The Janissaries were Christian children captured and converted by the Ottoman state with a chance to climb the social ladder at the expense of despising their own people and forgetting their own past. They had to choose between their future and their past. The Ottomans...
People at town hall meetings about Obama-Care are challenging their congressional representatives. Tempers are flaring. People are tossing all sorts of accusations at each other. The town hall meetings do not seem to work too well unless perfectly choreographed by the White House. We had town...
Two of the Four Mountains appear in this week’s portion: “It shall be that when God, your Lord, brings you to the land to which you come, to possess it, then you shall deliver the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal....
Thomas Friedman favors sharing a Kumbaya moment with people who would never sit in such a circle of friendship: “There are several reasons why I don’t object to a mosque being built near the World Trade Center site, but the key reason is my affection for...
The mounds of garbage left by Sunday revelers colored my Monday morning hike around Van Cortland Park. One large square of the park was obviously the scene of a child’s birthday party. There were balloons, broken toys, an abandoned grill, Dora the Explorer cups and...
We have studied the practical lessons of the Mitzvot/Concepts of the Ir Hanidachat in ‘Beware of Universal Thought’ and ‘Beware Compelling Speakers.’ The latter essay reminded me of a selection from a poem by Goethe: Faust: Dearest, who is there that can say, “I believe in God”? You...
In ‘Beware of Universal Thought’ we began to explore the practical lessons of the Mitzvot/Concepts of the Ir Hanidachat, The Wayward City. Two people who can convince every inhabitant of a city, without exception, must be extraordinary persuaders. My father zt”l loved to tell the story of...
“If, in one of your cities that God, your Lord, gives you in which to dwell, you hear, saying, ‘Lawless men have emerged from your midst, and they have caused the dwellers of their city to go astray, saying, ‘Let us go and worship the...
“Rabbi, I usually feel when I pray that I am talking to the wall!” “Rabbi; when I read or hear people say to a child, ‘Your father is now in heaven,’ to console him, I shudder. I wonder how much we choose to believe simply to...
“It shall be that when God, your Lord, brings you to the land to which you come, to possess it, then you shall deliver the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. Are they not on the other side of the Jordan,...
“It shall be that when God, your Lord, brings you to the land to which you come, to possess it, then you shall deliver the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. Are they not on the other side of the Jordan,...
A Chesed Walk is a similar exercise to The Patience Walk, but far more demanding: The concept is not self-flagellation, but to maintain a sense of calm even when I go shopping with my wife and her sister. The idea is to walk with a smile...
Feeling overwhelmed, I decided to take a “Patience Walk.” I specifically wanted to teach myself to find inner calm no matter the circumstances, so I chose to walk on a busy stretch of 5th Ave in New York City. Everyone else was in a rush,...
My wife and I have been taking care of our 8 year old nephew, Felix, for a while and have quickly realized how much we forgot about dealing with younger children. The hardest part for me is becoming “Google” again, or as my wife and...
In response to the numerous requests for the written version: The opening verse in this week’s portion reads: “This shall be the reward when you hearken to these ordinances.” Rashi comments: If you hear even those commandments that people “tread on them with their heels, meaning,...
Tens of people gathered to pray for the young mother of three who was mortally ill. The tears flowed. Everyone cried to God to save the family from tragedy. They prayed for thirty minutes and left. No one was smiling. It seemed to the rabbi that...
“My dear one,” said the dying woman to her grieving grandson who refused to let go, “I am complete, my life has been full and whole. I know you must see me not being full of much life anymore, but I assure you, I have...
Some years ago, I knew a young boy who was eager to spread love and find life, even though he was at the end of his. He had had cancer for six of his nine years. In the hospital, I took one look at him...
When we have passed a certain age, the soul of the child we were and the souls of the dead from whom we have sprung come to lavish on us their riches and their spells. Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time (The Captive) This...