Five years ago, on the eve of Tisha B’Av, after a night of detention by armed soldiers for “our own protection,” my family and I were expelled from the Republic of Niger back across the land border into Northern Nigeria. The irony of being forced back into Boko Haram territory for “our own protection” was not lost on us.
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Making Our Laws Holy
When an 18-year-old (may his name be blotted out) walked into a gun shop and bought a pair of assault rifles and enough ammunition to create a war zone at an elementary school, he violated no laws.
Surprising, But Not Strange, Bedfellows
I had the privilege of spending this past Tuesday in Washington, D.C., with Elan Babchuck at the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation’s national gathering, Dare to Overcome.
What If Prayer Doesn’t Work?
After a recent lecture on prayer, an attendee approached me and said, “What if our prayers don’t work?”
Rabbi Hirschfield on Busted Halo and Inside Sources
Take a listen as Clal’s Rabbi Brad Hirschfield appears on not one but two podcasts this week! First, on the … Continue Reading
(Almost) Eclipsing the Eclipse
As the wine steward said to Pharaoh in Genesis 41:9, “I declare my sins now.” The sin I declare now is my tone-deafness to the significance of this week’s solar eclipse. I just didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to so many people, including to many of the Rabbinic Fellows in Clal’s LEAP program, run in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies.
Patience When It Seems No One Is In Charge
What do we do when it seems like no one is in charge? Like no one is looking out for … Continue Reading
