Rav Kook, Teshuvat HaPrat, Teshuvat HaKlal and Shoftim By Ariel Natan Pasko The Hebrew month of Elul has begun, and teshuva, return, repentance, is in the air. Elul is the penitential month in the Jewish calendar, before Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The third of Elul, was the Yahrtzeit of Rav Avraham Yitzhak […]
Consolation: Ben and Jerry’s or the Return of the Jews to Israel? By Ariel Natan Pasko This week’s Shabbat, is known as Shabbat Nachamu, based on the week’s Haftarah reading from the prophet Isaiah. The Haftarah follows the weekly Torah reading Va’etchanan in synagogues around the world. It begins seven weeks of prophetic readings […]
Rambam and Aliyah to the Temple Mount By Ariel Natan Pasko Earlier in the week, the 20th of Tevet, marked the Yom Hillula (day of festivity) or Yahrtzeit, of the Rambam (Maimonides). He died in 1204. So, I thought it would be interesting to look at a major event in his life, […]
Jonathan Pollard for President of Israel By Ariel Natan Pasko About a month ago, five years to the day, after Jonathan Pollard was paroled (with severe restrictions) from the federal penitentiary, the US Parole Commission issued a certificate terminating parole and removing the restrictions that were imposed on him. He had served […]
Pollard for President of Israel By Ariel Natan Pasko Recently, five years to the day, after Jonathon Pollard was paroled (with severe restrictions) from the federal penitentiary, the US Parole Commission issued a certificate terminating parole and removing the restrictions that were imposed on him. He had served an excessive thirty years, of […]
Toledot: Jewish Genealogy By Ariel Natan Pasko “And these are the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham; Abraham begot Isaac,” (Genesis 25:19). That’s how this week’s Torah reading, Toledot, starts out. Genealogy is important to Jews. We know who our progenitors are, and we honor them. Then the Torah goes on to tell […]
Rabbi Kahane, the Sarah Solution, and Peace By Ariel Natan Pasko This past week’s Torah reading, Vayera, coincided with the 30th remembrance of the murder of Rabbi Meir Kahane. He was the founder of the Jewish Defense League in America (JDL), a former member of Knesset, and leader of the later outlawed Kach party; Rabbi […]
Shoftim: Tzedek, Chasidut and the Tzadik State of Israel By Ariel Natan Pasko This week’s Torah reading, Parshat Shoftim, teaches “Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof…Justice and Righteousness shall you pursue, so that you may live and possess the land HaShem (the God of Israel) your God is giving you,” (Deuteronomy 16:20). Whether as […]
Re’eh: God’s Chosen Place for the Temple in Jerusalem By Ariel Natan Pasko Has anyone noticed the irony of what took place this past week. While on Wednesday, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu both made televised announcements of a peace agreement, being called the Abraham Accord, between Israel and the United Arab Emirates; the […]
It Can’t Happen Here! Oh Yes It Can! By Ariel Natan Pasko Spain, Germany, America; where are Jews going to run to next, China? Better to be a refugee in the Jewish State, than a prince in the Midbar HaAmim (Desert of the Nations). Every Galut (place of exile), comes to an […]
