The mourning, fear and anxiety which we feel as individuals and a nation is profound—there is so much sadness and loss among our people. At the same time, the sense of profound unity in Israel, which has come in the blink of an eye, is pervasive and unprecedented in recent times. Like one person with…

In this week’s Torah portion, the people of the world are drowned and Noach — the one tzadik, righteous person — is saved from death in a tevah, an ark. Noach is not the only person in the Torah to be saved from death in a tevah; the other is Moshe, who is floated down the Nile in…

“Noah is Shabbat” – Tikuney Zohar, 138b The seventh Rebbe of Lubavitch, the great Tzadik, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson taught (in Maamar Bati L’gani) that the place of God’s most intense dwelling in this world is the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, and the beams which hold up the Mishkan are called in Hebrew, “kerashim.” He said…

This week’s Torah portion is Noah.  Many of the commentaries on this portion focus on Prayer.  But what does prayer have to do with Noah and the flood?  The answer I think lies in a question that is often asked about Noah: Was he really a righteous man compared to Abraham, or only righteous compared…

We have just finished the High Holidays, culminating with Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. Over the course of the holiday of Sukkot, we offer 70 bulls in the Temple, corresponding to the 70 nations. On the 8th day, Shemini Atzeret, we bring one bull for the Jewish people. Jews are not xenophobic. We believe that the…