5779 - Va'eschanan - Nachamu Some 70 years ago, construction and development work was happening in Yerushalayim as Jews were slowly retuning home. But Rabbi Yaacov Moshe Charlap, the Talmid of Rav Kook, who was the Rabbi of the Sha'arei Chesed neighborhood, was lying in bed at his home, sick. Digging and drilling machines were … Continue reading Climbing Out of Tisha B’av →

5779 - Devarim - Chazon A number of years ago, Rabbi Dr. Twerski shared the following story: Like any normal human being, I have good days, and I have lousy days. One summer day I was standing in front of my home in Pittsburgh watering the lawn, and it turned out that it was a … Continue reading Do We Really Believe Geulah is Possible? →

5779 - Matos Masei In an interview on November 20, 2003, Eli Weisel was challenged as to his feelings on Yerushalayim, the Land of Israel and Palestinian suffering. From the perspective of a humanitarian and universalist, Eli Weisel's position appeared peculiar, an Ms. Krista Tippett inquired: Ms. Tippett: I feel that it's almost impossible for … Continue reading National Déjà vu →

5779 - Pinchas This past Thursday, I was out for a ride. I made it down to Pompano beach, with the plan of riding up A1A north back to Boca. But a few miles up the road, there's a major blockade due to construction - with signs rerouting me. I began to follow the rerouting … Continue reading How Does Pinchas Bring the Geulah? →

5779 - Balak Some intriguing research conducted by Dan Ariely and his colleagues (Emir Kamenica and Drazen Prelec) highlights how powerful and important a simple gesture of acknowledgement can be in terms of our level of engagement and perseverance. They orchestrated a study to examine our willingness to work on a task, depending on the … Continue reading The Need to Be Seen →

5779 - Chukas When Napoléon was defeated in October of 1815, one of the greatest blows was to the pride of French intellectuals, who believed that their superior advances in science, mathematics and politics should surely ensure their victory. One young French academic, Sadi Carnot left France in 1821, to visit his exiled father and … Continue reading Defeating Entropy →