The most poignant part of sitting Shiva for my mother a”h was observing my nieces and nephews and their children caring for us, the older generation. I envied these people for being able to honor their parents by bringing food and drinks, and doing all they could to make us comfortable. They had an opportunity [...]

I was fluctuating between sadness and inspiration when I finished reading Rohinton Mistry’s.”A Fine Balance.” I have yet to shed the horrible cruelties powerfully described. The caste system, misuse of power, the desperate search for work, forced castration, and the hopeless lives of the masses helped me understand what the Children of Israel experienced in [...]

While yet a young man, Tycho Brahe discovered a new star, and the discovery brought him fame at home and in many distant lands. Denmark had a King then who was a patron of learning, and the King built an observatory for Tycho at the center of a small island, Tycho and Tycho named the [...]

I was happy that Joseph’s visit was scheduled for a Shabbat meal this year; what could be a better way to greet the Viceroy of Egypt! He was a man who managed huge construction projects, building enough storehouses to feed Egypt for seven years, and I didn’t want him to turn a professional eye on [...]

Aaron’s is the first visit of the Seven Guests to which I look forward without any nerves. He was the one who would look at a petitioner bringing a Sin Offering with only love and respect, not judging the man for his sin, but seeing only the person who wanted to repair. I can face [...]

I’m sitting in my sukkah despite it being soaked; there’s no way I would miss a visit from Moses. I cleaned up as well as I could, after all, this is the man who supervised the construction of the Mishkan. He had the Ultimate Architect, an awesome foreman/artist in Betzalel, unlimited supplies, and a huge [...]

The Abudirham teaches that there are Ten defined blessings in this prayer, each corresponding to one of the Ten Statements with which God created the world. Since Rosh Hashanah we have been engaged in a constant dance between earth and water. “A man is formed from dust, and his end is in dust.” This not [...]

I spent a great deal of time thinking about Jacob this year, especially about his death as I knew that my mother a”h was approaching her end. (“A Different Sort of Fear of Life,” “Not Waiting for the Monument,” “The Fragrance of Permanence,” “Stopping the Leaks,” “Strength from Brokenness,” “Power of Softness,” “The Character in [...]

It’s now the second night of Succot and I await a visit from Isaac. It’s fair to say that this visit is the one to which I look forward with most anticipation as Isaac is the least familiar of the Seven Guests. I wonder about him. The verse makes it clear that Abraham was chosen, [...]