By Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro Two neighbors were fighting over a financial dispute. They couldn’t reach an agreement, so they took their case to the local rabbi. The rabbi heard the first litigant’s case, nodded his head and said, “You’re right.” The second litigant then stated his case. The rabbi heard him out, nodded again and said, “You’re also right.” The…
“I was taught a month ago,To bide my time and take it slow.But then I learned just yesterday,To rush and never waste the day.Well I’m convinced the whole day long,That all I learn is always wrong.”– Phish (Character Zero) I learned two lessons this year that at first glance seem completely contradictory. Early in the year, it occurred to me…
We are within the period between Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Haatzmaut, during which we commemorate the Holocaust, remember those who died fighting for Israel, and the birth of the State of Israel. It is a time of reflection and gladness, of mourning and joy. It is a time during which we look back, but it also is a…
Pesach is the holiday of freedom. We celebrate how our ancestors were once slaves in Egypt, and how God redeemed us with an out-stretched Arm and brought us to freedom. And if God hadn’t redeemed us, we would still be slaves today. But is it really? After all, what is this “freedom?” After all, in only a few months, we…