Rabbi's Blog

Google recently completed a study on password security questions.  Sometimes we forget a password (who can keep up with the numerous different types of passwords necessary for websites, devices and services?). To retrieve the password, we are often asked a security question. Some popular questions are, “Where were you born?” or “What’s your favorite food?”  The problem with these questions are threefold:

1)      We may not know the answer! Sometimes, we forget who our second-grade teacher was. We cannot be expected to retain information from long ago.

2)      Information changes. We may have correctly responded that pizza is our favorite food. But th… Read More »

I remember vividly a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was full of interesting adventures, challenges and inspiration.

But the most difficult part was leaving the country. I recall arriving at the airport and being asked – before entering the airport – for my passport. It was quickly grabbed from my hands and someone ran off with it, while a horde of people – some official-looking, some quasi-official-looking and some of downright suspect appearance – converged upon me and grabbed my bags.  Within moments I was without a passport, without my belongings and in a country where I knew very little and did not speak the language very well. I was kind of terrified.

Truth be told it wasn’t as much my… Read More »

Great Britain went to the polls yesterday.

And all the pollsters got it wrong.

That’s the beauty of democracy. It’s actually the people that have the final say, not the pundits and prognosticators.

Every vote counts.                                           

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In this week’s parsha, Emor, we find the instruction to count the 49 days of the Omer. From the second day of Pesach we count seven weeks, culminating on the 50th day – Shavuot.  The Torah insists that we count all 49 days, stating, &ldq… Read More »