The following opinion piece was first published in the April Toledo Jewish News. If I were running for Prime Minister… By Rabbi Dr. Barry Leff Many of you may have seen Yuval Zaliouk’s piece with the same title as this one: “If I were running for Prime Minister.” If you have haven’t, you can...
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Why? Why should 32 students and teachers at Virginia Tech have had their lives cut so tragically short? Austin Cloyd was one of Cho Seung-Hui's youngest victims. The 18-year-old freshman loved to act, to sing, play volleyball, read, go shopping. She was always dressed just so. A friend remembers a trip to Old Navy...
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If I were making a movie like “Oh God!” or “Bruce Almighty” that anthropomorphizes God and gives him a human appearance, I would definitely do one scene that showed God with an apron on and an ecstatic look on His face as he flips a burger on a grill. Because God must surely love...
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On Monday night I had a little debate with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. I was worried that after the debate, my wife Lauri might decide she can’t take me anywhere–it was at a program for the law school she teaches for–but I thought it was fun. After dinner and a few short remarks,...
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For people who witnessed a lot of miracles, like the plagues in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, our ancestors did not show a lot of faith. Not long after the miracles of leaving Egypt, Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments from God. This week’s Torah reading, Ki...
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Tonight we will read Megillat Esther, the scroll or book of Esther, which tells the story of Purim. Before the Hazzan begins reading, he will recite a blessing that thanks God “who did miracles for our ancestors in those days.” But what miracles did God do at Purim? Read the whole megillah – a...
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