An Answer: There is a moment in the Torah that rings like a bell struck in a cavern: an ultimatum offered, an offer to begin again, and a prophet who refuses the seduction of founding himself a people. In the aftermath of the calf, on the…
Category: Other
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The Blogs: Longing for a blanket of peace | Bruce Black
Last night I could see the moon
peeking through the leaves of the trees lining the lane,
its silver disc nearly full, shining its light
on the darkness below.
And tonight it will peek
through the roof of our sukkah,
which we finished…
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The Blogs: Netanyahu is not “f*cking negative”, he is realistic | Fred Maroun
The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, was intended to take away from Israelis their sense of security, and it succeeded, at least for now. A few days after the attack, Yossi Klein Halevi wrote, “Even more than the atrocities themselves, what…
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The Blogs: Sukkah and Chuppah: Drawing Joy from the Wellspring of Spirit | Micha Turtletaub
In his commentary Nesivos Shalom on the Chagim, the Slonimer Rebbe explores the unique energy of Sukkot — the holiday we call Zeman Simchateinu, “the time of our joy.”
While all three pilgrimage festivals include a mitzvah to rejoice,…
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The Blogs: Hope is a muscle | Robert Lichtman
In the lobby of my synagogue is an elegantly set table waiting for the hostages being held in Gaza to gather around it and enjoy a beautiful Shabbat or Yom Tov meal. I’ve taken it upon myself to kindle Shabbat candles every Friday…
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The Blogs: Gaza’s Brave Palestinians vs Hamas | Jose Lev Alvarez Gomez
For years, the world claimed Palestinians spoke with one voice—Hamas’s voice. That was a lie. Today in Gaza, new anti-Hamas militias are proving it. And they are not fighting Israel. They are fighting alongside the IDF to free their…
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The Blogs: Tucker Carlson: Studio Talk to Statecraft-Part Two | Ab Boskany
This piece is part of a four-part essay. In Part One, we prised apart Tucker Carlson’s flashier claims and corrected the false notes and misleading arithmetic he smuggled in with a smile. Now, in Part Two, we take up his…
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The Blogs: Can Religious Rituals Truly Inspire Moral Action? | Shmuly Yanklowitz
After completing the High Holidays, the global Jewish community is now entering Sukkot (the Festival of Booths), which is arguably the pinnacle of the biblical calendar. Sukkot is not only the last and the longest of the holidays in this…
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The Blogs: When the World’s Foundations are Threatened – Kol Nidre 5786 | David Lerner
Let me ask: how many of you still get the newspaper delivered to your home?
Photo credit: Rabbi David Lerner
And how many of you actually read the print paper vs. reading it on a screen?
And how many of you are below the age of 60?…
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NYC mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa has a mixed record with Jews. Catch up on it here.
Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee for mayor of New York City, is best known for founding the Guardian Angels — and he credits a Jewish group with inspiring the movement.
As a teenager going to high school in Crown…
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