Author: Rabbi Menachem Genack

Rabbi Julius Berman moved in the highest circles of power, yet he remained a humble servant of the Jewish people and a loyal student of the Rav. 

In a political landscape often defined by ambition, self-promotion and partisanship, Senator Joe Lieberman, whose first yahrtzeit was Adar 17, stood apart.

Lab-grown meat: Can it be kosher? Is it pareve or fleishig? Rabbi Genack illuminates this new food technology.

Just as Friday serves as the bridge between Shabbat and the week, Lieberman’s life, which was a bridge to convey the meaning and purpose of Judaism to the wider world, was an extended erev Shabbat.

Reb Yacov was a bona fide talmid chacham and an expert in the laws of kashrus.

I didn’t have too many experts in shechitah I could turn to at the time—Rav Nota was one of the few.

Rav Belsky had a scientific inclination and a curious mind, both of which led him on a constant search for truth.

The Rebbe wrote that his relationship with the Rav was ‘much greater than people knew.’

Sukkot, in our liturgy, is deisgnated as “Zman Simchatenu”-the time of our rejoicing. Yet, the Torah requires that we be joyous in all the festivals, so why designate specifically Sukkot as “Zman Simchatenu?” Through the obligation to be joyous on all festivals is universal, applying equally to Pesach, Shavuout and Sukkot, apparently there is a […]

The words the Rav used were “God’s will is self-justifying.” Man has to explain his actions but God does not.

The petirah of Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky was a tragedy for the Jewish world at large as well as for our close-knit OU community. We at OU Kosher had the privilege of having Rabbi Belsky work closely with us over the years, and we had the opportunity to experience first-hand his exceptional gifts.

In one of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s masterful discussions on the value of general culture for the development of a Torah personality, he reflected on the importance of being able to assess the character and uniqueness of individuals, and especially of gedolim.

Fifty years ago, when I was in high school and Dr. Bernard Lander was the dean of Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School, we would often ride together to the YU campus. During the drive, Dr. Lander would often speak about building his own college. Even as a teenager I thought, “He is a dreamer.” […]

I remember the first time I heard a shiur by the Rav. It was 1963 and the Rav was speaking on teshuvah. I was still only in high school, but I was completely enraptured and was determined to become his talmid.