Levi Brackman’s Website

The Torah adds another important element of wisdom for leadership here that is important for all people to know especially leaders of businesses and organizations but it applies to others as well.  Moses relates a very moving interaction he ...

Some think that moral relativism is synonymous with progress. A moral relativist thinks that there are no moral absolutes. Rather, according to them, morality is a subjective choice that varies from one society to another. I would argue however, th...

In the UK Millions of people have tuned in on a daily basis to watch a group of ordinary people living their lives. Big Brother fervour had grabbed the people in the UK once again. But hang on, what is so attractive about watching ordinary people doi...

In this week's Torah portion we read that G-d told Moses to tell the children of Israel, (Leviticus 25:23) “For the land is mine, you are but sojourners and residents with me.” Does this mean that if one bought a property and the deed...

The Bible talks about all types of Tzara’at (leprosy) including Tzara’at that inflicts buildings. The Torah relates, “G-d spoke to Moses and Aaron saying: when you arrive to the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I ...

The markets have been very volatile lately and according to most experts the United States has entered a recession. All of this uncertainty and financial difficulties is a result of the credit crises that was sparked by the collapse of the subprime m...

Below is an excerpt from Rabbi Levi Brackman's upcoming book: "Jewish Wisdom for Business Success" that relates to this weeks' Torah portion Vayakhal which begins with what Moses did upon descending the Mountain with the second set...

The Law of a thief is discussed at the end of this week’s Torah portion: “He shall return the robbed item that he robbed…. or anything about which he had sworn falsely – he shall repay (its principle) the value of the stolen ...

...eople whom You have brought up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say: 'He brought them out with evil intent to kill them in the mountains and to annihilate them from upon the face of the eart......

... father-in-law was Jethro, a powerful tribal leader as well as a chieftain, a scholar, and a mystic. When Moses became Jethro's son-in-law, he was a fugitive on the run from Pharaoh's wrath and had not yet had a Godly revelation. Jethro was a......

Over the past five years the world has seen some of the most remarkable political revolutions ever.  March 2003 saw the downfall of Saddam Hussein’s tyrannical regime. In November 2003 former Soviet republic of Georgia saw the Rose Revolut...

On the issue of freedom and free will, the Bible tells us that we have a choice between life and good or death and evil. Although it is up to us, the Bible implores us to choose life and good and to reject death and evil (Deuteronomy, 30:15-19). But ...

There was a time when children saw it as their responsibility to look after their ageing parents. Today unfortunately we live in a very fast-paced world and if one wants to get ahead one must put in those billable hours. Often this leaves little time...

This week the American Red Cross dismissed its president and chief executive, Mark W. Everson, citing his “personal relationship with a subordinate employee.” He had been in office for only six months. This has caused much discussion abou...

A friend of mine was a very successful businessman. He climbed the corporate ladder rung by rung until eventually he got to the top. That was it - he had made it. He had the house on the beautiful road, the paved driveway, the Mercedes, and his child...

Most of us experience minor ego struggles on an almost daily basis. In conversation we often find ourselves disagreeing although deep down we acknowledge that our interlocutor has made a salient point. For some reason we are resistant to their argume...

In this week’s Torah portion we read about the spies that Moses sent to spy out the land of Canaan before moving in to conquer it. And the Torah tells us that all but two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, came back with negative reports. The nar...

Recently I was listening to a debate on the Radio, in which the presenter was arguing against giving money to charity. He said, “I have worked hard for my money and I want to keep it for myself. I work hard to be able to have a nice car, a beau...

Anything to excess is not good for us. Too much anger can ruin a relationship as can an excess of kindness. Overeating is harmful, but an over- preoccupation with becoming slender can lead to anorexia. As Maimonides said, one must live a balanced lif...

My wife Sheindy has a simple philosophy for increased productivity: “People should first do the necessary and essential chores they do not enjoy and only then go on to do the more pleasurable jobs.” She maintains that having something to ...

In this weeks Torah portion we read a sequence of three seemingly random and unrelated verses. Firstly it states, “If a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. But the stranger who dwells with you shall be to you as on...

In this week’s Torah portion we read (Deuteronomy 14:1) how Moses tells the children of Israel: ‘you are children of G-d your Lord. Do not mutilate yourselves, and do not make a bald patch in the middle of your head as a sign of mourning....

Radicals and radicalisation are the words on everyone’s lips. People are trying to understand the process of how normal people become radicalised to the extent that they become suicide bombers. They therefore talk about radicalisation as if it ...

The recent terror attack in London was unique--it was carried out by British-born fundamentalists, not foreigners. After suffering years of IRA-sponsored terrorism, the question people here in Britain are asking is why people would want to blow their...

So the war in Iraq seemed to be quick and definitive. Now nearly three months on, the almost daily attacks on coalition troops, the deep resentment by the Iraqis and the inability to find any weapons of mass destruction has caused many of us to revis...

We live in a world where we need to be continuously reminded to look after ourselves. A world where although we know eating lots fast food is not good for us, we still need reminding by our doctor. Although the youth are aware of the detrimental effe...

In the Torah portion this week we read about how the tabernacle was actually built. It is indeed inspiring the way the Torah describes how every one, men and women alike, took pride in the building of their communal centre and place of worship. The c...

In response to my article last week about the Hamas victory some readers wrote to me saying that it is not the job of a rabbi to comment on politics. Stick to religion, I was told:  rabbis should keep out of politics. Clearly, many people think ...

“As the plane landed at Ben Gurion airport, the Captain made his announcement: "Please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until this plane comes to a complete standstill and the seat belt signs have been turned off. To those who are...

A couple of years ago I was invited on to the Esther Rantzen show to talk about whether children need fathers. Obviously I was arguing for the motion, but one of the women arguing against it had a son conceived by artificial insemination who till thi...