Libi BaMizrach

My children have been declared criminals.  And I couldn't be prouder.  It was truly a watershed event, when the President of the United States reversed five decades of policy and allowed a resolution to pass in the Security Council that, under international law, criminalized any “settlement activity” in any area that was captured by Israel after June 5, 1967, very specifically including East Jerusalem.   This means that my daughter, who lives in the East Jerusalem neighborhood "settlement" Neve Yaakov (population 25,000), and my son and daughter, who live in the city "West Bank settlement" of Betar Ilit  (population 50,000), are criminals, who had best stay away from The Hague, lest they be arrested and tried in the International Court of Justice (sic).  The (Dis)Honorable Mohammad Abbas is already licking his chops , salivating about the possibility of proclaiming Israel’s illegitimacy in every possible forum and at every turn, while prepa...

The thrill of Chanukah is upon us as we once again have the privilege of lighting the Menorah.  As the symbol of Chanukah par excellence, it brings to mind both the story of religious revival (the one pure flask which miraculously lasted eight days) and the national/military victory of the Maccabees (who overcame overwhelming odds to push out the Syrian/Greek Tyrants and restore Jewish sovereignty) with which we are all so familiar. But, of course, the Menorah is not only the symbol of the Hasmonean Chanukah. It is also a central symbol of the Bais Hamikdash in general, even though the Chanukah menorah has eight lamps instead of the original seven.   Moreover, it is a symbol all of the Chanukahs in Jewish History [1] .  What is fascinating, however, is that it is also the symbol of the Exile. On a recent trip to Israel with my family, we had a long stopover in Rome.  Far from being displeased, I was thrilled to be able to fulfill a lifelong “bucket list” dream –...

In a previous essay , I introduced the notion that, of the three Avos (Patriarchs), Yitzchak (Isaac) was the Av whose life story mirrored our time more than his holy father or son.  Central to that analysis was the deeply insightful explication by Rav Samson R Hirsch of the verse “Then will I remember My covenant with Yaakov; I will remember also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham; and I will remember the land”.  (Vayikra 26:42). He argued that each of the Avos represented a different era of Jewish history, not only in the past, but in the stages of the future redemption.  In particular, there was a difference between the Jacob era – where he was buffeted by troubles, hated, attacked, and persecuted – and the era of Isaac, who was not loved by his neighbors but tolerated, who was successful financially not by engaging in subterfuge (as Jacob had to in order to counter the mischievous thievery of Lavan and murderous intent of Eisav), but rather ...

It is wonderful to revisit our ancestors as we once again contemplate Sefer Bereishis.  We are constantly reminded of the great Avos (Patriarchs), mentioning them in our prayers thrice daily, and are motivated to attempt to be worthy bearers of their great traditions.  Interestingly, I daresay that most of us relate far more to the first and the last – Avraham and Yaakov – then to the middle Patriarch, Yitzchak.    There are many reasons for this, as we will examine.   Nevertheless, I contend that perhaps Yitzchak ought to be the Av we relate to the most in our day and age. Why do we tend to focus more on Avraham and Yaakov?  Clearly, they get a lot more “stage time” in the Torah.   We read about Avraham from the end of Noach, through Lech Lecha, Vayera, and Chayei Sarah.  We meet Yaakov at the beginning of Parshas Toldos, and he is the central character throughout the rest of the Sefer.   By contrast, Yitzchak is mentioned passively ...

Hail to the New Chief It is truly a historic week: Donald J. Trump has been elected President of the United States.  Millions upon millions of words are being written about “perhaps the most stunning political story in American History” according to one pundit.  Nevertheless, I would like to share my “Middle of the Road” thoughts for what they are worth. Briefly, I am not happy that Donald Trump won the presidency.  At the same time, I am thrilled that Hillary Clinton was defeated.  Seems contradictory, but I know that there are many people like me, who voted more against Clinton than for Trump. I will not focus here on the great policy differences between them.   According to my colleague Rav Avrohom Gordimer, these differences are the only things that mattered since the deep flaws of both candidates cancelled each other out. But there was more at stake, and given the awesome power and responsibilities of the position, I could not discount the chara...