This week’s portion, Chukat, relates the incident for which Moshe and Aharon were punished and not permitted to enter the promised land, Israel. Just as they were about to enter the Land of Israel, the Jewish people’s water supply…
About seventy five percent of the trainees who start the Navy SEALs training program, drop out before it’s done. And it’s not like anyone can get into this program, one must first excel in the regular Navy and then successfully…
Korach תשפד This week’s portion tells the tragic story of Korach, the man who challenged Moshe’s leadership, claiming that Moshe chose his brother Aharon as Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, out of nepotism, and not because of Hashem’s command…
Traveling to the Amazonian jungle in the mid-1800 was dangerous and harrowing. Bringing your entire mishpacha with you would either be described as blindly optimistic or just plain foolish. But when Henry Wickham decamped from England to build a plantation…
The Jewish people had been camped at Mount Sinai since the 1st of Sivan. Almost a full year later, on the 20th of Iyar, ten days short of the anniversary of their arrival at Mount Sinai, the special cloud that…
We may be living in a time of shortages compared to a ten years ago. There is a shortage of affordable housing, affordable health insurance, and a shortage of affordable groceries. The cost of homes is up 47% from 2020,…
This week’s Torah reading begins with Hashem instructing Aharon, the High Priest, on how to light the Menorah as part of the daily Tabernacle service. When lighting the Menorah, Aharon had to position both the three wicks on the right…
Being a Billionaire buys you a pretty big social pass. You can do many things that other people can’t and get away with it. You can walk into shul with your pants on backwards, and people will whisper to each…
The sight of a bride and groom standing under the marriage canopy always moves us to feelings of hope and success for the new couple. We look on with anticipation for the special moment when the groom places the ring…
Last Friday, I had a visitor. There was a knock on the door about 11:30AM, and when I answered the door, I saw a tall, thin, older gentlemen of Israeli Chassidic persuasion, with a kindly face, and a slightly haggard…