יום חמישי, כ״ה חשוון תשפ״זThursday, November 5, 2026
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As a number of traditional sources point out, such legislation of the details of biblical law was not decided solely upon the basis of decoding the text or Talmudic logic.
Instead of the lofty goal of creating a Sanhedrin with the intent of creating consensus and unity, we could start the other way around. Start off with achdus, and a global movement to increase ahavas Yisrael among our people.
The Greek term Sanhedrin reflects a new name given to the zekeinim we know from the Torah. So Sanhedrin represents Jewish ability to determine law and justice, even as it is subjugated under an outside imperial culture.
By Alan Zeitlin
Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the CNN June 27 debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump that will certainly feature some questions about Israel, Iran and antisemitism.
Those of you who know me will be frightened by what I am writing, but I must insert here that I do not hate Hubby. I forgive him, over and over and over. I am fortunate that he still expresses his love for me, and when he does, I see glimpses of the man I cherished for most of our time together.
Modi performs all over the world, and since the events of October 7, he has ended each show with Hatikvah, including in front of audiences in Germany, Holland, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
One particularly memorable item was a photocard of himself and his crew standing in front of the Sphinx on which he has written In Mitzraim just at the right time of year; expect to be in Palestine for Pesach.
With a track record of mentorship, volunteerism, and community involvement, Johnson embodies the values of integrity, compassion, and service that are essential for a Surrogate’s Court judge.
Popsicles came in varying colors and flavors. Vanilla white, lime green, chocolate, banana yellow, cherry red, etc. Yet they are all labeled as popsicles.
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
The process of making a popsicle – mixing ingredients, freezing them, and transforming a liquid into a solid – parallels one of the most popular and treasured themes in Judaism: the power and privilege of transformation via teshuva.
As the environment in galus heats up, we have a choice to make. Is my strength going to come from inside, or will I allow my environment to change my trust in Hashem?
By Nachum Segal
Maybe the popsicle is the same or even better in taste and flavor in 2024, but for me, the frozen treat of yesteryear simply has a whole host of accompanying ingredients that make the memories even tastier.
I looked for other ways to support Israel and one of those ways became buying Israeli products. I've been looking for those watermelon popsicles with candy seeds but to no avail. If you do come across them, please let me know.
This morning, I began composing a list of Hubby’s needs which he expresses from moment to moment. Like all sufferers from this condition, he is able to identify what he wants, and yet is unable to resolve his need.
This collection, originally gathered by Solomon Schloss (1815-1911), had one of the most remarkable provenances a collector or institution could hope for – namely, that all the items had a highly detailed, provable pre-war provenance.
The oldest surviving Yale seal may be found on the 1749 master’s diploma of Reverend Ezra Stiles, who went on to serve as Yale’s president (1778-1795).
In Ma'aseh Tuviah, Kohn discusses Copernicus's system but finds it incompatible with Jewish teachings.
Morahs are our children’s guides as they develop their first experiences outside the home. It is not surprising, therefore, that but my morah said it has to be done this way… is one of the most sacred instructions in our home.
By Adina Broder
Educators need to teach from the heart in order to have the greatest impact on their students. This requires teaching with sincerity, patience and empathy, which creates a nurturing environment in which students feel safe to question, explore and create.
Morah, rooted in the same shoresh as Yirah – fear, they say. But as I pondered over the cholent this past Shabbos, I concluded that it's more about awe, a reverence beyond measure.
By Eli Lebowicz
If you don’t think being a teacher is tough, try to remember what life was like during the beginning of Covid when kids were home or doing Zoom school and we were all struggling.
Next time you are about to act, whether it be a kiddush or (chas v’shalom) a chillul Hashem, remember who you are, a morah.
There is a condition called sun-downing in dementia. I truly do not understand it fully, but for many people with memory loss, when the sun goes down (quite literally), their level of anger, delusions, and animosity rises.
What was published, though, was nearly all after his passing, and much of it is obscured in the murkiness of what was authentic, what less so, what was expounded from his teachings and what was a commentary by his disciples.
my favorite tale of a Jewish horse thief is Sholem Aleichem’s generally unknown Moshkeleh Ganev (Moshe the Thief), which he serialized in twenty episodes in a Warsaw Yiddish daily before it was published in book form in Warsaw (1913) and, after Aleichem’s death in 1914, in Kiev (1927).
It's become quite apparent that many college campuses today have morphed into a hotbed of Jew hatred. So it's nice to know that with Rabbi Eliyahu and Shaindy Raskin around, students attending Brooklyn Heights institutions can focus on their studies knowing they have the academic, professional, and religious support of such a dedicated couple.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
For us, as we count down the days to Shavuot and the plethora of dairy we will be indulging in, let’s use our milchig food as a symbol to reconnect ourselves to Torah – and of course to Eretz HaKodesh, a land filled with milk and honey.
Funny enough, the data shows that using the term milchig isn't just Ashkenormative but it's Litve-normative!
There are numerous explanations for why we eat a dairy meal on this holiday. One of the reasons that underscores this connection is that just as milk spoils in fancy vessels but is preserved well in cheaper ones, the Torah is best preserved in a humble and accepting individual.
By David Curwin
While the average Israeli won’t know the word milchig, they will know the English cognate milky. It’s the name of a very popular chocolate dairy pudding.
The Rema (Yoreh Deah 87:3) anticipated the popularity of these substitutes when he wrote that anyone cooking a meat product in almond milk should place almonds on the table, to indicate the origin of the liquid and to avoid mar'is ayin, or the appearance a halachic violation.
Normally, I would have winced at his display of impatience, but as we were in these long corridors, quite alone, it really did not matter. Scream away.
While there are sporadic quotes in the era of the Rishonim to the Jerusalem Talmud on the Seder Kodshim portion, no portion of it survives today.
Noah’s plan for a temporary Jewish homeland in the United States – the restoration of the Jews to Eretz Yisrael and the reestablishment of Jerusalem as the eternal Jewish capital was always the ultimate goal – may have had its genesis in his removal from a high government position because he was Jewish.
If we valued, recognized, made more space for the wisdom of the hands, we'd allow more people to feel successful, accomplished, seen in our community.
As we fight an enemy on our border, it’s not walls that will save us and establish peace.
Just as Hashem opened Himself to be witnessed, we too have the sacred capacity to truly be there for each other. We can create space to hold another's story – their struggles and their greatness – even if we can never fully understand.
By Maayan Zik
For all the community love that was proposed, the few walls that were built surely declared the opposite. Once some of the walls were pointed out, the discussion went in a better direction.
We must remember that these walls are considered holy as they are frequented regularly by Jews from around the world who come to visit and pray.
Noting that the local paper mill in Vilna burned down and no paper was available locally, he apologizes for the delay in getting the process started as they were awaiting a batch of paper from Warsaw. Dismissing an option to print on low quality paper, the printer writes that in their vicinity such paper is not used.
The 1934 Fair represented the largest and most prestigious concentration of buildings executed in the International Style up to the time; it made a crucial contribution to a local evolution of modern form and details, and it formed the basis for the definition of the content of situated modernism and its promotion in Eretz Yisrael.
A dash of hope In the darkness of night Akiva, you have comforted us
Most of us find ourselves squarely in the category of Rabbi Akiva’s students and the angels. Yet, Rabbi Akiva had such a remarkable and unshakable trust in G-d that he not only recited Shema but relished the opportunity even then.
By Avi Ganz
After the plague that wiped out his myriad students, Rabbi Akiva could have faced the harsh reality that they weren't worthy.
The Talmud Bavli and the Talmud Yerushalmi recount that Rachel, daughter to Kalba Savuah, one of the richest men in Jerusalem, recognized the potential in Rabbi Akiva, an unassuming, uneducated shepherd.
By Akiva Kra
Rabbi Akiva taught us that a fence to wisdom is silence, the potential pitfalls of humor, the greatness of man for being created in the image of Hashem, how to view free choice, and so much more.
Only recently did I realize that Hubby’s aversion to broken cookies was deeper than even he could admit.
It is dated 1866, and written by the famed Rabbi Haim Palachi (1787-1868), the rabbi of Izmir, and author of over 80 published works and many others lost to the infamous recurring fires in Izmir.
When Samuel arrived in Jerusalem to commence his term as High Commissioner, he was deeply moved by his greeting, as the Yishuv welcomed him enthusiastically, calling him “the First of Judea” and greeting him with a seventeen-gun salute and endless words of welcome.
Empowerment: She empowered the women to take an active role in the community, recognizing their value and potential.
When the Jews crossed the Sea of Reeds and the Egyptians didn’t, Miriam whipped out her tambourine. She played, sang and danced with the other women.
Rashi teaches us that they were so confident that they were destined to be redeemed that the righteous women of the generation left with their instruments in hand.
Miriam – a woman of water and wellness, in whose merit a miraculous well provided Bnei Yisrael with water in the wilderness for forty years, sustained the fledgling nation physically and spiritually.
First, the biblical Miriam. One of the great female prophetesses (Masechet Megillah 14a). She was part of Bnei Yisrael’s leadership team during Yetziat Mitzrayim alongside her brothers, Moshe and Aharon. Her faith never wavered, and she led the women to redemption, tambourine in hand.
I went back to my cooking. I swear less than 60 seconds passed before he started the whole conversation once again. He had no recollection of my previous response. I repeated it just the same. It also had no long-lasting results.
This letter was written in the month of Sivan, 1881, coinciding with the heat of chaos and turmoil that enveloped the Iraqi Jewish Community.
Interestingly, a proposed Knesset bill in 2012 proposed to simplify the structure of the celebration so that Yom Ha’Atzmaut would always fall on a Thursday, but the proposal failed because many legislators and citizens were unhappy about a summary dismissal of the significance of the fifth of Iyar, the date on which Israel had declared independence in 1948.
I think many people have that moment when they realize suddenly, profoundly, that life is not forever. For me, that realization hit when I turned 30. I recall thinking to myself – "30, then 60, then 90, and then...what?!?" While depressing at first, I grew to appreciate the idea that if life just went on […]
By Martin Bodek
The word chai actually initially appears in the second parsha in the Torah, Parshas Noach 11:12, when discussing the age Arpachshad lived to before begetting Shelach.
The reason movement is so important is that it is the basis of action; and it is ultimately this G-d-like ability to act that is equated with life.
By Ariela Davis
There is nothing more meaningful than living in Israel during this time, which is especially felt during this month.
G-d is life – absolutely. He is the source of life (Psalms 36:10). Everything alive receives its life-force from Him, in proportion to how much it is connected with G-d.
I keep saying that I will straighten out my bed, my clothing and my room, but it is the depository of my exhaustion. If only I had a day with nothing else to do.
Although some 4,000 volunteers – again, most of them Yishuv youth – went house-to-house collecting money from the public, the Tax for Our Defense failed to meet the goal of raising 2.5 million pounds within a month.
By JJ Eleff
Flowers are Hashem’s present to all of us. It is one thing in this world that you can pick up anywhere and take with you, a little gift saying I made this beautiful world for you, enjoy it!
The cycle of life, the importance of difference and the seemingly incongruousness are there to contemplate. While there is timing to be respected, a consistency that lets you know what chag is before you simply by looking around you, there is also surprise and wonder.
With tulips, it’s all downhill. They shoot up awkwardly after being under the blaze of your dining room table lights for 24 hours and soon lose their color, shape, and glory. They begin to die.
One of my all-time favorites is the bird of paradise. Until I moved to Israel I had never seen, nor heard of it.
What that phrase, Yesh prechim ve’ein bo peirot, means to me is, certain isms out there may look attractive and draw you to them – think of Jews in the 1920s flocking to Communism – but don’t expect to successfully transmit these ideas onto the next generation.
This was a very distressing situation. Hubby was holding his head as though it was about to split open. I called our private geriatrician who said he thought we should get Hubby a CT scan. Perhaps there was a bleed in the brain causing all the pain?
One of the first to foresee the impending Holocaust, Rav Herzog wrote countless letters to European Jewish leaders warning about the coming cataclysm and urging them to leave but, sadly, his entreaties went largely unheeded.
It was on the last moed that our world fell apart, terrorists tortured and kidnapped our brothers and sisters. Did we imagine that we would approach this moed of Pesach with them still in captivity?
Whether it's a time for growth, reflection, mourning, celebration, or rest, understanding the significance of moed encourages us to embrace the present moment fully, trusting in the divine timing of our journey.
By Keshet Starr
Moadim offer a parallel approach. We live our lives on the dance floor, and that’s okay – we are here to learn, to do, to give. But the opportunity moadim provide to go up to the balcony helps us recalibrate when needed, and notice the things that have crept up on us.
By Hillel Fuld
Judaism is about sanctifying every aspect of life including time. But the word muad teaches us that consistency is only positive, assuming that the act you’re doing constantly is a positive one.
We are looking forward to Mashiach coming and leading us through this time in history. We are looking forward to the third Beit HaMikdash being built and the ingathering of the exiles from all over the world.
The minute the food landed on the table Hubby was in full rejection-mode. I placed a few chunks of potato on his plate, two pieces of zucchini and one leg of the chicken. What the hell is this? You expect me to eat this? It will make me sick!
For this column, I thought I would share two Pesach Seder plates hailing from Germany that are in my personal collection.
Leeser is best remembered for his extensive English translations and prolific writing for the American Jewish community, having authored numerous books and translations, edited a newspaper and full translations of the siddur and Tanach in an era where books written by Jews in English were nearly non-existent.
There is an ongoing debate amongst scholars as to whether the earliest text of Dayenu was created before or after the destruction of the Second Temple.
By Tzivia Emmer
The Baal Shem Tov taught that we must learn from everything we see. Unexpectedly, seeing through eclipse glasses taught me something tangible about how change can work and especially how the unfolding of Jewish history is a trajectory along a path that leads to a radical switch.
We are humans, not machines. Perfection isn’t the goal; growth is. Even the greatest leaders in Jewish history, starting from Abraham and Moses, made some serious mistakes. No one is infallible.
During these crazy times with our hearts in Israel the four promises of redemption really resonate. Now more than ever we pray for Hashem to save us from Hamas, bring our hostages home and out of Gaza, bring them all back to Israel, and have our nation come together as one.
Motherhood is a fascinating rollercoaster ride and the ultimate tool for self-growth; nothing is as challenging or rewarding as being a mom.
By Solly Hess
According to the Gemara, the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, daled, represents a poor person. When studied closely, we learn that rather than impoverished, it corresponds to selflessness.
By dvora
Four extraordinary mothers, women that shaped and molded our Judaic history.
Towards the end of the Seder, there is a song we sing that answers the question of how many matriarchs launched the people of Israel. Four.
If 90 Seconds was the book I couldn’t put down, Angels in Orange is the book I could hardly pick up. But it is a critical book for every Jew to have.
In his new role, Professor Aharoni Aronoff will teach the practice of business diplomacy and non-product branding to both undergraduate and graduate students and will represent Touro in public forums.
October 30, 2026 
