PARSHAS ACHREI MOS 5779
STAM TORAH PARSHAS ACHREI MOS 5779 “THE HEART OF THE MATTER” Rabbi Ezriel Tauber zt’l[1] related[2] that he was once traveling with Rabbi Shimshon Pincus zt’l. While they were conversing, Rabbi Tauber asked Rabbi Pincus what he would do if he found out that his mother’s mother wasn’t Jewish and therefore, he wasn’t Jewish.[3] Rabbi […]
PARSHAS ACHREI MOS 5779
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Acharei Mos 28 Nissan 5779/May 3, 2019 JUST LIKE THIS When I was younger, I was told that if a person eats too much of a certain food, he will eventually start to look like that food. Pesach proves the fallacy of that idea: the […]
PESACH 5779
STAM TORAH SECOND DAY OF PESACH 5779 “WHOSE STORY”[1] The second day of Pesach is the yahrtzeit, of an important individual who had an indelible impact upon the Jewish people, not just for his generation but for all time. It’s hard to imagine what the world and the Jewish people would look like without him. […]
PESACH 5779
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh/Pesach 14 Nissan 5779/April 19, 2019 So, when did “thing” become a thing? Our expressions are constantly evolving, especially in our society of constant new and exciting technology, where new words are frequently introduced to describe new apps and programs. But even within our everyday talk, especially among […]
PARSHAS METZORA/HAGADOL 5779
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Meztora Shabbos Hagaol 7 Nissan 5779/April 12, 2019 It’s just one of those things that everyone knows. Golden Blossom makes honey, Tenuva produces milk and cheese, and Maxwell House publishes the Haggadah. I always wondered what the connection is between Maxwell House Coffee and the Haggadah. […]
PARSHAS METZORA/HAGADOL 5779
STAM TORAH PARSHAS METZORA/HAGADOL 5779 “TOUCHING ETERNITY”[1] Jean Francois Gravelot, better known as “Blondin”, is considered the greatest tightrope walker of all time. On June 30, 1859, he became the first person to successfully walk across the Niagara Gorge. During that summer, Blondin completed eight more crossings. The following year, on September 15, 1860, he again […]
PARSHAS TAZRIA/HACHODESH 5779
STAM TORAH PARSHAS TAZRIA/HACHODESH 5779 “SPEECH MATTERS”[1] TED Talk delivered by Mark Bezos[2]: “I’m a volunteer firefighter in Scarsdale NY. In Scarsdale, the professional firefighters are always on duty, and they are the first responders. After they are already on their way to the fire, the volunteers are called as well. Because we are supplementing […]
PARSHAS TAZRIA/HACHODESH 5779
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Tazria – Hachodesh Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Nissan 1 Nissan 5779/April 6, 2019 Everyone in the Staum family knows that Uncle Yitz is 38 years old and is turning 39 on his birthday. Uncle Yitz is my father’s older brother. He and my Aunt Chaya are blessed […]
PARSHAS SHEMINI/PARAH 5779
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Shemini – Parah Mevorchim Chodesh Nissan 22 Adar II 5779/March 29, 2019 On Purim afternoon, when I entered the home of a friend to give him shalach manos, there were a few women talking, one of whom was wearing a home-made hat with a propeller on […]
PARSHAS SHEMINI/PARAH 5779
STAM TORAH PARSHAS SHEMINI/PARAH 5779 “UNDAUNTED”[1] From mourning to mission: Miriam Peretz, a mother of all the boys By Deborah Fineblum/JNS.org Before 1998, Miriam Peretz’s life was rather ordinary. She and her husband were living in the same house in the Jerusalem suburb of Givat Ze’ev where they’d been for many years. Her work as […]