Challah at Thanksgiving? In my experience, no bread more represents intention and gratitude than a loaf of homemade challah. At Thanksgiving (or at the Shabbat Thanksgiving leftovers dinner the next day), I give my challah a twist and flavor it…
Category: Other
-
Give Thanksgiving a Jewish Twist with Pumpkin Challah
-
They Saw the Drift. They Spoke. They Left. And Heritage Chose the Other Path.
There are moments in public life when institutions reveal themselves, not through what they publish, but through what they refuse to confront. These moments arrive gradually—hesitations, softened statements, carefully calibrated silence—but…
Continue Reading
-
Flat Tire and Traffic: Yellow Line, Red Zone, Green Zone
Flat tire. First thing Sunday morning. Luckily, in our home parking lot. The jack was rusty. Quickly concluded we needed to call for road service. Easily resolved. Lucky. At home. Sit and have another coffee in your home kitchen. Morning swim…
Continue Reading
-
What a Diifference a Year Makes
November 19th marks one year since our son and three close friends serving in miluim (reserves) in Lebanon were seriously wounded. Tragically, a fifth comrade did not survive, and his yahrzeit was observed on the 18th of Cheshvan. This past year…
Continue Reading
-
Where was the Beit Midrash of Shem and Ever?
In Parshat Toldot, when Rivka finally conceives, she doesn’t understand what is happening inside of her womb (Breisheet 25:22): The children struggled together within her. She said “If this is so, why am I living?” So she went (vatelech) to…
Continue Reading
-
From Marrakesh to Be’er Lahai Ro’i – Parashat Hayyei Sarah 5786
I just returned from an amazing 18-day trip with 42 members of our Emunah family to Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. We ate incredible food, visited extraordinary sites, learned together, and had great fun — including a flamenco dance workshop….
Continue Reading
-
From the Iron Wall to the Open Hand: Why Israel Must Embrace Smart Power
As the UN Approves Trump’s Gaza Plan, Israel must learn Smart Power and the Open Hand Karate — Kara-te in Japanese — means “empty hand” or “open hand.” At its core, it is a brutal martial art. The weapon is not a sword or a…
Continue Reading
-
How Serious Are Israel’s QME Concerns?
In what might be left of Israel’s former military strategy in the wake of the shocks of October 7th, one salient element has been its QME, Israel’s qualitative military edge. QME involves having weaponry that is one generation ahead of…
Continue Reading
-
Before the next war
Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran are rearming, requiring us to find new ways to prepare for what comes next. Here we are: Hamas is reimposing control over Gaza and gathering advanced weapons in staging points abroad; Hezbollah is challenging the Lebanese…
Continue Reading
-
Like Father like Son: Yitzhak and Esav would give anything for a meal (Toledot)
In last week’s parsha, Hayei Sarah, we can detect a remarkable parallel between our second Patriarch, Yitzhak, and his favorite son, Esav. וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב יִצְחָ֛ק אֶת־עֵשָׂ֖ו כִּי־צַ֣יִד בְּפִ֑יו…
Continue Reading