Hanukkah celebrates the miraculous military and spiritual victory orchestrated by a handful of poorly trained and inadequately equipped Hasmonean fighters over the superior Seleucid (Greek) forces of Antiochus IV. The Jewish leader, Judah Maccabee, son of Mathias, had risen in opposition to the Hellenic kulturkampf that had been waged against his people. He led his... Read more »
Chinuch refers to realizing the inherent capability…for whichever task, or the capability of a house or an object to fulfill its function… When it is used to refer to the education of children, then the meaning is to raise and develop the child’s nature and capabilities. (Rabbi Kalonymous Kalman Shapira of Piaseczno, Chovas
There is a common phenomena that individuals as well as organizations tend to do when getting caught up in either projects and/or activities that do not solely focus on their mission. Losing track of what their overall initial intended goals, missions and purposes are, can often land up being neglected. The High Holidays are just that
The phenomenon is well known: when you buy a new car, that same model car is suddenly at the forefront of your awareness. If that same car model happens to come into your peripheral vision, presto! You notice it. This experience has frequently happened to me, but recently manifested itself in a slightly more
Any synagogue board president or board member I have spoken to almost always has an interesting anecdote, sometimes humorous, to share with me about their board. The challenge of finding the best lay-leaders from your synagogue membership to serve on your board can be challenging. Most synagogue by-laws dictate terms for board members to serve. This generally results in at least some annual movement in
Rabbinic coaching is something of a newer phenomenon for rabbis. The professional and personal sides of a rabbi’s life are not always predictable. As a leader with significant responsibilities, situations can arise that demand attention either immediately or in the
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was one of the great heroes in Jewish history. A descendant of the house of David, he was the leading sage at the time of churban Bayis Sheini. As the Jews and Romans were struggling for control of the Holy City, he managed to escape from the capital and engage the Roman
There are many mysterious and cryptic passages found in the writings of our great sages. Perhaps one of the more obscure and puzzling of all is found in last week's Torah reading. We read that Korach and his cohorts accused Moshe of misappropriating his authority over the
Less than two weeks ago, the Orthodox community learned of a terrible scandal, a lowlight for rabbis around the world, as the promiscuous and abusive escapades of a popular teacher/scholar were called out. The whistleblowing was led by six geographically diverse
One of the most famous American photos was captured by reporter George Tames on February 10, 1961. The picture is of President John F. Kennedy, recently inaugurated, standing hunched over in the Oval Office. From behind, it looks as if he is carrying the weight of the
