by Rabbi Elie Mischel | f 23, 2023 | Eikev
I still remember a conversation I had about 25 years ago, when I was studying at a yeshiva (Jewish seminary) in Israel. One of my teachers, an American who had served in the Israel Defense Forces, told me the following story. A few months into his training, his...
by Rabbi Elie Mischel | f 21, 2023 | Judges
“Awake, awake, O Zion! Clothe yourself in splendor; put on your robes of majesty, Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall never enter you again” (Isaiah 52:1). In the Bible, horrific events are almost inevitably followed by opportunities for...
by Rabbi Elie Mischel | f 20, 2023 | Judges
“It’s time for Americans to wake up to a fundamental reality: the continued unity of the United States of America cannot be guaranteed. At this moment in history, there is not a single important cultural, religious, political, or social force that is pulling Americans...
by Rabbi Elie Mischel | f 16, 2023 | Judges
As I read the story of Micah and his idol, I was bowled over by this man’s sheer audacity. According to Jewish tradition, Micah established a house of idolatry a mere three miles from the Tabernacle in Shiloh. Micah’s house of idolatry was so close to God’s holy...
by Rabbi Elie Mischel | f 16, 2023 | Judges
Saul Bellow won more honors and recognition than any writer of his time. Everywhere he went he was revered as a “wise man,” and his award-winning books were read by untold thousands. By the time he died in 2005, he was considered one of the great writers of his...
