Blog

Why do we count the days between Pesach and Shavuos? The Nesivos Shalom teaches that the Omer helps us to continue the process of freedom...

It’s interesting that on Shavuos, the holiday when we celebrate receiving the Torah, we read Megillas Ruth, the book of Ruth. What is the...

Summer 2011 After a few weeks at Neve, a seminary in Jerusalem, I know what I have to do. The afternoon classes are optional and everyone...

Some Background Growing up, I knew that it was customary to eat Challah on Shabbat, but I didn’t know that the actual mitzvah of Challah...

The Torah refers to humans as “midaber,” which means “a speaker.”[1] The essence of what makes us human is our quality of speech. Words...

I recently heard a story of a celebrity in L.A. who wanted to learn Kabbalah, so she invited a prominent Hollywood Rabbi to her home....

From the second night of Passover, we begin a 49-day period known as the “Omer.” We count each day, for seven weeks, until Shavuot, the...

The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches, “in every generation, and every day, a Jew must see himself as if he had that day been liberated from...

Although we received the Torah in last week’s Torah portion, Yisro, the Torah’s recounting of the events is not chronological here. This...

When God splits the sea and the Jewish people cross through from slavery to freedom, Miriam takes out her tambourine and the women play...

Many people think that freedom is living a life with no restriction. Is it? Many also believe that by having such freedom, we are not...

My Bat Mitzvah took place during this week’s parsha, Parsha Vayeitzei. I didn’t actually remember that; only once I returned to my Jewish...

Shemini Atzeret, (literally “The Eighth Day of Assembly”) which starts tonight, is linked to Sukkot but is a holiday in its own right....

One of my favorite holidays is Sukkot (Hebrew for “booths”). Emerging with clean slates from Yom Kippur, we spend the seven days of...

In my post last week, we spoke about the main steps of teshuvah, but there is one more crucial step. When we admit that we have hurt...

During the Ten Days of Teshuvah, it is a propitious time to do teshuvah because G-d is close to us. He is like a King who has left his...

Today’s #HighHolideas is dedicated to the aliyah (elevation) of the neshama (soul) of Elimelech Ben Basya, the young grandson of my Rabbi...

Imagine you got a chance to meet with Prince William and Kate Middleton. Imagine if during the meeting, you pulled out your phone to...

Why do we need to pray to G-d? G-d is inherently perfect; He doesn’t need our prayers. We need to pray. The Hebrew word for praying is...

What does a Jamaican man and a Jewish American girl have in common? In this case, more than you would think. Yoseph Robinson moved from...