A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to wail and a time to dance – Ecclesiastes 3:4
There is a limit set for grieving. Even for a beloved relative the Torah forbids us to prolong our grief beyond the norm. The stages of grief are the initial week known as “shiva,” followed [...]

B”H
One of the more well known of Aesop’s fables is the following: An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son, “break it.” The son strained and strained, [...]

As the Apple iPhone has become even more popular and an increasing number of Apple fans have picked up the iPad, there has been a wave of new applications created for these devices. Some are good and useful, while others… well, let’s just say I’m not going to take the time to write a bad [...]

Steganography is a new word I have learned this week, defined in the dictionary as, “The art or practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file.”
 
Steganography was used by the cabal of Russian spies recently arrested in the USA to communicate intelligence information back to “Moscow Central.” These spies [...]

“I hope you heard that?  She called me a noble steed …  she thinks I’m a steed!” – Donkey in Shrek I
Long before the Shrek script was written the idea of a talking donkey was making the rounds.  But this one was not for comedy effect,  it was for real.  In this week’s parshah we [...]

First thing one morning the office manager called Jim, an employee, into his office. “How did your grandmother’s funeral go yesterday afternoon?” he asked. “Fine, thank you” replied Jim, puzzled. “That’s great” said the manager, “just seems a pity they’ve got to do it all over again.” “What do you mean?” said Jim” “Well, I [...]

B”H
Neighbourhood Bully
Well, the claws are out again, sharp and quick as opprobrium is heaped on Israel from every corner of the globe. Ranging from genuine human rights campaigners to opportunistic politicians and bandwagon terrorists, all righteously taking part in flotilla frenzy. Before any investigation has been done Israel has been roundly condemned and castigated [...]

“Ve’ha’ish Moshe anav me’od mi’kol ha’adam asher al pnei ha’adama – And the man Moshe was very humble, more than any man on the face of the earth!” –  Bamidbar 12:3
You may have heard about the rabbi who was so humble that his members presented him with a solid gold lapel pin that said “World’s [...]

Most of us are aware of the Midrash which tells us about the moments before the Torah was given. G-d asked the Jewish people who they were offering as guarantor that they would keep and treasure the Torah. “Our holy Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, will be our guarantors” replied the people.
The Al-mighty did not accept the [...]

Abe and Sadie, an elderly couple, made a rare appearance in synagogue one Shavuot. After the service the rabbi welcomed them and asked them why they do not attend more often. Well, replied Abe, “at our age it is getting quite difficult, but Rabbi, at least we keep the Ten Commandments.” Tongue-in-cheek the rabbi replies, “Really, all [...]

Peace is a precious thing, (so much so, that) even G-d Himself made a change for its sake– Talmud Bava Metzia 87a
Shalom Bayit is the Hebrew term we use for domestic harmony, a loving and caring relationship between husband and wife. Shalom Bayit is a deceptively simple term when we think about what it encapsulates, [...]

At the end of an important entrance examination one of the students is still writing way after the examiner has announced that time is up. The examiner notices this and when the student arrives at his desk to hand in the paper he tells him very clearly that he has failed the exam. There is [...]