Thanks to Ben Rothke for this kind review of Torah from the Years of Wrath in this week’s Jewish Link of New Jersey. I am very grateful to be a part of the community that values and spreads the teachings of the Piaseczno Rebbe; nice to see positive reviews! Keeping the Faith By Ben Rothke…

  Hello everyone– My father’s yortsayt is coming up next week, and as in previous years I hope to begin another cycle of study of Maimonides on Teshuvah. Please visit the Maimonides on Teshuvah page page to learn more about how to participate in this free, Global Study of Maimonides program. Posts will also appear…

Their screams suffuse the entire universe, and yet the universe does not revert to primordial waters. It continues to exist as if completely unaffected, Heaven forbid.

It was about this time of year, five hundred years ago, when we were refugees seeking asylum in Portugal. Then they seized our children. If we don’t care about what has been happening to migrant families today—shame on us.

Hoping that Moshiach will arrive before July 22. If not, then this is a great time to listen to the insights of Rabbi Zev Goldberg on the traditional Kinot. I’ll provide historical context. We did this last year and it was really meaningful. Hopefully this is the last Tisha B’Av we will have to mark…

July brought new tribulations upon the Jewish community as the Nazis, energized by their victories on the western front, formally eliminated virtually every non-governmental organization in the General Government. Charitable agencies, cultural leagues, and of course political groups were abolished, for both Jews and Poles. The ghetto population increased by tens of thousands as Jews…

My fourteen-year old son was the first to see the damage, and you gave me the precious opportunity to teach him some ancient truths about our long-standing relationship.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Zev Brenner of the famous Talkline last week; really pleased that there’s a lot of interest in the work of the Piaseczno Rebbe. The broadcast was aired last Saturday night and will be rebroadcast again tonight at 8pm EST on WSNR AM 620. Here’s the link to the…

Dean Boylan has been a mentor of mine since I joined Touro in 2006. Proud to be with him this morning at the Harvard Club as he receives the Education Update Outstanding Educator of the Year Award. With Dean Moshe Sokol of Lander College for Men and Executive Dean Robert Goldschmidt of the Mighty Avenue…

Is it possible for a person to be struck and not experience physical pain?

Meet Mr. Hunter Ross Loren, a precocious 13-year old who, together with his uncle Alan Loren, contacted me this week to discuss Jewish history. Hunter is an avid fan of Jewish history–especially, of all things, the Jews of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth–and he is probably my youngest student online. As a follow-up to his Bar Mitzvah,…

I am grateful to Rebecca Odessa, an exceptionally talented artist, who recently created thirteen startling and powerful illustrations of the Thirteen Levels of Mercy as described in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah.  I am so pleased that my translation and commentary, entitled The Kabbalah of Forgiveness, helped her clarify her vision and translate it into these…

Maybe this you’ll like? Maimonides on Teshuvah: The Ways of Repentance Click here for the first chapter and some cool videos on the book. Here’s another book that’s super-appropriate for the High Holidays.  Excellent personal reading, and if someone is really angry with you, makes a great gift! (I have given it to several of…

Hello fellow students of Jewish history! I’m very proud to announce the Fall 2016 schedule of lectures in Jewish history, featuring the Jewish History @ J series at the Mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College!  Please visit this link for the full calendar, with photos and descriptions: https://jewishhistorylectures.org/upcoming-public-lectures/ Last year, without even trying, we received…

Here’s an interview I gave on the Baal Teshuvah Show with Pesach Charney.  I like what they did with the green screen–image of the Toronto skyline!

Very pleased to be invited to speak about Maimonides at the Tenth Anniversary Gala Dinner of the Jewish Rockville Outreach Center! If you are in Rockville, MD on September 25, would love to see you there! For more information please visit http://jewishroc.org/events/10thAnnual/.