Category: Other

Covenant, separation, and the hope of return – Through a father’s lament, and Torah’s echoes of brothers who found their way; back to each other and to G‑d.

Dedicated to every soul broken by separation, and to all who wait in faith…

We are now less than a month from Passover. For many of us, the cleaning and preparations associated with the “Holiday of Freedom” have already begun. Our weekly Torah cycle is currently tethering us to the reality that this major…

Not regarding civically correct Germanically—burgerlich—or Hebraically homely—-balabuttish,

both Donald Trump of USA and Friedrich Merz, a chancellor who’s German,

about the massive totality of would-be alien immigrants  are…

They glided in as if on invisible ponies, high heels and gilded gowns whisping across our floor. This was a special enough event to warrant shoes, and even heels, inside our Tokyo home, normally out of the question. (I did give them a wipe…

Tel Aviv is usually a city of noise, but yesterday – for two minutes – silence was louder. At Habima Square, a group of twenty young people stood with cardboard signs and a desperate plea for peace. The war with Iran is very popular in…

From the hidden to the revealed
Esther then and Esther now

Esther wrapped in silk and trembling faith—
Yet stronger than the king’s unwanted embrace

“For such a time as this”
Her courage crossed the Scepters hiss
This moment Her legacy…

The great modern day Talmudist, Rav Adin Steinsaltz, also wrote a commentary on the Five Megillot. His explanation of the Book of Esther is quite fascinating.

There is one observation that is particularly interesting. Rav Steinsaltz was…

There is a notion stretching back to the ancient Greeks of the “Olympic Truce.” While the Olympic Games were proceeding, ongoing wars would pause.  Further, parties seeking war would wait until the Games were over to commence…

Roster

Let’s start with the Israelis:

Assaf Lowengart (OF)
Assaf Lowengart was born in Timorim, Israel, and grew up playing baseball on Kibbutz Gezer. After completing his service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), he moved to the United…

For years, Western leaders have publicly condemned Iran’s expanding drone arsenal, particularly systems supplied to proxy militias and deployed from the Middle East to Eastern Europe. Yet beneath the rhetoric lies an uncomfortable truth:…