What Does Judaism Think

How do you deal with a close member of your life who is rebellious, who is even unethical? How do you control a child who is getting involved with very bad things? How do you bring someone who has rebelled against your core belief system back into the fold? Is it even possible? Maybe. Read More

One attribute alone justifies our very existence. Without it, we are meaningless, rudderless. It would have been better had we never been born. With it, our lives become filled with importance, with purpose. A world with this in it deserves to survive. And there are times when this magical attribute is in danger of disappearing. Maybe even now. What is it? Read More

No one was as bitter, in the earliest years of mankind, as Cain. So much so that he slew his brother Abel. Cain, however, repented sincerely, was forgiven, and granted a sign of Divine protection. Yet seven generations later (they lived long lives back then), Cain was killed accidentally by Lemech, his descendent. There was an additional tragedy at that time, resulting in the death of Lemech's son, Tuval Cain. All this Greek tragedy contains within it the crucial difference between The Good Life, and The Bad Life. What is the secret? Read More

OK, so when is the blessed Redemption going to happen? What will the scenario be? Do we have a date, specific people, nations or processes that we can figure out? The answer is no, no and no. Even more, our sages have not nice things to say about those who speculate. "The bones of those who calculate the End shall rot." So is there nothing we can do?

No, there is certainly something. Something glorious. Read More

We craft inspiring mission statements, New Year's resolutions, great plans. It's exciting, it fills us with hope. But wait, we did that last year too. And, well, wa it such a huge success? Not really. We let a lot of it go, and this years mission sounds a lot like last year's. Where did we go wrong? And, a better question, how do we do it right? The holiday of Sukkot, coming on the heals of the great Resolutions Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, may just provide the needed answer. Read More

Yom Kippur, according to Judaism, is a day that atones for the sins of Israel seemingly automatically. Excepting sins between man and his fellow, which require an apology, most sins are erased even without overt repentance. I wonder how this is fair, and how this is possible? There is a crucial truth about human spirituality hidden in this fact. Read More

Years ago, a book came out that became a classic, changing the lives of many people. It was called "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." Written by Stephen Covey, it outlined the characteristics of people who have their lives in order and achieve greatness. Everyone wishes to be that! So on this Yom Kippur, I wish to suggest a direction to further improve our lives, by learning the Four Attributes of Angels.
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