השפל הכלכלי הנוכחי שוב הוכיח שהפתגם "אין ארוחות חינם" נכון בענייני כלכלה. לדעתי, הוא נכון גם בחיים באופן כללי ואפילו בחיים הרוחניים. רוב הבעיות, השערוריות והקשיים שמהם אנחנו סובלים בחיים בעולמנו... READ MORE →
The current economic downturn has once again proven the truth of the adage that there is no free lunch in economic matters. In my opinion it is true in general life and in spiritual life as well. Many of the current problems, scandals and issues that have beset our world can be attributed to this attitude that many people... READ MORE →
כפי שיודע כל אדם שהספיק קצת לחיות, סיפור חיינו מורכב מאסונות גדולים ומנחמות קטנות. האסונות נראים גדולים מפני שהם נתפסים כבלתי הפיכים במהותם. קרוב משפחה אהוב שהלך לעולמו לא ישוב אלינו עוד בעולם הזה. לכל האומות,... READ MORE →
As anyone who has passed through life knows there are great tragedies and small comforts that make up our life story. The tragedies are deemed great because they are deemed to be of an irreversible nature. Our beloved kin who have passed away are not coming back to us in this current world that we live in. For all nations, ultimate defeat usually means the end of empire if... READ MORE →
ישנם בתלמוד מקרים רבים שבהם חז"ל שואלים אם סוג מסוים של התנהגות מותר לחלק מהיהודים, מדוע איננו מותר לכולם? התלמוד והתורה עצמה מכירים בכך שיש נסיבות יוצאות מהכלל, שיש לחצים חריגים ודעות שונות שצריך לקחת בחשבון,... READ MORE →
There are numerous instances in the Talmud when the rabbis state that if a certain item of 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, differing opinions that need be taken into account but the Talmud never advocated differing standards of halachic... READ MORE →
Though the month of Av carries with a title – menachem – meaning comfort and consolation, it nevertheless remains the saddest and most disturbing month of the Jewish calendar. Comfort is a great and necessary word but as a true concept and reality it is very difficult to obtain. This is particularly true for individuals reeling from the loss of a beloved one but it is... READ MORE →
Jews are good at mourning. We have had a lot of practice doing so over the many past centuries and certainly over this last past one. Jewish suffering, many times accepted with stoicism, nevertheless was immortalized in the rituals and traditions of the liturgy and practices of Jewish life. This week marked the beginning of a three week period of mourning which will culminate on... READ MORE →
The most dreaded words that a parent, teacher or guardian can here from one’s child, student or ward is “I am bored.” The rabbis of the Talmud long ago cautioned us against boredom as a state of mind that brings one to desolation, depression and even anti-social behavior. Now that the schools are out for the summer vacation the question of what to do with the young is a... READ MORE →
The Torah extols the value of truth as an absolute virtue. The Torah teaches us to stand firmly away from falsehood. Even though the technical application of this value in halacha is apparently limited to legal and evidentiary matters the value of truth in Judaism as a general axiom is unquestioned. Yet the Torah itself allows for the situations when ultimate truth can be... READ MORE →
