Parshas Pinchas
By Rabbi Berel Wein This week’s Torah portion warns us not to be swept away by current culture, media, and societal popularity and by those who are quick to condemn others for their thoughts and actions. When Pinchas killed Zimri and his consort he was roundly criticized and threatened by the those in Jewish society […]
Stealing to Save a Life?
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow Rav Shlomo Halberstam, zt”l, the Bobover Rebbe, was instrumental in saving many lives during the Holocaust. The Bobover Rebbe borrowed whatever money he could to secure visas and travel documents for would-be victims. The money borrowed was directly responsible for lives being saved. After the war, Mr. Benedict, one of the lenders, […]
Excuses, Excuses
Allan Rolnick, CPA A recent poll from the Pew Research Center finds that 54% of Americans think violent crime is one of our country’s biggest problems. You would think the last thing we need is more of it. Yet millions are obsessed with true crime stories, whether we find them on cable TV, streaming video, […]
Narcissism
Rabbi Azriel Hauptman Narcissism in psychology describes someone who is selfish, has a strong sense of entitlement, lacks empathy, and has a need for admiration. If it is severe enough and impairs daily functioning, it may qualify for a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissists can be difficult to comprehend since on the one hand […]
Liven Up!
Rabbi Zvi Teichman A fascinating observation is made that when one compares the census taken at the beginningof the book of ‘Numbers’ — Bamidbar, at the onset of their forty-year sojourn, contrasting it with the count taken in our portion, at the near end of their long journey, there is a noticeable discrepancy. Whereas some […]