Rabbi's Blog

When I play a board game with my children, they (and I!) are sometimes tempted to start over in middle of the game. If it’s not going well, and defeat is in the air, you may also be interested in throwing in the towel to start over.  Perhaps a new game will offer better luck and a shrewder attempt.

But, of course, it isn’t fair to start over just because I’m currently losing.

In the grand game of life, as well, we often start over.  When I feel like I’ve failed at something, I hope a fresh start will bring better results.

However, what if everything is going swell? If I’m winning, would I want to start over? Is it ever advisable to start over when you are ahead?

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This Shabbat we will, once again… Read More »

Yaniv Hayoun did not plan for a miracle. He was not looking for drama.

He simply planned an ordinary day of travel back to Israel from Dubai.

Yet, Hashem chose him for a miracle.

On September 30, flydubai flight 1073 was cruising from Dubai to Tel Aviv, when it suddenly nosedived. We are still learning more details, but it is clear that the copilot attacked the captain and attempted to crash the airplane. Yaniv, together with a few other everyday heroes rushed the cockpit and apprehended the terrorist.

He was able to pull the aircraft back from pummeling toward earth. Two off-duty pilots took over, and eventually landed the flight in Saudi Arabia.

It was a miracle in the sky.

Yaniv did not plan it. But, he did step into it when presen… Read More »

“I’m relocating,” a friend recently told me.

“What will change when you relocate?” I asked.

“Well, I’m pretty young, so I’ll make new friends quickly. I will have the a new job. A new home. But, that’s all expendable. So, really, not much will change. Maybe the weather.”

That got me thinking about the Torah’s instruction to relocate from our homes for one week.

During Sukkot, we abandon the comforts of our home and eat all our meals in the Sukkah. Ideally, other activities should also be performed in the Sukkah.

What message is the Torah trying to impart to us?

Sitting in the Sukkah does make us vulnerable to the weather. But, so does sitting at the football game. And, … Read More »

El Capitan is a towering sheet of rock in Yosemite National Park. When we took our children there recently, they were perplexed how it’s possible for humans to climb up a vertical cliff of granite.

I explained that there are very few humans who can – or are willing – to climb up without ropes. Most climbers use ropes to help them reach the top and prevent falls.

We ushered in 5787 and we stand days away from Yom Kippur. The Ten Days at the beginning of the Jewish year are called the Ten Days of Teshuva (Return). At the apex of these ten days is Shabbat Shuva (or Teshuva).

The Torah tells us that Hashem is closer and more available during these ten days, as the prophet Isaiah states, “Seek Hashem when he can be fou… Read More »

Today marks 25 years since the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001.

For many of our generation, we can remember exactly where we were on that fateful morning. Some of us lost loved ones or friends. Some volunteered heroically and saved lives.

But, all of us were changed. It changed our psyche. It changed our outlook. It changed our security protocols. And, decades later, we still feel the impacts when we travel by air or look at the New York skyline.

What about, however, our children who were born after 9/11? To them this isn’t a change. It’s the only world they know. Security checkpoints are normal. Concerns for terrorism are a way of life. It would be absurd to think otherwise. For them, imagining a different reality is … Read More »

We are beholden by the actions of our forbearers.  Ever since the founders of this country established a Constitution, we must abide by it. Even if we disagree with it, we cannot simply do away with it. We must follow a process and vote in order to potentially amend it.  Similarly, we inhabit the world that our ancestors left us.  The discoveries, the scientific advances, the wars, the successes and failures – all of it is imposed upon us whether we like it or not.

In a strange fashion, we accept that reality. Our ancestors have a right of sorts to foist this on us because they are the ones responsible – in a way – for our existence.  If not for them, we would not be here.

Yet, we still have the right… Read More »

At the end of this week’s parsha Ki Tavo, Moshe – nearing the end of his life – reprimands the Jewish nation:

"You have seen all that the Lord did before your very eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land; the great trials which your very eyes beheld and those great signs and wonders. Yet until this day, the Lord has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear.”

If Moshe attests to the fact that forty years prior the Jews saw the miracles in Egypt and the numerous wonders of G-d, why is he stating that they are incapable of knowing, seeing and hearing?

Let me put this in other words: If you were present when, for example, the Twin Towers were attacked on … Read More »

A Jewish woman passed away in rural Arizona. Her body was only found several days after passing.

A relative in Colorado contacted me in Boise.

I reached out to another relative in Idaho.

I found out that the body was scheduled for cremation in a matter of hours. This is a huge no-no in Judaism.

Unfortunately, the deceased had no funds and no local family members at all.

With the clock ticking, I immediately reached out to relatives to stop the cremation, or at least pause it.  I was told there are no funds for burial. “Put aside money,” I declared. “We will figure that out. For now, we need to stop the funeral home from cremating the body and then we can figure out the rest.”

Reluctantly, the relatives agr… Read More »

A great rabbi was once called upon to settle a dispute between two of his followers.  The first man poured out his complaints to the rabbi, and when he finished, the rabbi said, “You’re right.”  Then it was the second one’s turn.  When he finished, the rabbi said, “You’re also right.”  The rabbi’s wife, who had been listening to the conversation, said incredulously to her husband, “What do you mean, ‘You’re also right’? They can’t both be right!”  The rabbi thought for a few moments, and then replied, “You know, my dear, you’re also right.”

Sometimes, my children come with similar challenges.  One says… Read More »

Did you know that the capture of Constantinople in 1453 led to the discovery of America?

When the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople, they blocked traditional land trade routes between Europe and Asia. This blockade forced European nations to look for new sea paths to reach Asian spices and goods. These desperate searches for alternative water routes eventually led Christopher Columbus to sail west in 1492, landing in the Americas.

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In this week’s parsha, Re’eh, the Jews are told to destroy and uproot all idolatry upon settling in the land of Israel. The Torah states:

And you shall tear down their altars, smash their monuments, burn their asherim with fire, cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their na…Read More »

I often marvel at how the most ancient of languages is so simple, yet so complex.  Our English language does not distinguish between the singular and plural of “you.” But in Hebrew, as in other languages, the distinction lies large. In fact, one of the greatest challenges facing English speakers who are trying to learn Hebrew is adjusting to the male/female and singular/plural aspects.

Addressing “you” versus “all of you,” can mean a world of difference.

One such instance is in this week’s parsha, Eikev.  Last week’s parsha Va’etchanan contained the first paragraph of the Shema and the second paragraph of Shema appears in this week’s parsha.

Interestingly, the first pa… Read More »

A Jew in Soviet Russia is sent to Siberia for practicing his faith.

He receives a letter from his wife, saying that the ox has died and there is no way to plow the field to plant the potatoes. He sends a letter back to her, warning her not to go near the field, let alone plow it, because that’s where all the guns and ammunition are hidden.

The next day, a truck full of soldiers shows up at her home and they begin digging desperately, turning over the entire field. After a day of digging – and finding nothing, they leave. She writes to her husband in Siberia to update him.

He replies this time, “Now, you can plant the potatoes!”

Welcome to Soviet censorship and a smart Jew.

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The Talmud tells a story of Rabbi Ak… Read More »

Tonight we will drink wine. Tonight we will eat meat. It’s Shabbat.

But, earlier this week, we abstained from eating meat and drinking wine. That’s because we are in middle of the Nine Days, the saddest time in the Jewish calendar.

We mourn the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, in Jerusalem. Nearly two thousand years later, Jews still abstain from comforts during the days leading up to Tisha B’Av.

Together with our deep and enduring grief over the loss of our sacred Sanctuary, we face forward and wish each other, “May these days be transformed into days of gladness and joy.” This is based on a verse in Zechariah (8:19), which states that the fast days, “Shall be for the house of Judah… Read More »