My regular readers know that I am and always have been a historian. History was my first love, and it sometimes takes you to surprising places.
In the fall of 803 CE, a Frankish army besieged Barcelona, at the time a stronghold of the Ummayad Caliphate. In late October or early November, af…
Our tradition advises that these days between the 17th of Tammuz and the ninth of Av - especially the first nine days of Av - are described as ‘Bein Hametzarim’ or ‘In or between dire straits’ considering our historical calamities (the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls and destruction…
As most of you will have noted, yesterday marked 300 days of captivity for the hostages taken on 10/7. 300 days of darkness, privation, abuse and worse. So much has transpired in those 300 days, and yet we find ourselves still praying, still hoping, still advocating and still demanding the r…
One of John Lennon’s last songs, left unfinished and released after his death, was ‘Nobody Told Me’. One line in the first stanza has stayed with me since I was a teenager.
Nobody told me there’d be days like these, Strange days indeed, most peculiar mama!
We’ve all felt the trut…
Though I rarely share thoughts on the weekly Torah portion, I thought that this week was an interesting opportunity to draw pertinent and relevant conclusions from the fascinating narrative.
In this portion, the Moabite King Balak hires the prophet and soothsayer Bilam to curse the people …
