The president of the United States has recently reassured us and proclaimed that “America has Israel’s back”. Given the recent controversies between the prime minister of Israel and the president of the United States, this message was meant to soothe the relationship between the two countries and to allow for a more positive progression of policies that would be in their mutual interest. ... READ MORE →
It has been a tough month for the political experts amongst us. There were two major elections that commanded international interest and media coverage. One was here in Israel and the second one just concluded in the United Kingdom. In both instances the media, in the main, was heavily biased towards the Left. Isaac Herzog, Tzipi Livni and their left of center Zionist Union party was adored by... READ MORE →
May 1 is the most sacred and significant day of the year on the calendar of the universal Left. It was, and in certain countries still is, the day of the Red Flag and the marching parade of millions of workers and the proletariat throughout the world. In the halcyon days of the Soviet Union, terrible and aggressive weapons of destruction were paraded before the eyes of the world in Red Square... READ MORE →
The emphasis that the Torah places on the location – Mount Sinai – where Moshe received the Torah and its commandments, and the particular commandment regarding the observance of a sabbatical year, has been an issue of much interest to the commentators on the Torah over the ages. Rashi, quoting the famous rabbinic dictum, states that the words “Mount Sinai” indicate to us that just as... READ MORE →
One of the problems that faces religious leadership in the Jewish world, especially the leadership of the great scholars and heads of the leading educational institutions here in Israel, is that there is a chasm of disconnect between them and the masses that they wish to lead and influence. I remember that once when I was a rabbi in Miami Beach many decades ago, a noted Israeli Talmudic... READ MORE →
The word vayikra that begins this week's Torah reading, and is the name of the third book of the Chumash, is distinguished by having a miniature alef at the end of the word. I have written about this exceptional script/font in previous years. I concentrated then mainly on the traditional explanation that this small letter was inserted in the Torah to highlight the abject humility of our teacher... READ MORE →
שגריר ישראל בשוודיה התראיין השבוע בתחנת רדיו בשטוקהולם. הוא התראיין בהקשר לפיגוע בקופנהגן שבו נרצח מאבטח היהודי ליד בית הכנסת. אחרי שהשגריר נתן ביטוי לתחושות האימה והקבס שהוא חש בעניין זה, שאלה אותו המראיינת ה'מקסימה'... READ MORE →
The Israeli ambassador to Sweden was interviewed this week on a radio station in Stockholm. He was being interviewed in connection with the recent killing of a Jewish security guard outside of the synagogue in Copenhagen. The charming woman interviewer, after the ambassador expressed is horror and disgust over the matter, asked him: “Don’t you think that the Jews also have to shoulder some... READ MORE →
The famous legend is that while Rome burned to the ground, its emperor Nero entertained himself by fiddling on his violin. The current election campaign in Israel reminds me of that legend. Every nonsensical issue from returning used bottles and pocketing the deposits to the current contempts regarding the appointment, firing and reappointment of avowed leftists as judges for the awarding of the... READ MORE →
האגדה המפורסמת מספרת שכאשר רומא נשרפה עד היסוד, הקיסר נירון שעשע את עצמו בנגינה בכינורו. מערכת הבחירות הנוכחית בישראל מזכירה לי את האגדה הזאת. כל נושא מטופש - החל מהחזרת בקבוקים משומשים וגניבת כספי הפיקדון ועד הוויכוח... READ MORE →
