be a different generation’s science. See Mark Twain’s devastating satire of a book “A Connecticut Yankee in... READ MORE →
Charisma – the ability to attract others and make them believe in your persona, abilities and charm – is a much sought after commodity in today’s society. In the famous fable regarding the tortoise and the hare, even though the tortoise eventually wins the race, we would still, in the main, wish to be the hare. We love the flash of brilliant insight, the devastating quip, the broad... READ MORE →
One of the impossible tasks in human life is undoing the past. Perhaps even more tragic, and even unfair, is judging the past by current norms and standards. Yet no matter what we attempt, the past always rises up to bite us. Since all of us make mistakes in our lifetimes, the past is always a danger to us. In the scheme of things we are always remembered for our past failings rather than for... READ MORE →
Part of the collateral damage being inflicted upon our current Western democratic society by the loosening of all moral and legal restraints on speech, assembly and sexuality is that there is apparently no longer any meaning to the concepts of shame and disgrace. Unbridled arrogance and inflated personal ego rule the world of politics, religion and public life. A convicted felon serves as one... READ MORE →
חלק מהנזק הסביבתי שנגרם לחברה הדמוקרטית המערבית מביטול כל המגבלות המוסריות והחוקיות על דיבור, התכנסות ומיניות, הוא שמושגים כמו בושה וחרפה איבדו כל משמעות. יהירות שלוחת רסן ואגו אישי נפוח שולטים בעולם של הפוליטיקה,... READ MORE →
