Forgo Rainy Day Woe With Spa Trip

By Lisa Alcalay Klug
Published on March 3, 2005

When the torrential winter rains take a reprieve, don some wings and head south. This three-day itinerary for rest, relaxation and kosher cuisine creates sunny inspiration even on the cloudiest days.

Spiritually Found Among the Surf

By Lisa Alcalay Klug
Published on February 17, 2005

Standing on a surfboard for the first time, it felt as if time stood still. I can recall the palm trees on the shore, the dusty blue of the island's silhouette in the distance to my left, and my teacher afloat on his board to my right. That first, miraculous ride seemed to last forever. In one unforgettable moment, every stray thought inside me was quieted, pushed aside. All I knew was a sense of harmony between myself, the board and the wave. The water must have been slapping on the sand and the birds must have been chirping, but I heard absolutely nothing. A complete and total silence enveloped me and carried me closer and closer to shore, until the board stopped and I fell. The moment was gone.

Bad Memory

By Rob Eshman
Published on January 20, 2005

I just returned from France, where I spent 10 days looking into issues of anti-Semitism and racism in a country that has Europe's

largest populations of Muslims and Jews. What I found is a subject for an upcoming story. But one item -- really just an offhand remark by an Education Ministry official there -- struck me as especially topical considering the anniversary we mark this week.

Madonna, Marla Do Tashlich in Tel Aviv

By Dina Kraft
Published on September 23, 2004

Pop diva Madonna was among the praying, swaying and singing masses of kabbalah enthusiasts who made the pilgrimage to Israel for the High Holidays, seeking spiritual transformation through a brand of Jewish mysticism.

The hidden benefits of Meshuggeneh relatives

By Leonard Felder
Published on April 1, 2004

The Passover seder is a wonderful chance to connect with certain relatives that you love, along with hearing again the inspiring account of moving out of enslavement and fear while moving toward freedom and compassion for all who are hungry or mistreated. But for the majority of Jewish families, it's also a stressful time when personality clashes and unresolved conflicts with a few particular relatives spring up once again.

Into the Mystic

By David Klinghoffer
Published on January 29, 2004

Marcus Weston is a thin, good-looking Londoner who in his casual attire and unobtrusive kippah could pass for typical Pico-Robertson Modern Orthodox guy. On this cool Tuesday night in December, he offers his audience a reassuring smile.

All We Need to Know

By Rabbi Zoë Klein
Published on November 6, 2003

Abram was despondent in his tent, deeply wearied from battle, having just returned from chasing kings from Dan to Damascus.

Abram had looked death in the eye and sat distraught over his own future. God listened to His friend's lament and then He took him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And he added, "So shall your offspring be" (Genesis 15:5).

This verse is remarkable in many ways, and like every verse of Torah, it has an elixir of magic cleverly hidden in its heart, which we will together attempt to uncork.

Finding a Kindred Spirit in a Patriarch

By Rochelle Furstenberg
Published on September 25, 2003

David Klinghoffer's biography of the patriarch Abraham rides on a new wave of interest in the Bible, and a growing sense of the Abrahamic heritage that Christians, Jews and Muslims share.

Face to Face

By Rabbi Susan Laemmle
Published on March 15, 2001

Parashat Ki Tisa tells us that "the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another." (Exodus 33:11) We also hear God telling Moses, "I have singled you out by name, and you have indeed gained My favor" (Exodus 33:12). In Numbers 12:8, God explains that only with Moses does communication occur "mouth to mouth." And the expression "face to face" (panim el panim) recurs in Deuteronomy 34:10, as both Moses' life and the Torah reach their conclusion: "Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses -- whom the Lord singled out, face to face."