High Stakes

Allan Rolnick, CPA These days, it seems like every time you open your laptop, some crypto-bro is philosophizing about the brave new world of cryptocurrency. Today it’s our turn to jump on that bandwagon. We’re not going to tackle the existential questions, like “is crypto really just astrology for libertarians?” We can’t tell you whether […]
613 Seconds with Ari Gunzburg

Please tell us a little about yourself: Wow, I wouldn’t even know where to start! I’m a Wilderness Liaison, helping people get into nature. I’m also a motivational speaker, podcaster, author of an award-winning book, coach, and entrepreneur. How did you get into the wilderness business? From a very young age, I used to run […]
Memory Reconsolidation

Rabbi Azriel Hauptman There is a saying that you forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget. You want to remember about your appointment at the doctor tomorrow. Without a reminder, you will possibly forget all about it. You might have had a traumatic experience many years ago and […]
Who is Obligated?

Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow The very first Mishna in Chagigah discusses those who are obligated to make the thrice-yearly pilgrimage to the Beis Hamikdash. The Mishna clearly states that the rule is that everyone is obligated except those specifically listed. Tosfos comments that the rule is that one cannot follow every rule. Tosfos notes that the […]
Odds are Good

Allan Rolnick, CPA Life is full of mysteries that we may never solve. Nature or nurture? Growth or value? “Tastes great” or “less filling”? But last month, one fortunate gambler proved it’s better to be lucky than smart. He started with a $20 credit on the FanDuel betting site – house money! He bet that […]
Parshas Ki Sisa

Rabbi Berel Wein The sin of the Golden Calf remains one of the great mysteries in the story of the Jewish people throughout the ages. Flooded with miracles on all sides, unbelievably redeemed from Egyptian bondage, and being sustained daily in a desert, the Jewish people somehow revert to idolatry and paganism. As illogical as […]
Mercaz Torah U’Tefilla – Siyum on Moed Katan

On Wednesday night, February 9th, Mercaz Torah U’Tefilla was proud to host the final Siyum in Seder Moed – the Siyum on Moed Katan. We say “last Siyum” because the Siyum on Chagigah, which is also the Siyum on Seder Moed, will be in Eretz Yisroel bez”H. The theme of the Siyum reflected the anticipation […]
Yeshiva of Greater Washington holds 58th Annual Banquet

Rabbi Scott Hillman SILVER SPRING, MD (February 9, 2022) – The Yeshiva of Greater Washington-Tiferes Gedaliah (YGW) held its 58th Annual Banquet on Sunday, February 6, at the Riggs Alumni Center at College Park. The in-person event was also live-streamed. The theme of the evening was “Vision and Determination,” the forces driving the growth of […]
NCSY’s 47th Annual Isaac H. Taylor Jewish Music Festival

Parshas Tetzaveh

Rabbi Berel Wein In the Torah reading of this week, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the preparation of the oil that will be the fuel for the flames of the great Candelabra that existed in the Tabernacle and, later, in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Torah emphasizes that the oil to be […]