Off the Pulpit: The True Story of a Record-breaking Feat

October 01, 2021

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

In 1943, chess grandmaster Miguel Najdorf played 40 opponents simultaneously – blindfolded. As interesting as the feat itself is why he chose to do it.

Najdorf grew up in Poland as Mojsze Mendel Najdorf and became...

OP-ED: Like America, Genesis has 2 creation stories. Simchat Torah renews our ability to tell them both

September 29, 2021

By RABBI RUTH ABUSCH-MAGDER 

(New York Jewish Week via JTA) — Everyone has at least a few creation stories: how they were born, how they came to the career they chose, how they met their loved one.

This week Jews...

Off the Pulpit: A Strange Holiday

September 24, 2021

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

It is a commonplace to say that something is what it is. Well, Shemini Atseret is what it isn’t

On the one hand, it is the eighth day of Succot, hence the name “Shemini” which means...

Person in the Parsha: Succot

September 16, 2021

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“FROM FEAR TO FESTIVITIES“ 

Fear and trembling.

Those have been our primary religious emotions during the past several weeks.

Although Rosh Hashanah and Yom...

Off the Pulpit: Both Passing and Permanent

September 16, 2021

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

I don’t know if the story is true, but I hope it is. Goldberg built a succah. Next door lived a nasty man who didn’t like Jews and decided to get an injunction against unstable structures...

Person in the Parsha: Vayelech

September 10, 2021

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“ONE VERSE, MANY LESSONS“

He was one of the greatest Talmud scholars of the last century, but outside of a small circle of disciples, he was never well-known. He was a tragic figure...

Off the Pulpit: Yom Kippur Connections

September 10, 2021

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

When I was a child and left a school to move to another city, there was a good chance that I would not see my schoolmates again. There was no social media and everyone lived in...

Off the Pulpit: Listen to this!

September 03, 2021

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

The mitzvah is not to blow the shofar, but to listen to it. That may be because only one person can blow and many listen, but I would like to think that it is teaching the...

Person in the Parsha: Nitzavim

August 27, 2021

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“THIS SEASON’S LEITMOTIF: RETURN!“ 

We have all been brought up to believe in the importance of progress. For the past several centuries, the goal of philosophy, religion, culture,...

Off the Pulpit: God and Gershwin

August 27, 2021

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

On Shabbat morning in synagogue I realized that the (Ira) Gershwin lyric: “The Rockies may tumble/Gibraltar may crumble/ they’re only made of clay/ but our love is here to stay” had a biblical root.

Because we...