Sunday night was the final night of Chanukah. Our menorah in the living room window, carrying its full complement of eight flames, became a blazing beacon of incandescence. (I am not going to deny that I scanned the dark street outside a little apprehensively knowing that we were starkly silhouetted targets.) The previous Sunday night,
Rabbi, Rabbi, Rabbi, My wife and I are in tears. We are watching the breaking news of a terrible, terrible shooting at Bondi Beach, an iconic location in Australia. During observances and celebrations on the first night of Chanukah, shooters have opened fire and our hearts are broken. Broken for the families, broken for our
Murder in Australia Read More »
Let’s use our imaginations for a thought experiment. In 1946, a crew is airlifting the latest model Dodge from Detroit to a car dealership in Brisbane, Australia. On the final leg of its flight the airplane develops engine problems over Papua, New Guinea. The crew’s only hope is to shove the shiny new sedan out
Of Cannibals and Chanukah Read More »
We, along with many of our Happy Warriors and friends are getting ready for the holiday of Chanuka. Many other of our Happy Warriors and friends are preparing to celebrate Christmas. Each holiday is an expression of deeply held religious beliefs and a beautiful expression of those beliefs. Diminishing Chanuka and Christmas by turning them
Chanuka and Christmas Read More »
Though they say, “Numbers never lie,” it is a bit of a meaningless aphorism because liars often lie with numbers. But whether numbers lie or not, they always carry significance. It is impossible to assess the health of a business or of an automobile engine without numbers. It is also impossible to fully capture the
A Boy and His Nation Read More »
If you planned to spend the holidays with family, I hope that you traveled comfortably and safely despite bad weather disrupting thousands of flights in the United States last week. Yet even when the weather cooperates, flight turmoil abounds. When my husband was invited to speak at a Shabbat program for politically conservative Jewish students
A Surprise Chanukah Celebration Read More »
Can you spot a connection between all these English words? A—AN—ANT—ANTI—ANTIC—ANTICIPATE No, of course not. Other than each being formed by adding letters to the previous word, there is no conceptual connection. Yet in the Lord’s language, the meanings of the four following words are strongly linked: חשׁמנה שׁמנה שׁמנ שׁמ Reading from right to
More words and more actions We recently observed the 30th anniversary of my father’s death. His influence on my life has not waned. One of his oft-repeated teachings still resonates with me. Saying, ‘thank-you for everything,’ really means thank-you for nothing. Merely mouthing the words ‘thank-you’ is an inadequate response to the good we have
This is going to be a “different” Thanksgiving where our immediate family replaces our usual extended family group. I know we can still focus on the things for which we must be grateful, but it seems to me that we are in a period of less rather than abundance. There are fewer opportunities to work
Scarcity or Abundance? Read More »
Let’s use our imaginations for a thought experiment. In 1946, a crew is airlifting the latest model Dodge from Detroit to a car dealership in Brisbane, Australia. On the final leg of its flight the airplane develops engine problems over Papua, New Guinea. The crew’s only hope is to shove the shiny new sedan out
Of Cannibals and Chanukah Read More »
