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...
Patrick Henry famously prayed: “Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” His celebrated concluding line echoed Joseph Addsion’s 1713 play “Cato”: “The...
Silence is not always golden. The Talmud observes, Shtikah K’Hoda’ah: “Silence is tantamount to assent” (Bava Metzia 37B). We are taught this principle as young children. If a classmate is being bullied, if a friend...
“Kol Hatchalot Kashot,” say the Sages: “All new beginnings are difficult” (see Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Rashi, etc.). A long popular Israeli song, written by Nisan Friedman, takes this Rabbinic adage as its title and refrain. This...
