Timeless Torah

With the Pesach holiday under our belt as well as stretching it, we can finally sit back on our easy chairs and relax. A lot of hard work this G-d of ours seems to demand, but at least never more than we can handle. That is not just my sentiment. Indeed, no less an authority than the great Maimonedes himself echoed these very thoughts when he stated, “G-d gave us this tree of life..and He promised us that if we observe it with joy and gladness of heart...He will remove from us all that may prevent us from keeping it.”  read more »

Who has not heard of the malevolent “Evil eye”? In many cultures, the potency of such a gaze was believed to have enormous power capable of inflicting tremendous damage. The "evil eye" however, mentioned in this week's Ethics of our Fathers is not to be confused with the ability to cast curses, and truly belongs in another category. This does not mean it lacks punch. In fact, the Mishna states, “The evil eye...drives a man from this world.” Nevertheless, our Sages are not talking about witches and black magic - just a sense of proportion.  read more »

More than any other Sage, it was Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai who was instrumental in the national and spiritual recovery after the catastrophic destruction of the second Temple at the hands of the Romans. It was he who built Yavneh, the new center of Jewish life. And it was he who fanned the flames of hope by educating an elite cadre of young scholars who would carry on the teachings of Judaism for the next generation.  read more »

Anton Chekhov, was an unsuccessful Russian doctor who would eventually become one of the world’s great literary masters. Among the many aphorisms attributed to Mr. Chekhov is the advice that he once gave an aspiring dramatist, “If you hang a gun on the wall in the first act, you had better use it by the third act.”  read more »