Space and Time change things Sukkot is a time when we are invited as guests into a space that is not our own. The Sukkah is a space that belongs to Hashem, and into which we are invited as royal guests. If you place something ordinary in an extraordinary space, it acquires some of the extraordinariness of that new space. Imagine taking a rather ordinary painting out of the back room of a pawnshop, framing it majestically and placing it in one of the prime halls of an art gallery. Clearly the painting’s new lofty surroundings will uplift its glamour and immediately enhance its value. We..

      The Inevitability of Leadership Sin Leaders make mistakes; they sin. This is an inevitable (although not excusable) reality of leadership. Leadership greatness is not defined by the absence of error or sin, it is defined by the way Leaders manage their errors. I am not talking about leaders’ personal lives: in that their sinning is no different from anyone else’s. It is not inevitable that a Governor should engage in prostitution. I am referring to the inevitability of errors of judgment in the day-to-day business of leading organizations and nations. The Pa..

Seeing Different vs. Looking Different The meraglim (spies) were exceptionally great people to start with and that is the hardest part of the story. I cannot imagine the gedolim (great Torah leaders) of our generation doing what the meraglim did. I certainly cannot imagine it of thegedolim of the generation in Europe before the war, and earlier. We couldn’t picture the Chofetz Chaim or the Vilna Gaon, the Rishonim,Amoraim, or Tana’im, doing what the meraglim did. Then how can we picture the gedolim of the g..

  Ash and Dust – Sota and Para Travel with me on an imaginary trip forward (or backward) into a time when the Beit Hamikdash is operational. We stroll and we observe. We see two strange, seemingly unrelated practices. First, we see a Kohein fixing a drink. The scene is sad. Conflict, fear and resentment permeate the atmosphere. He is mixing sand and water for the Mey Sota (Waters of a Sota). A man requested that his wife avoid ongoing privacy with another man. After ignoring his request, he accuses her of unfaithfulness. Drinkin..

The Imperfection of Knowledge Wisdom is mysterious and human knowledge is not absolute. There is a dimension of wisdom that eludes even the wisest of men. "Fifty pathways to wisdom were created in the Universe" says the Gemarra,[1] "and all were given to Moshe except one." Human knowledge will always lack at least one dimension of understanding, and therein lies its mystery. Wisdom is like an onion. Each time that new insights peels away another layer of ignorance or confusion, we find yet another layer of questions and mysteries. At its core, this "onion" of knowledge carries a s..

Contaminating Flavors Gourmet chefs know how flavors retained in the walls of their cooking utensils can contaminate dishes. Cultures such as the Japanese, with highly developed taste senses, will often keep their utensils for specific foods and wash them up separately.  We too are sensitive to flavor, but as the Nation of Hashem, we are more concerned about the pollutant flavors of Issur and Tumah (two different forms of negative spiritual energy that can attach to food and utensils) than we are about culinary contamination. Hashem teaches Benei Yisraelin th..

Shabbat Chazon   The Laws of the Nine Days I received the following email from a leading Rav before the Nine Days, cautioning against a myopic focus on Halachik detail that excludes awe for the splendor of Creation. “I think our generation needs a strong appreciation for the world before even beginning to understand G-d and subsequently approach Torah with some sophistication. Which would you feel more in awe of - a G-d that created protons, neutrons, electrons etc and generates the energy that holds it all together, or a G-d that tells you to wear all your garments for half..

    The Last Lecture Professor Randy Pausch’s untimely death saddened millions of Americans and people around the world. His "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon University in September 2007,[1] "Achieving Your childhood Dreams", inspires young and old alike to live joyously and achieve their dreams. "I should have…" is something we hope never to have to say. Mostly when we think of the phrase "I should have," we think of something we regret not having done or said. There is another "I should have", that we ought to avoid: "I should have prayed." If only we knew how m..