The alarming success ISIS has had in conquering territory in the Iraq and Syria coupled with our current inability to confront or hold them back is deeply troubling. Early this year many of us watched in horror as ISIS carried out acts of unspeakable evil and posted them to Facebook…
Life Is One Big Game
Victory is one theme of Sukkot. Divine judgment on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is comparable to a civil dispute being judged in a court of law. And the first day of Sukkot is akin to the end of the court case when the disputants walk out of court, the…
Reassessing Our Beliefs During the High Holidays
It is at this time of year that Jews spend time in self reflection and assessment. The Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashanah, which begins tomorrow, starts a ten day period which culminates with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. We can generally separate reflection into two categories: reflection on…
Combating the ISIS within our own faith
Just when we thought that terrorists could not become any more barbaric, this week in Sydney, Australia locals faithful to ISIS had planned public beheadings of random people off the street. Having recently returned from a visit to Australia I can attest that it is a wonderful place. Despite the…
On Being A Mentch
In this weeks Torah portion we read a sequence of three seemingly random and unrelated verses. Firstly it states, ‘If a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. But the stranger who dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and…
On Being A Mentch
In this weeks Torah portion we read a sequence of three seemingly random and unrelated verses. Firstly it states, ‘If a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. But the stranger who dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and…
Premature Ceasefire Will Cause the Spilling of Jewish Blood
Make no mistake about it Israel is in the midst of a war for its very survival. Hamas has invested in acquiring more advanced rockets to fire indiscriminately as Israeli civilians and to create a network of tunnels through which they seek to sneak into Israel to kill and capture…
It’s in Our Best Interests to Fight With Israel
The great medieval Jewish poet and philosopher Judah Halevi wrote a poem about the Land of Israel which begins with this line: ‘My heart is in the East, yet I remain [physically] in the furthest point West. ‘ This sums up how I feel about Israel. This feeling has intensified…
Are you a participant of a spectator?
Often, we go through life without realizing that we are coasting. All of the functions of life seem to be working, yet we are not really participating. In a sense, we become spectators in the game of life. There are those who live their entire life this way. What does…
Tip to becoming wealthy
Philosophers, theologians and lay people from time immemorial have been troubled by questions relating to the meaning and purpose of all things. We humans tend to think that if we don’t know the meaning of something, it is meaningless. If we don’t know the purpose of an object, we believe…