Fall 5762/2001  Vol. 62,  No. 1 FEATURES Dimensions of Torment: A Young Man’s Story of Surviving Depression Nathaniel Helfgot Are We Still a Holy Nation? A Symposium Shattering the Idols: The Struggle for Holiness in a Secular Age  Jonathan Sacks Too Distracted: Understanding the Lack of Kedushah in Our Lives  Lawrence Kelemen A Modest […]

We are repeatedly summoned in the Torah “to be holy.” The exhortation
features prominently at the beginning of parshat Kedoshim where it is based upon the Creator’s own holiness. We are to be “holy” for He is “holy.”1

A sad and poignant commentary on the state of society today is the popularity and acclaim of two books regarding the sexualization of society and the objectification of women. In Reviving Ophelia1, a study about the growing emotional problems of adolescent girls today, psychologist Mary Pipher decries the threat to our youngsters based on the spread of what she terms “lookism,” the evaluation of a person on the basis of appearance.

The confrontation between Jewish life and values and the surrounding culture takes many forms and the ensuing conflicts have varied from generation to generation. At times, the conflict was practical, as it was in the American experience a century ago, when there were almost insurmountable obstacles to observing Shabbat and kashrut

Misconception: During duchening (when the Kohanim bless the congregation), one should not look at the Kohanim mainly because it can lead to losing one’s vision. Ways to avoid this include covering oneself with a tallit or turning around and facing sideways or backwards.

At Mount Sinai, when God first hinted to us what it would be like to live Torah lives, He promised: “You will be a kingdom of priests and a goy kadosh–a holy nation.”1 Now, 3,300 years later, what adjectives most accurately describe our daily experience? Many might sum up their existential reality with terms like “harried” and “pressured.”

The man painting our apartment in Israel took out his lunch, washed his hands and recited the Hamotzi. Then he touched the bread and kissed his hand as if he were touching a sefer Torah or a mezuzah. Never having seen this before, I asked why he did it. He looked at me, bewildered. “This bread is kadosh (sacred). I just said Hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz. Hashem brought this bread from the earth. Since Hashem brought it forth, it is kadosh.”

It can happen in the best of families” is an expression often heard in regard to rebellious teenagers. Indeed, when a teenager goes “off the derech,” we tend to blame the teenager himself, bad friends or negative influences. We tell ourselves that even a youngster from a “good home” can be swayed by a decadent culture.

By Peter Abelow One of the marvels of touring modern Israel is being able to see the Tanach come alive as one visits sites where Jewish history unfolded 3000 years ago. We can walk on the ground where our ancestors walked, touch the walls that our forefathers built and see the landscapes of Eretz Yisrael […]

When you lived in the rocky cave, there did you acquire your splendor and your beauty (From the poem Bar Yochai by Rabbi Shimon Lavi).

The past two centuries have been, for Jews, a time of trauma for which it would be hard to find a precedent since the days of ancient Rome. They began in hope and ended in nightmare. European emancipation and enlightenment heralded an era of equality. The rule of reason would conquer ancient prejudice and offer Jews an honored place as citizens of Europe.

While some people fast with little difficulty, most of us expect to feel more or less bedraggled after only a few hours. If fasting means headaches and assorted misery for you, it might be the fault of what you eat or drink beforehand. A few simple cautions in planning your pre-taanit menu could make all the difference.

Teachers today expect a lot. I haven’t done a formal survey, but anecdotally I have come to the conclusion that schoolwork in the twenty-first century is a family experience. And why not? Parents are so frenzied running to work, organizing “supperettes” for the PTA, soothing crying babies and chauffeuring kids to mishmar, hockey, ballet and orthodontia that the one unifying force is homework.

The fall of 1996 was an exciting time in my life: I had just started a new job coordinating the Judaic studies curriculum for Maayanot, a fledgling new high school for young women in Teaneck, New Jersey; I was teaching a few classes at Torah Academy of Bergen County, a local boys’ yeshivah high school and I was continuing to lecture at Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. My days were admittedly hectic. However, since my college years, I seemed to thrive on a full schedule, and truly enjoyed being exposed to different places and various populations.

I don’t know if Harry (name changed to protect his identity) really saw it or if he just imagined the whole thing. Either way, the experience shook him to the core and changed my life as well. Neither of us have been the same after that fateful evening.

Although everyone is familiar with the custom of dipping slices of apple into honey at the Rosh Hashanah meal, many of us are not conversant with other ancient gastronomical traditions. The Talmud (Keritot 6a) states, “Since symbols are meaningful, everyone should eat the following on Rosh Hashanah: kara (a gourd), robiya (black-eyed peas, or some believe this is fenugreek), kareti (a leek), silka (a beet), and tamrei (dates) [foods are in Aramaic].”

Now that you’ve been using the Internet at home for years, are you getting more relaxed about its place in the family? You shouldn’t be. The bad guys aren’t. They are having a field day.

Both the scholar and the layman welcome the appearance of any newly published work on the teachings of the late Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Whether presenting explications of Talmudic texts or enlightening difficult areas of Jewish philosophy, these works alleviate the relative scarcity of volumes on the Rav’s Torah in all areas. One of the newest of these publications is Dr. Arnold Lustiger’s edition of the Rav’s drashot on penitence, which were delivered between 1973 and 1980.1

We are enjoined, Vehayu einecha ro’ot et morecha1 (Your eyes shall see your teachers). The command to see one’s teachers does not exhaust itself in physical sight alone. To properly observe this command, one must see, understand and then learn from one’s rebbe.

Why was I laughing out loud, smiling, and wiping away tears? Because I just finished reading a most delightful collection of autobiographical essays and stories entitled A Sunny Slice of Life.

Lines are up to four hours long due to special security precautions. Traffic has been backed up several kilometers on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. Airport officials express hope that the situation will return to normal in a few hours. (Israel Radio, July 9, 2001)

One of the marvels of touring modern Israel is being able to see the Tanach come alive as one visits sites where Jewish history unfolded 3000 years ago. We can walk on the ground where our ancestors walked, touch the walls that our forefathers built and see the landscapes of Eretz Yisrael precisely as they are described in the pages of the Prophets.