Born in Lisbon, Portugal, the Abarbanel was a direct descendant of King David. He made his home first in Portugal and then in Spain but in both instances was forced to flee due to prejudice and oppression. Though he attempted to convince King Ferdinand in Spain to cease persecuting the Jews, he was unable to reverse the decrees against his fellow Jews. And though he personally and his family were offered protection, the Abarbanel chose loyalty to God, and refused the offer. On Tisha B’ Av, 1492, two days before Christopher Columbus set sail on his voyage of discovery, the Abarbanel carrying a ..read more

Jews the world over will celebrate the holiday of Chanuka this month. Chanuka is a difficult holiday to define. It is of rabbinic origin commemorating the victory of the Hasmoneans over their Syrian/Greek oppressors and the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem to monotheistic worship. The great candelabra in the Temple was relit with pure undefiled oil and the light emanated from it for a miraculously long eight days. Hence the eight days of the Chanuka holiday.   Because Chanuka conveys a military as well as a spiritual message it does not fit comfortably into any of the holiday ..read more

Emergency personnel gather outside Robb Elementary School, May 23, 2022, after a shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Photo credit: Dario Lopez-Mills AP. One of the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of a democratic society is that it allows evil forces to operate with impunity under the protection of democratic processes and guarantees.  In our time, freedoms of expression, assembly and speech have been greatly expanded so that there is almost nothing outside their purview and definition.  We see that positive forces in society are constantly placed on the defensive by the aggressive nature of th ..read more

One of the many blessings bestowed upon the fortunate residents  in Jerusalem is free advice from strangers about all sorts of issues, petty and great. I was once again made aware of this compassionate bent of Israelis on my last visit accompanying my wife to our local shmitta approved fruit and vegetable store. As we were at the register checking out our purchases I asked that the box of produce be delivered to our home, a wonderful service of the store. I spoke in what I thought was flawless Hebrew and asked the manager if it could be delivered by noon. I used a noun that I believed cou ..read more

        One of the most beautiful areas in Israel is the Judean Desert. Even though the word desert in English conjures up a sandy wasteland such as the Sahara and much of the Saudi Arabian peninsula, the Judean desert does not fit that description. The area is not devoid of animal, vegetable and human life. It is not sandy, but rather rocky, with the craggy formations of rock forming heights, canyons, cave formations and geological shapes of breathtaking beauty. It reminds one more of the breathtaking beauty of Utah than of the desolation of the great d ..read more

                            The wonderfully joyous holiday of Chanuka occurs this month. In light of the horrific events of the past few months, the message and lights of Chanuka could not come at a more appropriate and necessary time. For Chanuka, in its essence, represents the ability to withstand oppression and evil, coercion and bigotry, and to believe in the improbable miracles that have always marked Jewish history and advanced the cause of all human civi ..read more

Whereas younger people in their adolescent and early adulthood years constantly look forward (I think that is why history teachers find it so difficult to interest them in the subject at hand) we older folks are much more prone to look back and restudy past events that were meaningful to us. The advantage of age and life experience allows a perspective on life that the younger generation has not as yet gained. Those of us who lived through the last two-thirds of the twentieth century experienced one of the most turbulent and certainly the most violent and murderous period in human history. Bet ..read more

I know that it sounds strange but Herman Wouk is an important person in my life. I met him only three times in my life and probably we exchanged no more than twenty words between us in all of those meetings. Wouk passed away at the age of 104 on May 15, 2019 but remarkably in 2012 at the age of 97 produced another novel that was published by Simon and Schuster. This book, The Lawgiver, is a wry look at Orthodox and secular Jewish life in America, the Hollywood movie industry and at Wouk himself and his wife of sixty-three years who was his literary agent as well. Wouk’s wife Betty Sarah, passe ..read more

            A friend of mine told me of an interesting conversation that occurred between two professors at a Catholic university in the United States. One of the professors was a nun, while the other professor was an observant Orthodox Jew. The nun said to the Jewish professor: “You know, that after long deliberation on the matter I am convinced that if I were not born and reared all my life as a Roman Catholic, I would choose Judaism as my faith. If you were not born and reared as an Orthodox Jew, then what do you think your faith would ..read more

Jews the world over will celebrate the holiday of Chanuka this month. Chanuka is a difficult holiday to define. It is of rabbinic origin commemorating the victory of the Hasmoneans over their Syrian/Greek oppressors and the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem to monotheistic worship. The great candelabra in the Temple was relit with pure undefiled oil and the light emanated from it for a miraculously long eight days. Hence the eight days of the Chanuka holiday.   Because Chanuka conveys a military as well as a spiritual message it does not fit comfortably into any of the holiday ..read more