The title of this weekly column, “Say Little, Do Much,” is (while partially in reference to its brevity) taken from Pirkei Avot 1:15, where it is listed as a favorite teaching of Shammai. Shammai was...
By time we say “Kol Dichfin Yeitei v’Yeichol, Kol Ditzrich Yeitei v’Yifsach” at our Seders (“Let all who are hungry come and eat, all who are in need come and observe the Passover”), we have...
This Shabbat, March 17, is a day of unusual pageantry. We begin the Book of Leviticus. It is (additionally) both Rosh Chodesh Nisan, inaugurating the month in which we celebrate Passover… and Shabbat Ha-Chodesh –...
The most misunderstood among the Seder’s four children is the “Rasha.” How self-defeating to deem such a child “wicked!” The Rasha’s “offending” question, “What does this ritual mean to YOU?” is entirely appropriate. All...
We eat maror, the bitter herb, as one of the indispensable elements of the Passover Seder. As unpleasant as the experience might be, we must actually be sure to taste the bitterness. The rabbis teach,...
“Maalin Ba-Kodesh, V’Ein Moridin – In matters of sanctity, we increase, and do not decrease.” This principle has numerous applications. Most famous is Hillel’s ruling (Shabbat 21A) that we increase the number of candles each...
David Ben-Gurion mused: “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you have to believe in miracles.” Jews have many opportunities to recognize and celebrate miracles. On Chanukah, we recall the miraculous Hasmonean victory and...
Resh Lakish was a sage with a past. Before his rabbinic career, he led the brutal life of a Roman gladiator. In later life, Resh Lakish was a model of piety, integrity, and personal honor....
Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of the Sages”), records the favorite teaching of Yossi ben Yochanan: “Open wide the doors of your home, and welcome the poor as members of your household.” This generous sentiment seems to have...
“The Holy One desires the heart,” the Rabbis say (Sanhedrin 106B). They define prayer as the “Service of the Heart” (Ta’anit 2A). Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther somewhat idiosyncratically echoed this principle: “Faith is...
