|
![]() |
![]() |
The Times of Israel (Blogs)![]() |
In this week’s double Torah portion, Behar-Bechukotai, we are presented with a stark contrast: the blessings that await us if we walk with God, and...
I write today with a broken heart. Last night, my friend and fellow climate activist Sarah Milgrim and her soon-to-be fiancé, Yaron Lischinsky,...
The killing of two Israeli embassy staff members on the steps of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, should leave no room for ambiguity:...
Reb Shlomo Carlebach had a left-wing and a right-wing side. A friend of mine once asked him what he would vote for in the upcoming elections in...
History Repeating Itself: The Alarming Rise of Global Antisemitism The Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers. It began with words. Before six...
When people speak of Qatar’s influence, they usually mean diplomacy, energy markets, real estate, big business, government contracts, and political...
Blessings and curses are all around us. Most of them happen in our minds. We curse our enemies in our minds, at times asking God to intervene and...
This week, I am tackling the very difficult topic of the ad infinitum slavery of those from the nations around us in this week’s parshat behar. It...
(Note: there are quotes written in bold, from the weekend, randomly written throughout this blog. I don’t know the sources for these quotes.) “You...
When it comes to Jewish history and identity, Poland stands as one of the most significant and controversial countries impacting the Jewish people....
Now in our second year of the war, we are still waiting for the peace and tranquility that is described in Vayikra 26:6 : I will grant peace in the...
On October 7 (Black Saturday), 2023, a young woman was at the Nova festival when Hamas terrorists began their horrific invasion. Yuval Raphael...
Judaism is not merely a religion—it is a comprehensive way of life, encompassing faith, culture, tradition, and values passed down through...
My paean to the State of Israel began with a reference to astronauts and outer space. I’ll begin this paean to Jerusalem in the same way. The...
She was a pillar of strength, sweetness, fire and sensitivity- yet also unassuming. A rare blend. A rare blend indeed. I was thinking about what...
As the dust settles from the election of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, the world is learning about the person he is and...
“Im eshkachech Yerushalayim, tishkach yemini” – “if I forget Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its skill”. Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) takes...
When I was fifteen, our principal walked into the classroom to make an important announcement: “Next month, we will celebrate Israel Week.” She...
The general enlightenment period in the First Reich did not immediately include the Jewish community. There were some Jewish Reform schools, dating...
“Speak to the Israelites. You must say to them: ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must rest [an agricultural] Sabbath in...
It has come to my attention that some Jewish groups have initiated a futile crusade against their fellow Jews. That rather than embrace the sole...
Life Pure Clear Kind Happy Peace Wondrous Knowing G-d Seeing Understanding Appreciating Thanking Loving Rejoicing Laughing Dancing Reuniting *****...
Jerusalem was united on June 7, 1967 during the Six Day War. From 1948 until that day, Jerusalem was a divided city with the Old City and other...
Since October 7th, I have vacillated between hope and despair, ping-ponging between a visceral desire to do anything I could to fight for our...
On December 11, 2024, following the successful cease-fire that has entered into force on November 27, 2024, between Israel and Lebanon, I wrote a...
Throughout the history of the State of Israel, the education system has been a cradle for nurturing leaders of significant national missions....
Each Person Is Born Free To a Family Double Torah Portion Behar: Leviticus Chapter 25 – 26:2 Behukkotai : Leviticus Chapter 26:3 – 27:34 ...
Parshat Bechukotai opens with a powerful promise: “If you walk in My statutes… I will give your rains in their season, the land shall yield its...
Jewish education is not merely an option; it is the lifeblood of our community’s future. It is how we pass down the culture of our Jewish identity...
Israel is poised to become a global AI superpower. Will the Jewish state surpass America, Europe, or China on big fundamental models for artificial...
Eurovision won’t change the Middle East, but it has revealed a simple truth: the gap between the public and the judges wasn’t a matter of musical...
Are you tired of hearing that he suffered? That he had a difficult childhood? That trauma shaped his life? Bravo, you’ve reached compassion zero...
Last June, in a long overdue verdict, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the exemption haredi yeshiva students have enjoyed from compulsory...
My fellow Israelis, as we continue to fight the same old war in the new Middle East, it might be time to dust off those myths we tell ourselves,...
At the age of twelve, I voluntarily entered a Quaker co-ed boarding school. What made that school distinctive was the Quaker education experience....
The Real Qatar Scandal Isn’t Trump—It’s the Education Takeover the Left Ignored President Trump’s recent meeting with the Emir of Qatar has...
Let me be clear from the start: I do not support the way Israel’s government has conducted this war. Netanyahu’s policies have been morally...
A few days ago, the ‘Nakba’ was commemorated. For the Arab world, this represents the ‘catastrophe’ of the refugee flow resulting from the...
Readers will enjoy Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel’s 2025 301-page book, “Jewish Values in the Torah Portion,” published by Gefen Publishing House. Rabbi...