Mishnah for This Hour: A Timely Take on Pirkei Avot 5:10 “There are Four Types of People:” This applies to every man and every woman — from a flower vendor to a prime minister. “One who says, ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours’ — this is the trait of an average person.” […]
During the month of Elul, as individuals, we apply candor and self awareness to the gap between our values and our behavior in preparation for the Days of Awe. Now we are engaged in the season of counting the Omer, the bridge of 7 weeks between Passover and Shavuot during which we have stood together […]
Many Holocaust survivors who established families in Israel describe themselves as victors; for victory seems to be a matter of consciousness, at least as much as it is a military achievement. The root of the Hebrew word for victory (nitzachon) is eternity (netzach), as if victory were the act of being eternal. The prophecies of […]
We are now marking Yom Ha-shoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and soon we will bless the new month of ’Iyyar, which includes Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror — both of them days replete with pain and collective trauma. For years I have experienced discomfort regarding the way in which these days […]
Parashat Vayikra deals with the terms and conditions of sacrifices. In Lev. 4:22 we read: Asher nasi yeḥeta … — This section of the laws of the purification offering (ḥattat) stands out from the rest. The language employed here for the instance of a chieftain (nasi) committing a sin that requires bringing a ḥattat is […]
Shabak Samech’s 2000 hit single Nofel v’kam / “Fall and Get Up” begins with a citation from the Haggadah, “In every generation one must see themselves as if they left Egypt,” with this core message echoing throughout this modern midrash of a song. The chorus of the song describes the Jewish condition: The road is […]
“Mordechai learned of the matter and told it to Esther and she told the King in Mordechai’s name” [Megillat Esther 2:22] Twice in Megillat Esther, Mordechai becomes aware of critical information, as he sits outside the palace gates, in the streets of the city. He passes that information on to Esther, who chooses to believe […]
Rabbi Hillel Skolnik is the President of MERCAZ USA … Purim, Zionism, and Israel: Vote MERCAZ (Slate 17) today!
A Shabbat prayer says If our mouths were filled with song like the expanse of the sea … we could not thank you enough, Gd, for the good that you have done for us and for our ancestors. After 2,000 years of suffering the cruelty of our enemies, how have these words continued to be […]
In Terumah, we read about the house that God asks the people of Israel to build so that the Shekhinah may dwell among them. The structure is beautiful yet practical. Although there will be a principal contractor, the entire nation is invited to participate — especially by contributing from their own possessions. We should learn […]