Author: David Rutman

Photo Credit: Jewish Press Mrs. Alter ran a business coordinating home visits for elderly and disabled people, paid for by Medicare. She processed the billing and payments and kept a percentage. One of her clients was a counselor, Mrs. Stern. Before Sukkos, Mrs. Alter wished her a happy holiday. “You, too,” replied Mrs. Stern. “A […]

Photo Credit: Hadas Parush / Flash 90 Rav Kook’s kever After the Noam Party dropped out of last month’s race for Knesset two days before the election, it reportedly was approached by Yahadut HaTorah (United Torah Judaism). Declare your support for us, said party representatives, and we’ll make sure that the Har HaMor Yeshiva (which […]

Photo Credit: pixabay I had been thinking about it for a while. On Yom Kippur, it crossed my mind a number of times. However, it wasn’t until this morning that I finally made the move. This morning, someone mentioned to me that somebody was impersonating me and attempting to contact people on Facebook using my […]

Photo Credit: Jewish Press The haggadah has always been popular among authors and publishers, with over 10,000 different haggadot estimated to have been published over the centuries. One haggadah I recently acquired was the first to be printed in Chicago. Published in 1879, it boasts of being the “first [haggadah] to contain illustrations influenced by […]

Photo Credit: IDF Pistols seized in joint Israeli security raid On Friday night as the result of a police investigation, IDF soldiers and Israeli police officers searched the northern sector of the country for illegal weapons. The raid turned up a large number of firearms, including 19 pistols, five Kalashnikov assault rifles, and a large […]

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Israeli actress Gal Gadot Entertainment industry website Deadline reported exclusively this weekend that Israeli actress Gal Gadot is teaming with her producing partner and husband Jaron Versano to form a new production company called, “Pilot Wave.” The company’s first project will be “the fact-based historical thriller Irena Sendler,” with […]

Photo Credit: Jewish Press Many mitzvos are considered halachically fulfilled even if we do them thoughtlessly. Not so the mitzvah of sukkah, says the Bach. When sitting in a sukkah, we must know and think about why we’re sitting there. The Torah says, “L’maan yeidu doroseichem ki basukos hoshavti es Bnei Yisrael b’hotzeisi eschem mei’Eretz […]

Photo Credit: Jewish Press I studied under many teachers when I was growing up. Many of them were considered the gedolim of the generation. I remember when I attended Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and my rosh yeshiva was the tzaddik Rabbi Chayim Yaakov Goldvicht. I recall the teachers I was privileged to have when I attended […]

Photo Credit: David B. Gleason / Wikimedia The Pentagon, 2008 Turkish forces in northern Syria “accidentally” shelled a contingent of US Special Forces, according to an exclusive report published Friday by Newsweek Magazine. The publication was told by an Iraqi Kurdish intelligence official and a senior Pentagon official that the shelling by Turkish forces was […]

Photo Credit: #WeWantNaama on Facebook Naama Issachar On Friday morning, Naama Issachar, 25, an Israeli-American tourist, was convicted of smuggling 9.6 grams of Charas (Indian and Jamaican hashish, made from the resin of the cannabis plant) and sentenced by a Russian court to seven and a half years in prison. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has […]