Category: Life

Victory is one theme of Sukkot. Divine judgment on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is comparable to a civil dispute being judged in a court of law. And the first day of Sukkot is akin to the end of the court case when the disputants walk out of court, the…

The founding fathers of the United States believed that each human is endowed with an unalienable right to pursue happiness. What is not clear, however, is what happiness actually means. What does it mean to be happy? Does it mean that we should be in a jolly mood? Can a…

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 narrative in the…

Watching the world standing impotently by as Iran races towards acquiring nuclear weapons is terrifying. And seeing how humanity if unable to overcome the oil well it drilled in the Gulf of Mexico is humbling. In the later case we are confronted by human limitation and in the former by…

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 children all went…

As many of us were praying in the synagogue during the afternoon of Yom Kippur Wall Street was having one of its worst afternoons in history. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now down below 8,600 points. $8.3 trillion in shareholder wealth has been wiped out in the last year…

From the story in the Torah of Moses sending spies to scout out the Land of Israel before it was to be conquered by the Israelites we find immense insight that guides us to self mastery. This is how the Torah relates it: “The Lord spoke to Moses saying, “Send…

We are constantly perusing it but find it difficult to find. I am talking about happiness of course. As a society happiness is a much sought after commodity. We go to great length to ensure happiness. The divorce rate in this country and the amount of children brought up by…

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 to dedicate to those around…

The Bible relates (Deuteronomy 14:1) how Moses tells the children of Israel: ‘you are children of God your Lord. Do not mutilate yourselves, and do not make a bald patch in the middle of your head as a sign of mourning. You are a nation consecrated to God your Lord. God has…