There are numerous instances in the Talmud when the rabbis state that if a certain behavior is permissible to some Jews then why is it not permissible to all? The Talmud and the Torah itself recognizes exceptional circumstances, unusual pressures, and differing opinions that need be taken into account, but the Talmud never advocates differing standards of halachic behavior. It does recognize... READ MORE →
במסעי האחרון לארצות הברית, נאלצנו אשתי ואני כמה וכמה פעמים להיעזר בשירות הסעות פרטי. אשתי, בהיותה אדם הרבה יותר ידידותי ובהחלט הרבה יותר חברותי ממני, הצליחה בכל פעם לשמוע את סיפור החיים המלא של הנהגים שהסיעו אותנו ליעד... READ MORE →
On my recent trip to the United States my wife and I had, on a number of occasions, to use the services of a private car service. My wife, being a much friendlier and decidedly more social person than I am, was successful every time in eliciting the full life story of each of the drivers who drove us to our requested destination. All of the drivers were courteous, respectful and skilled at their... READ MORE →
One of the more fiendish banking creations of our modern society is that of the credit card. This simple piece of plastic is the greatest source of personal convenience and freedom of opportunity. It is also the source of angst, bankruptcy and even greater forms of tragedy to families and individuals. For credit cards like everything else in human existence come at a cost. Some of it is immediate... READ MORE →
אחת ההמצאות הבנקאיות השטניות יותר של החברה המודרנית היא כרטיס האשראי. אותו כרטיס פלסטיק פשוט מאפשר חיים נוחים וניצול הזדמנויות, אך הוא גם מקור לחרדה, ולעתים לפשיטת רגל ואפילו לאסונות גדולים יותר לפרט ולמשפחה. כל זאת... READ MORE →
The line between arrogance and necessary self-confidence is indeed a thin one. Yet we find throughout Torah and Talmud that arrogance is a grievous character trait, so much so that one is allowed to go to the opposite extreme of abject humility in order to avoid being ensnared in behaving arrogantly. A person, even one who strives for humility must nevertheless possess self-confidence and... READ MORE →
One of the major certainties of human life is that we are all obliged to pay taxes to the governments that rule over us. In the history of humankind there has never been a government that did not need more money. Governments are by their very nature, inefficient and wasteful of the money that it brings in. Therefore all cost-cutting measures no matter how loudly publicized and grandly advertised... READ MORE →
I recently read an article written by a Jewish blogger who strongly defended Israel and was very critical of the growing blatant bent of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel writings of the progressive Left and some sections of world academia. He received a sharply worded letter from a fellow Jew who demanded to know why this blogger had not written such a blog about discrimination against... READ MORE →
My mechanical ineptitude is legendary. I have never been any sort of handyman around the house and from time immemorial, dealing with burned out light bulbs has presented a dreaded challenge to me. If this was true, and it was, regarding those good old-fashioned screw-in light bulbs, the arrival of halogen lighting fixtures and bulbs has vastly compounded the problem. Those spindly little legs... READ MORE →
My Israeli passport has run its course, all of its pages are full with the entry and exit stamps so lovingly applied at Ben Gurion airport, and therefore I am forced to obtain a new passport. In the process of applying for this new passport I took time to leaf through the pages of my previous passport. In so doing a flood of memories overcame me. I remembered trips that I took, places that I... READ MORE →
