Posts Tagged: Rabbi Pini Dunner
A Lesson From Salmon Starters
Far longer ago than I am freely willing to admit, as a young rabbi privately teaching bar mitzvah boys to read their Torah portions, the...
The Holidays Are a Time to Reflect
What is the festival of Shmini Atzeret really about? Why do we need an extra day of yomtov at the end of Sukkot? The Midrash offers...
Do Good for Its Own Sake
Paul Cowan has a very unique job -- he is the head of Transport for London’s (TfL) “Lost Property” division. Until September of last year,...
What Israel Means to Judaism Today
I have just returned from a three-week trip to Israel. I was there to accompany our son Meir as he begins his incredible voyage as...
We Don’t Need to Understand the Whole Torah to Embrace It
Socrates, the father of Greek philosophy, is reported by Plato to have declared: “If I know one thing, it is that I know nothing.” This...
In Judaism, It’s OK to Cry — in Fact, It’s Required
One of the hardest aspects of being a pulpit rabbi is bereavement. As a rabbi, you grow close to the members of your shul, becoming...
Parshat Vayishlach: The Secret of Greatness
William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night is probably his most enduring and popular comedy. At one point, the unfortunate Malvolio discovers a letter he thinks has been written by Countess Olivia,...
The Torah Teaches That ‘Sight’ Is Unreliable
One of the primary sources of information at any trial is the testimony of witnesses who “were there” -- who saw an event take place...
Shabbat: God’s Opportunity for Us to Reflect
I recently saw an article on Business Insider by Julian Hayes II. You will be excused for not having heard of him. The business magazine...
The Torah Shows Us That Yeshivas Should Embrace Educational Standards
It is an unusual partnership of radically different subgroups. A coalition of strictly-Orthodox Jews, devout Catholics, and elite private schools in New York are joining...
Jerusalem Is the Beating Heart of Jewish History
If you do a Google search for any Jewish topic, you will almost certainly be directed to the site myjewishlearning.com. This website is one of the several...
How We Can Truly Hear God’s Words
In October 2010, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published a fascinating article about the remarkable linguistic synergy that exists between couples who are...
The Beauty of Tefillin
A few weeks ago, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, our youngest son Uri put his tefillin on for the first time. In May, he will...
Once a High Priest or President, Always a High Priest or President
On December 5, 2018, four former US presidents and their wives attended the funeral of George H.W. Bush in Washington DC -- Jimmy and Rosalynn...
