Three Years Later, I Watched Them Dance
Three years ago, our enemies gave us one of the darkest days in Jewish history. Three years later, I watched young Jews dancing with the Torah in Yerushalayim. Not because October 7th has been forgotten, but because October 7th failed to change who we are. We are still the people of life.
Jerusalem Is Alive Again
After three years of war, loss, hostages, uncertainty, and fighting on multiple fronts, this Sukkot feels different.
Millions of Jews are streaming toward Jerusalem, the Old City, the Kotel, and the place where our Temple once stood and where we pray it will one day stand again.
505 Days. 625 Days. 417 Days. Then We Danced
I met Ben on Yom Kippur when he joined us at Aish. He told me that one of the things that sustained him were the Jews who came to visit him. They reminded him that beyond those prison walls, his people had not forgotten him.
When We Fall, We Get Back Up
I found myself in Monsey for Shabbos, where I was speaking at a local shul. At kiddush, I happened to be sitting across from someone I had gotten to know a little bit, Ari Abramowitz. I casually mentioned that Yaakov had been encouraging me to attend this Rosh Hashanah program at Camp Sternberg.
Love Should Never Wait
We do not need a world without disagreement. We need a world in which disagreement is surrounded by love.
This weekend, all of these thoughts come together for me. I am remembering September 11 and the innocent people who went to work and never came home. I am thinking about October 7 and the Jewish families whose lives were changed forever. I am thinking about America and Israel. I am thinking about my father and the example he gave me of what it means to love a community. I am thinking about Rosh Hashanah and standing before God to ask for another year of life.
The Medium Changes. The Wisdom Does Not.
Friday night, I walked into a packed room filled with students beginning the new year in our Eber Family Gesher (efg@Aish) program. Some were beginning their first year, others were returning for Shana Bet, and all of them had come to Jerusalem with a desire to grow, learn, and discover more about who they are as Jews.
When Stones Have Hearts
As we inch closer to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Aish Jerusalem is alive. The Yeshiva is packed and overflowing. New students are arriving for the first time, former students are returning home, and our family continues to grow.
Love Never Gives Up
Israel is starting to fill up again as students arrive for the new year. At Aish, the energy is incredible. We are in the middle of a major expansion in the Old City, including new dormitories, and everyone is racing around as the final touches are completed.
Amid all of that, I had the tremendous privilege on Sunday of racing from one wedding to another.
What a Barn, a Torah, and Camp Simcha Taught Me About the Jewish People
As many of you know, Aish merged with Partners in Torah because we believed that together we could create something even greater than either organization could accomplish alone. That vision came to life in an extraordinary way as the program had 14,976 registrants, all Jewish singles, and boasted 50% of attendees finding a match.
Torah Never Takes a Vacation
As many of you know, Aish merged with Partners in Torah because we believed that together we could create something even greater than either organization could accomplish alone. That vision came to life in an extraordinary way as the program had 14,976 registrants, all Jewish singles, and boasted 50% of attendees finding a match.