Last Friday, the Olympia neighborhood in Monsey and people across the nation were stunned and grief stricken by the sudden and tragic death of Rabbi Eliyahu (Eli) Fink z’l in an accident. R’ Fink was 43 years old, a father, husband, lawyer, journalist, educator and Rabbi. He founded the …
I had three conversations over the past two weeks that I have spent some time thinking about. The first was via Facebook messenger, the second was on the phone, and the third was via Zoom. The first one left me a bit discouraged, the second one tested my self-control, but the third one left …
Last night, I had the challenge and privilege of unexpectedly reading Megilat Esther for my family, as one of us was unable to attend reading at our shul. It’s been several years since I had done the reading, but I had learned it in order to teach it to my eldest more than 15 years ago as…
I know that many of you, our newsletter subscribers, have been reading these weekly messages regularly, for up to three years. It has been an honor and a privilege for me to write for our community, to share thoughts, ideas, convictions and consolation. It has been especially cathartic for m…
Strap in. This is going to be a long read, but it’s worth it.
Our community is very familiar with the murder of 6 million of our people during the Shoah.
The word Genocide was first conceived and used by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin a year before the death camps were revealed and …
Nine years ago, I was engaged in a discussion with a colleague about the utility of the January 27th International Holocaust Memorial Day which is observed on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. At the time, I was remarking on what looked to me like a misdirection of focus. I wro…
This week, we’ve all experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as word of a ceasefire and hostage return deal shifted from possible to likely to agreed-in-principle. Knowing that many of the hostages will not be coming back alive is a crushing reality that families are grappling with, and co…
Today marks some 2500 years (depending on what account and date you use) since the army of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar encircled Jerusalem, capital of the Kingdom of Judah. In the Jewish tradition, this day, the 10th day of Tevet, is marked by fasting, and it precedes the fasting obse…
Writing is one of my greatest passions. As have many, I discovered this passion as a product of a childhood suffused with books. At home, at school, in the public library, as I walked from the bus stop (!!), under my blankets in bed with a flashlight, wherever and wherever I could. I read my…
One of the enduring mysteries of human cognition is how to distinguish between the destructive power of fire and its capacity to illuminate, civilize, and educate. The very same flame that can burn a house down can also cook food to sustain us. A torch can be a weapon of war, and it can also…
Recently, my adult children came to visit me from Canada. As has become our tradition once or twice a year, we make a pilgrimage, as we are all insatiable readers, to The Strand Bookstore in Manhattan. Upon leaving at each visit, my children and I each depart with 4-5 books we’ve found amo…
A few days ago, I was walking through the Delta terminal at JFK, returning from a much needed break with my family. As we walked through the interminably long series of gates, I kept noticing at most of these gates there were one or more Chabad shluchim (emissaries) waiting for flights to fa…
My apologies for not focusing on a positive message this week. Sometimes you just have to tell it like it is.
In the 15th and early 16th Century, the Roman Catholic Church was a globe-spanning endeavor. Under its umbrella were many priests, bishops, and cardinals, but it also was the spirit…
What do you do when your good friend does something that really and justifiably irks, even hurts you, but on a day-in-day-out basis, is as reliable and amazing as she can be? What if that generous, amazing nature is why you became friends in the first place? Will her getting it wrong on one …
It has been an eventful and consequential week, and I wanted to share a few thoughts, hopefully tying them together in a coherent way.
Tuesday’s Presidential and local elections have left some of our community members disappointed or worried, others excited or motivated, and many of us ho…
