PARSHAS BALAK 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Balak –Avos Perek 6 16 Tamuz 5778/June 29, 2018 Shortly before Pesach vacation began in Heichal HaTorah this year, a conscientious student who takes his spiritual growth seriously asked to speak with me in my office. The student said that with only a few days left before […]
PARSHAS CHUKAS 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Chukas –Avos Perek 5 9 Tamuz 5778/June 22, 2018 It’s the last thing any driver wants to see in their rear-view mirror. Yes, blue lives matter, but we don’t want to see a cop driving right behind us. I had the delightful experience a few weeks ago, […]
PARSHAS KORACH 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Korach –Avos Perek 4 2 Tamuz 5778/June 15, 2018 Living in New York unquestionably has benefits and drawbacks. But for high schoolers, living in New York means having to take the dreaded Regents exams. Our oldest, Shalom, took his first Regents this week. For the last few […]
PARSHAS SHELACH 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Shelach –Avos Perek 3 Mevorchim Chodesh Tamuz 25 Sivan 5778/June 8, 2018 During the Scripps National Spelling Bee last week, 13-year-old Shiva Yeshlur from Wyoming was asked to spell the word “Cholent”. Yeshlur requested a definition from the judges. The reply: “A Jewish Sabbath-day dish of […]
PARSHAS BEHA’ALOSCHA 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Beha’aloscha –Avos Perek 2 18 Sivan 5778/June 1, 2018 Shlomo Hamelech stated: “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of celebration, and the living will give heart” (Koheles 7:2) Although Simchos are beautiful and uplifting, most of the […]
PARSHAS NASO 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Naso –Avos Perek 1 11 Sivan 5778/May 15, 2018 My parents were born and bred on New York’s legendary Lower East Side. It’s where my grandparents lived when they came to America as well. For the first seven years of my life, my family lived at 550 […]
PARSHAS BAMIDBAR 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Bamidbar –Avos Perek Kinyan Torah 4 Sivan 5778/May 8, 2018 (48th day of the Omer) Erev Shavuos On Thursday nights, the Staums have “Shaarei Torah carpool”. Our son Shalom is in ninth grade in Yeshiva Shaarei Torah, and we have the pickup following maariv at 8:45 […]
PARSHAS BEHAR-BECHUKOSAI 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Behar-Bechukosai –Avos Perek 5 26 Iyar 5778/May 1, 2018 (41st day of the Omer) Mevorchim Chodesh Sivan – Shabbos Chazak! Last week, I was at Citi Field in Queens on two different occasions. On Sunday, I attended the Orthodox Union’s “Day of Torah Learning” held in […]
PARSHAS EMOR 5778
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Emor –Avos Perek 4 19 Iyar 5778/May 4, 2018 (34th day of the Omer) During the last couple of weeks our Kehilla celebrated and mourned what epitomizes the circle of life. On the seventh day of Pesach, Mr. Seymour Kerner, father of our esteemed friend Rabbi […]
PARSHAS ACHAREI MOS-KEDOSHIM
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)” Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Acharei- Kedoshim –Avos Perek 3 12 Iyar 5778/April 27, 2018 For those of us living on the East Coast, it’s been a long and harsh winter. Ironically, this was the first time in a few years that we had relatively pleasant fifty-degree weather on Purim. Being […]