The death of the righteous atones, our Sages teach, and it is for this reason that during Mussaf of…
Rosh Hashanah: The Right Focus
“On Rosh Hashanah, it is written; and on Yom Kippur, it is sealed, who shall live and who…
The Morning After
The High Holiday period is one (we hope!) filled with introspection, reflection and a commitment to…
Time to Share
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet recently announced the launch of the “Giving Pledge” campaign, asking…
The Power of Kaddish
I wrote the thought below on that last day of saying kaddish for my father, Harav Chaim Yosef ben…
Vaera: The Right Reason
Sometimes the reason why one does something can be even more important than what was actually done…
Lech Lecha: A Loving Son
“And Terach’s years were 205 years, and Terach died in Charan. G-d said to Abram,…
Noach: A Penny Saved
“Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generation” (6:9). It is hard to imagine a greater…
Parshat Bereshit - Science and Torah
"In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth" (1:1). Light, sky, land, vegetation,…
Devarim: Developing Torah
After forty years of wandering in the desert, the Jewish people were finally ready to enter the…
The Appeal of a Teacher
Issues of church and state—especially in the United States, with its constitutional separation of…
Devarim: Have No Fear
After 40 long and, with important exceptions, mostly uneventful years, the Jewish people stood…
Happy With "His" Lot
Rav Yisroel Salanter, the 19th century ethicist, noted that it takes much more moral strength to be…
Behar: Speaking of Sinai
Our Sages equated farming with faith. Only a man of faith could put in months of backbreaking…
Kedoshim: Theory and Practice
One of the cardinal principles of Judaism is the belief in the Divine origin of our Bible. While…
Yitro: Nine Commandments
This week's d’var Torah is sponsored by Dr. Charles and Nathalie Piwko in observance of the…
Vaera: Status Quo
"And they did not listen to Moshe, from short spirit and hard work" (7:9). Moshe had a daunting…
Vayechi: Dual Loyalty
"If you really want to do me a kindness... act towards me with truth and kindness and do not bury…